is popularly known as Vaishno Devi Katra which is under Reasi District of J&K State...
It is popular because of Maa Vaishno Devi Temple as well as some other important temples. It is situated on the foothills of Trikuta Mountains.
Their is no big introduction of Katra as it is consist of an important Temple which is open though-out the year and huge rush in Navratri Season...
Well there is famous quote that :- You can only visit Vaishno Maa when there will be call from Mata in hindi as "चलो बुलावा आया है, माता ने बुलाया है"
#Travel_Tips &
#Basic_Information (My Experience & Views)
How to Reach Katra?
1. By Train: Convenient & cheapest way to reach Katra, as Katra is connected with some major cities of India as the section was open in 2014 with its first train "Shri Shakti Express" fully AC train.. later many trains extended to Katra and some new trains started as well. Some Famous Trains are Uttar Sampark Kranti Express, Jammu Mail, Swaraj Express, Malwa Express, Hemkunt Express, Shri Shakti Express etc...
2. By Air: You can take Flight to Jammu and then take Cabs, buses and trains to Katra as it is 40 km approx from Katra
3. By Road: State Govt Buses as well as private buses such as Volvos AC & Non AC are connected to Katra from various nearby cities and some long distance cities etc...
#Short_TipsTip 1:- Book your hotel, Dormitory or Dharamshala in advance as well as your return tickets
Tip 2:- Better to take 1 postpaid sim as Prepaid sim will not work after crossing a river near Kathua (also from here Lakhanpur Border, near Kathua)...
Tip 3:- Register online from Official Site as well as book your Helicopter tickets from site too as it will be convenient for you...
Tip 4:- Don't take hotels from any of the agents who are looking for u at outside Katra because that will be more costlier for you if you are not staying for nights in hotel
Tip 5:- Take some woolen cloths atleast 1 for each if your plan is to reach Bhawan after evening as there is cold in nights...
Tip 6:- Less Luggage will be helpful for u specially going to bhawan
Some common tip must be self carried out
#My_Opinion (Rest you may plan yourself as per your program or need)
I always prefer Overnight trains for Jammu/Udhampur/Katra, best train is USK-Jammu Mail from Delhi to Katra
after Jammu you must take Window seats because after Jammu to Katra the view is AWESOME...
Tunnels, Rivers, Bridges and bunkers of Army near tracks
Truly Engineering Marvelous it is..
deboard at Katra and see the Indian Railway Maintenance at Katra Railway stations, the floors are too much shiny that you can watch your clear face in it, well take do some photo shoots specially for hill in which you are going to climb soon...
Take Escalators to exit station, if you didin't register online for Yatra Parchi which is important because without Yatra Parchi you will be not able to enter to check post at Ban Ganga...
So you can also do registration at Station as there is counter, no Id needed, just told him your name and age he will click your photo through web cam and then registration done, he will give you YATRA SLIP with Bar Codes on it...
(Note:- Each person need to be register as no group booking allowed)
If you book ur hotel, dormitory proceed to the hotel for fresh and bath, well if not then i will say take auto to bus stand of katra and ask local people for Shridhar Dharamshala, if there is no rush you will get easily rooms which are free but you need to donate some money as
#Daan (दान) and they will give your slip for that too, there is a big hall if you don't need room you can enter in hall, sit there and refresh too as their is washrooms available as well as cloak room too, there is idol of Vaishno Maa in hall too, take a bedsheet too if you wish to stay in that hall...
generally we take room and then refresh and do breakfast specially Aloo Prantha which is easily available near bus stand at reasonable rates, if you are reaching here by USK then timings are like for your schedule for Day1 is 9am at station, 10 am at Dhamarashala, 11 am breakfast and fresh.. we generally sleep for 2-3 hours and then bath, pack another small bag which will have cloths for bhawan darshan, have some light Lunch because enroute the sanitation is not so good.. its around 3 pm of Day 1 and then we lock room, as well as use cloak room for other luggage, some people prefer by walking to go Ban Ganga check post some people take auto and some people take Helicopter to Sanjhi Chhat...
well for trekking people better to walk to reach Ban Ganga by purchasing some Lathi which help to climb ( i just take that for fun :P), some people buy some fancy bands and chunris, some knot it to their head on which जय माता दी written, also buy some toffee and chewing gums as enroute better to eat less and drink more...
these toffee will help you to get out of bore
Reach at Ban Ganga Check Post, they will check your YATRA SLIP and then you will enter to the first important place called
#Ban_Ganga#Place1:-
#Ban_GangaIt is a famous river, and major tributary of Chennab River, the story from Hindu beliefs are that when Hanuman Ji going to himalayan in search of Sanjeevni Booti, as he was thirsty so in order to end thirst of Lord Hanuman, Maa Vaishno Devi striked the mountains with her bow and arrow... Water came out from there. Maa Vaishnavi also washed her hair in that water. This place is now known as Banganga as well as Bal Ganga, many people bath there and some donate their hair too...
