All About “Vaishno Devi” Jai Mata Di
The Vaishno Devi Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Vaishno Devi located in Katra at the Trikuta Mountains within the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The temple is one of the 108 Shakti Peethas dedicated to Durga, who is worshipped as Vaishno Devi. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India. Every year millions of visitors visit the temple. During festivals like Navaratri, the count even increases to one crore visitors. Vaishno Devi Temple is one of the richest temples in India. Authors Michael Barnett and Janice Gross Stein says, “Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu has an annual receipts of about $16 million, mainly from offerings by devotees”.
The temple is sacred to all Hindus and Sikhs. Many prominent saints such as Guru Govind Singh and Vivekananda have visited the temple.
Navaratri and Diwali are the two most prominent festivals celebrated in the Vaishno Devi Temple. The temple was included in the Jammu and Kashmir state government Act No. XVI/1988, and known as Shri Mata Vaishno devi Shrine Act. The committee nominated by the state government administers the temple and has nine members on its board.
The Appearance of Vaishno Devi to Shridhar and the story of Bhairavnath/Bhairo:
Vaishno Devi was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu and she used to meditate in a cave. It is said that Bhairaonath, a famous Hindu Tantric, saw the young Vaishno Devi at an agricultural fair and fell madly in love with her. Vaishno Devi fled into Trikuta hills to escape his amorous advances, later she assumed the form of Mahakali and cut off his head with her sword in a cave. Professor and author Tracy Pintchman narrates the story as, “About nine hundred years ago Vaishno Devi appeared in the form of young girl and commanded a Brahmin named Shri Dhar from the village Hansali (next to present day Katra) to hold a feast (bhandara) for local people near Bhumika stream. At the time of feast, Bhairo, a disciple of Goraknath, appeared and demanded meat and liquor. But Vaisno Devi told him he would get only vegetarian food, since this was a Brahmin’s feast. Seeing her, Bhairo lusted after her. To escape him, she ran away stopping at various places on the trail up Trikunta mountain. These places are now known as Banganga, Charan Paduka, Adi Kumari — the place where she is said to have remained for nine months in a cave, — and finally Bhavan, the cave that is now known as her home. There taking the form of Camunda (a form of Kali), she beheaded Bhairo. His body held at the entrance to the cave, and his head landed further up the mountain at a place where a Bhairo temple is now located. Bhairo then repented, and the goddess granted him further salvation. In so doing, however, she laid down the condition that unless pilgrims coming for her darshan did not also get his darshan — that is, darshan of his head — there pilgrimage would not be fruitful. Shri Dhar began doing puja to the pindis at the cave, and his descendants continue to do so even today”.
Professor and author Manohar Sajnani says, According to Hindu mythology, the original abode of Vaishno Devi was Adkanwari, a place about halfway between Katra town and the cave. The Vaishno Devi is said to have been a Virgin since the creation of the universe.
Festivals:
The most prominent festivals held at Vaishno Devi Temple are Navaratri, a nine nights festival celebrating Devi’s victory over evil demons and Diwali, a festival of lights symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
The Navaratri festival is a festival celebrated during the month of Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October. The festival lasts for nine nights (ten days); artists from all over the country perform during the function at Vaishno Devi darbar. Due to COVID-19 pandemic Shrine Board also started delivering Prasāda for the devotees who are unable to come to the temple by collaborating with Postal Department of India.
Devotees of all faiths and all schools of thought of Hinduism visit the Vaishno Devi Temple.