Millennia upon millennia
ago, there once lived a maiden called Mata Vaishno
Devi. She was the human creation of three lords.
This
humanity she devoted in all-out worship to Lord Vishnu.
She spent all her life in meditation and prayers
until she encountered Lord Rama, prince of Ayodhya.
Lord Rama promised her marriage, in the condition
that she persisted in her spiritual quest. In this
pursuit, the god counseled her to establish an ashram
at the base of the Trikuta Mountain.
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Within a cave in this mountain, Mata Vaishno Devi was believed
to have transformed herself into three forms, as Maha Kali,
Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati.
Once in collective Shakti,
these three aspects make a goddess out of the mortal maiden,
a being revered especially in India Pilgrimage Tours. From
far-flung points the world over, millions of devotees and
tourists alike embark on an India pilgrimage Tour to the
revered cave of Mata Vaishno Devi.
Never to be left out of every India
pilgrimage Tour itinerary possible, this site has been
regarded as the shrine at the apex of the Trikuta Mountain,
at an elevation point of 5,300 ft.
This Indian Pilgrimage Travel destination is situated
at a distance of about 60 km from Jammu in the state
of Kashmir.
Mata Vaishno Devi's sacred cave shrine is 98 ft long
and only 5 ft high.
Due to the cramped space, Pilgrimage
Tour India travelers can enter only in limited batches
through a narrow aperture. |
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Traveling on foot and by ponies are common approaches to
make this Pilgrimage Tour India. Lying 13 km from the shrine,
the town of Katra is commonly seen as the launching pad for
the Indian Pilgrimage Tour.
From here, pilgrims may scale the route to Banganga, the site where the goddess is said to have stopped to drink water.
Accommodations can then be availed in the community of Bhawan, located just within the cave's vicinity. Here, pilgrims are made to take turns as groups before proceeding to the cave's inner sanctum.
Everyone needs an authentic yatra slip in order to gain access through the Ban Ganga check post.
Nowhere else can a pilgrim procure the slip but from the registration counter at the India Pilgrimage Tourism reception center in Katra's bus terminus.
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