There is also Famous Langar by Gulshan Kumar Family for Yatri
Gulshan Kumar well know singer and music directer and founder of T-Series...
The Langar consist of Roti, Kadhi, Rice etc...
If you are lucky you may get the Desi Ghee Suji Halwa :)
so after eating Langar, proceed for the Trekking
Here all u can also take Ponies, Electric vehicles and paalkhis operated by 4 persons but walking is best for trekking, well some major tips are written on boards as don't become rabbit to climb up fast as soon as possible because it will may be help u to reach bhawan fast but later you will have lot of pain in legs, as well as due to atmospheric pressure you will face vomit and headache as well as stomachache so better to climb as turtle, there are several place where sitting arrangements en-route is available, so take rest at every 3-4 shed for 1-2 minutes and drink some water or energy drink, never take Tea or Coldrink selling at the small counters because all of them are tasteless and u an say duplicate... coldrinks are duplicate better to bus Packed Coldrinks and drink tea/coffee at some big counters enroute...
#Place2 :-
#Charan_Paduka This place have foot prints engraved on the mountain, this is now known as Charan Paduka. It is the first temple where people do worship too (if known), some people missed it without noticing specially for the very first time, there is Lord Hanuman Idol in front of Temple too, story is written there, u may read it too.. after this the trekking begins with touch calls, no shops after this, rarely some tea, coldrinks and snacks shops...
also there will be bhajan played all the time as speaker from Boss company installed at every few meters which will motivate you to trek for Mata..
you will found lots of groups and peoples chanting Jai Mata Di, Jor se bolo Jai mata di, earlier when cameras and mobiles are not so much around 2004-2005 , whenever people xing they shout jai mata di, that is more awesome, today mobiles and cameras take place of every charm...
well after trekking u will also find some Bhojanalyas which are of SMVDK Trust at reasonable rates at major places...
#Place3 :-
#ArdhkuwariThis is the mid point of Trekking to Bhawan, well there is new bypass lane too which bypass Ardhkuwari and save few meters of trekking but if you are going for the first time then don't take bypass as Ardhkuwari is the important place, at Ardhkuwari you may rest for 1-2 hours depend upon your schedule...
A popular belief holds that the goddess showed herself to the saint in this cave and lived here for 9 months. This 15 foot long cave thus came to be known as ‘Garbha Joon’. Interestingly, the goddess shot her trident to make a new opening and escaped when Demon Bhairon came into the cave. Hathi Matha (Head of the Elephant) follows Ardh Kuwari cave for another 2.5 km through a steep path, a distance which must be covered using foot path or stairs. For this holy cave darshan youhave to take Parchi which is free of cost but for darshan time, it may take upto 10 hours to 24 hours depends upon your luck, and crowd, well Note it first that visit holy caves once in life because as per belief one can only went in Garbh for once in life...
in my opinion better to take slip number for Ardhkuwari Gufa and have some light evening breakfast, there are several private restro and also bhojanalyas from trust, also there is CCD Outlet too (Cafe Coffee Day) which is also good..
and continue your journey from there from the left side area where small tunnel will be there, better to ask someone that from where to go bhawan side, as there are other tracks too which are used for returning...
so continue your trek, it will be around 6- 7 pm in evening, if your trekking speed is avg, overall it takes 2-3 hours to reach Ardhkuwari from Ban Ganga...
from Ardhkuwari to Bhawan the trekking is not so much tough because now you have to cross the mountain to reach Bhawan...
soon after there is point where landslides occured so be careful too and never tees Indian Monkey because they will not tease you until you tease them, just continue ur trek by ignoring them...
#Place4 :- you will see bhawan from atleast 1 km before, and from there the path is not upward its almost straight and downward little bit, we always reach around 9 pm and very first thing we did is that we take blankets from counter by depositing security money which is full refundable after you submit the blanket at counter, if you planned 3-4 months earlier then better to book dormitory online for Bhawan or some rooms
because halls were fully occupied, we went to halls and occupied the place for bedding, then cover our place and went for dinner, light dinner...
after that we sleep for few hours approx 3-4 hours...
then wake up around 2:30 or 3am, if u r in mood of bath then proceed and wear simple cloths, no belts, purse allowed, no leather products, no digital products etc...
better to wear normal pant shirt for men and saree/suits for women... (as preferred and comfort)
then pack your bag and reached to the cloak room for depositing bag and shoes, take some cash for purchasing Prashad, donations etc...
buy Bhaint Prashad from SMVDK Trust counter, not buy it from pvt shops because they are costly...
bhaint prasad comes in jute bags...
join the line for darshan, also if you/your family member work at high post or in defense then you may get VIP gate entry from 7 by showing your card etc...
it will save your atleast 40-60 minutes because sometimes queue is too longs around 2-3 km..
from that vip entry u reach to the corridor from where you join the main line
later you Coconut will be taken from you and u will proceed for the further, later you will come out to an open area before entering the holy caves, the morning time around 4 and cold air, black nights really makes you feel to be a mata follower, some people even cried :P, chanting of Jai Mata Di begins from Queue and continue till Darshan..
