Vaishno Devi Temple

Vaishno Devi Temple is a Hindu cave shrine to the mother goddess, set in the Trikuta hills above Katra in the Jammu region at about 1,580 metres. Vaishno Devi is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in India, drawing millions of pilgrims a year, and the shrine is run by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Inside the cave, the goddess is worshipped not as a carved image but as three natural rock formations, the pindis, representing Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati. Reaching the shrine, called the Bhawan, means a climb of roughly 12 to 13 km from Katra on a paved, lit track. Many pilgrims walk through the night to arrive for dawn prayers, chanting "Jai Mata Di" along the way. Ponies, palanquins and porters are available, and a helicopter runs from Katra to Sanjichhat, about 2.5 km short of the Bhawan. The busiest periods are the two Navratri festivals and summer school holidays, when queues can run for hours.

What to see

• Banganga, the stream near the start of the track where pilgrims wash
• Ardhkuwari, a narrow cave shrine halfway up, with its own queue
• The Bhawan and the holy cave with its three pindis
• Bhairon temple above the Bhawan, reached on foot or by ropeway
• Views back over the Jammu plains from the upper track

What to wear

Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees; loose trousers or a kurta work well for the climb. Footwear is removed before the shrine, so wear shoes that slip off easily. Good walking shoes matter more than anything else on a 12 km uphill track. Nights are cool even in summer, and from December to February it can snow near the Bhawan, so carry a warm layer and a rain jacket in the monsoon.

Local food to try

The whole route is strictly vegetarian and alcohol free. Shrine Board canteens along the track serve simple vegetarian meals, tea and snacks. Down in Katra and Jammu, try rajma chawal, the local red kidney beans with rice, and kalari kulcha, a fried soft cheese from the Udhampur area served in bread. Halwa puri is a pilgrim favourite for breakfast in the Katra bazaar.

Good to know

• Open all year; March to June and September to October are the most comfortable
• The shrine is open around the clock, with pauses for morning and evening aarti
• Registration and an RFID yatra card are compulsory before starting, done in Katra or online
• Allow a full day and night for the round trip on foot, less with the helicopter
• Katra is about 50 km from Jammu and has a railway station; Jammu airport is the nearest
• Phones, cameras and bags are not allowed into the cave; lockers are provided

Nearby places

Most travellers combine the pilgrimage with Kashmir: Dal Lake in Srinagar is roughly 250 km north by road, and Gulmarg about 300 km. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, is around 250 km south.