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Katra Town, lying
in the foot of Trikuta Mountains, 48 kms. from Jammu, serves as the base
camp for visiting the famous shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, which is
approachable on foot along a 13 kms long well laid footpath. Every year,
more than 4.5 million pilgrims pass through Katra on their way to the
holy shrine.
The cave shrine
of Mata Vasihnodeviji or Trikuta Bhagwati (alt: 5,200 ft.) has been a
beacon of faith and fulfilment to millions of devotees from all over the
world. The pilgrimage to the Shrine holds great significance for the
pilgrims.
Everyday of the
year throngs of people surge up the steep pathways that cut across the
Trikuta hillsides for mile after mile. This show of faith is finely
interwoven with the cultural strands of the Indian subcontinent, and
these pathways have been trod on for many centuries now. Popular belief
holds that anybody who walks the Himalayan trail to the goddesses's
abode to ask for a boon rarely goes back disappointed. Whatever be it, a
new enterprise or a forthcoming examination, marriage or birth, the
devout look up to the Mata For blessings and guidance. There are many
who journey year after year to pay obeisance regardless of their faith
or belief, creed or class, caste or religion
Mata Vaishno Devi
established an ashram in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountain and began
to meditate. As predicted by Lord Rama, her glory started spreading and
people began to flock to her ashram to seek her blessings. As time
passed, a Tantrik called Gorakh Nath (Demo God), who had a vision of the
episode between Lord Rama and Mata Vaishno Devi, became curious and
wanted to know more about her. Accordingly, he sent his most able
disciple `Bhairon Nath' to find out. Bhairon Nath started observing her
secretly and realized that despite being a `Sadhvi', she always carried
a bow and arrows and was always surrounded by langoor (apes) and a
ferocious looking lion. Bhairon, the demon God took a fancy to her. But
the Mata spurned his advances and fled to the Himalayas to continue her
spiritual quest.
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