The holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is one of the most revered places of worship for Hindus in northern India. Dedicated to Goddess Shakti, Mata Vaishno Devi cave temple is nestled on top of the Trikuta hills forming a part of the lower Himalayas in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Maintained by the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, the sacred cave of Mata Rani is 30 meter long and just one and a half meter high. It is here that Maa Vaishno Devi merged her Human form with the astral form of her creators, the three Supreme Energies.Chennai Flights
The cave of Mata Vaishno Devi has three stones known as (pindies) dedicated to the three forms of mother goddess: Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. Visited by Millions of devotees every year, Maa Vaishno Devi temple is counted as one the Shakti peeths of Goddess Durga and it is the second most visited religious shrine in India, after Tirupati Balaji Mandir. Legend goes that Mata Vaishno Devi hid in the cave while escaping a demon, whom she ultimately killed.
Vaishno Devi Cave is situated at an altitude of 5200 feet and a distance of approximately 12 kilometers. The only way to reach the Mata Rani shrine is an arduous walk, which offers breathtaking views of the katra city and the snow clad Himalayan ranges. The endless chanting of JAI MATA DI and the devotional Vaishno Devi Mata Bhajans infuse energy and enthusiasm in the devotees and give them perfect mood to enjoy the final visit of the Vaishno Devi Cave temple. Vaishno Devi Yatra includes visit to numerous other shrines and temples like example Bhumika Temple, Kalika Temple, Shiva Goompha, Ardha Kuwari, Bharion Mandir and Ban Ganga Temple with the natural spring of the sacred river Ban Ganga. To reach Vaishno Devi temple, devotees can also rent a horse or be carried up from Katra.
History
'Vaishnavi' means the one who is related to lord "Vishnu''. Goddess Vaishnavi is the manifestation of the collective spiritual strengths of Mata Maha Kali, Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Saraswati. It is described in Durga Sapatshati that the goddess was born as a young girl of extraordinary beauty and strength, out of the collectively pooled 'Tejas' of various 'Devtas' and three lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shankar.
The 'Goddess' having been created by the Devtas and the three lords ordained the human form in the house of one Ratnakar as his daughter whom the family named as Vaishnavi. The girl right from her childhood displayed a hunger for knowledge which was like a vortex and which no amount of teaching and learning could sufficiently satiate. Subsequently, Vaishnavi started looking into her inner self for knowledge and soon learned the art of meditation and realized that meditation and penance only could bring her close to her greater objective. Vaishnavi thus relinquished all household comforts and went deep into the forest for Tapasaya (meditation). Meanwhile, Lord Rama, during his fourteen years of exile happened to visit Vaishnavi who recognized him immediately as no ordinary being but the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and immediately asked him to merge her into himself so that she could become one with the supreme creator. However Lord Rama, knowing that it was not the appropriate time, dissuaded her by saying that he will visit her again after the end of his exile and at that time if she succeeded in recognizing him, he will fulfill her wish. True to his words, Rama visited her again after being victorious in the battle, but this time he did so in the guise of an old man. Unfortunately, Vaishnavi was unable to recognize him this time and was distraught. Upon this, Lord Rama consoled her that the appropriate time for her being one with the creator had not come and he will eventually do so in 'Kaliyug' in his incarnation of 'Kalki'. Rama also directed her to meditate and set up an Ashram at the base of Trikuta hills to elevate her level of spirituality so as to bless the mankind and rid the poor and destitute of their sufferings and only then will 'Vishnu' merge her into himself.
Vaishnavi, after immense hardships reached the foot of the Trikuta Hills and after setting up her ashram there she began to meditate. As predicted by Lord Rama, her glory spread far and wide and people began to flock to her Ashram to seek her blessings.
Bhairon Nath on locating the ashram started observing Vaishnavi secretly and realised that though a 'Sadhvi' she always carried bow and arrows with her and was always surrounded by langoors (apes) and a ferocious looking lion. Bhairon Nath was enamored by Vaishnavi's extraordinary beauty and losing all good sense he began to pester Vaishnavi to marry him. Meanwhile a staunch devotee of Mata, Sridhar organised a Bhandara (Community meal) in which the whole village and Guru Gorakh Nath along with all his followers including Bhairon were invited. During the course of Bhandara Bhairon Nath attempted to grab Vaishnavi but she tried her best to daunt him. On failing to do so, Vaishnavi decided to flee away into the mountains to continue her 'Tapasaya' undisturbed. As Mata left the place, Shridhar started giving up food in grief and started praying for Mata Vaishno Devi.