enter the cave of few meter, and you will reach holy caves, the 3 pinds are there, covering with ornaments, flowers etc, my mom always donate sarees and chatri, so she get extra 4-5 minutes time for worship and darshan, but you will be soon after 2-3 seconds pulled by police and crowed to move further, the old cave is now closed because of some issues, water flows inside caves throughout the year, after darshan, exit from the same tunnel or another tunnel depend upon that time security personal, come out from there and move further for the exit...
you can roam some temples out there, lord shiva temple and several other temples...
while returning the main prasad is distributed which is packed, Mishri along with Silver coin of Mata Vaishno Devi and SMVDK seal... (not purely silver coin)
you can also donate money to the counter on right side of returning path... they will also give you same prasad, you can also buy some stuffs from there too as there is shop also...
now its around 5 am, and Aarti time, so note that you did darshan before aarti because it take a lot of time in aarti...
then we have some tea/coffee & then take our luggage from cloak room and proceed for Bharionath...
Mata Vaishnavi took the shape of fierce goddess Mata MahaKali and killed Bhaironath.
The Head of Bhaironath flew and fell 8 kilometers away from that cave. Bhaironath temple is situated at this place only. After death Bhaironath felt sorry for his conduct and also repented for forgiveness. Mata forgave him and also gave him a boon that, darshan of her devotees will only be completed when they will visit Bhaironath temple as well. Every devotee visiting Mata vaishnodevi also visits Bhaironath temple....
#Place5 :-
#Bhaironath_TempleClimb to Bhairo baba, as the trek is tough here because of steep slope, it is 1.5 km approx and take 1 hour to reach bhairo baba, buy bhaint prasad again from the counter, the rush is quite less because many people dont visit this place, better to split in two and have darshan bcoz it take only 10-15 mintues, then have some breakfast as bhojanalya is present after taking stairs to down.. few things available like Rice Rajma, Curry Rice, Cholle Bhature, Cholle Rice etc...
and then bring out your camers and mobile to enjoy the view of Pir Panjal Ranges, there is open plae made specially to enjoy the beautiful view of Kashmir entrance, Pir Panjal ki Vaadiyan...
have some shots and then proceed for downwards...
note there are so many Langur Bandar you will find so beware of them because they will even pulled your Prasad if you hold it in your hand which open too..
Trek down and sooner you will see Sanjhi Chhat, it is a place where Helipad is made and Helicopters land here...
the trek is land sliding area so beware of it too...
thereafter a famous and only shop just few meter before Ardh Kunwari is there, the pakode of this place is tasty, you have some tea and pakode out there, and then arrived at Ardhkunwari, as take some rest there, see the token number and then plan according to your number, if your number is near then wait for darshan in cave, if it is passed then just told the security personal they will take you in very first batch of darshan, but note same thing will be done as no luggage, no belts and purse etc...
it takes 1 hours approx for darshan...
then proceed for the katra as in trekking down it takes less time but follow the same instructions of taking rest...
you will easily get down at Ban Ganga around 1-2 pm, have some langer again and don't do shopping because same products available in Katra market too, then take auto or if u can walk then proceed to Dharamshala and hotels...
in roads you may find apple sellers from kashmir, buy some apple if you wish...
else you can also buy from Seb mandi in Jammu...
have some rest in Hotel/Dharamshala
and then proceed for the Market for some shopping of Dry Fruits, Prashads & Stuffs, never buy that Kesar dibbi in Rs 10 which are fake Kesar and harmful to u..
have some dinner and rest for whole night..
proceed further as per your plan..
well you can also plan for nearby places of Interest like
#Place6 :-
#Nau_Devi_Gufa means Nine Devis avtaar of Mata
#Place7 :-
#Shiv_Khori_Gufa it takes 3-4 by road. The cave is more than 150 mts long and there is a Svayambhu Lingum, which constantly baths in a milky lime fluid dripping from the ceiling.
The route to Shiv Khori is full of beautiful and picturesque mountains, waterfalls and lakes. It take 1 day full to visit and comeback...
#Place8 :-
#PatnitopIt is the hill station in Kashmir valley, it is situated in the Shivalik hills of Himalayas, the river Chenab flows in close proximity to this location...
The famous Patnitop tunnel also nearby it, well for visiting Patni top the best time if jan to march after snowfall but best time to visit Vaishno Devi is in Navratri time of October because on that time Whole Bhawan and Ardh Kunawari is decorated with imported flowers from various country, crores of amount spent on flowers for decoration...
best view and time....
some people preferred June-july month due to summer,... it depends upon you how to plan and travel... i shared my experience and tried my best to show and share the everything related to Vaishno Devi Katra..
best train for returning back is Shri Shakti and USK as well as for day time trains Swaraj, Malwa, and Jammu Mail...
(All the info is provided here by self known place and experiences, some lines were taken from Articles and no particular sources were in there... thanks)
Song:-
click hereOfficial Site:-
click herePic Credit:- Self (Some pics are old too)
#thinkDKG_Travel_Tips 
