Sitting atop a high Himalayan mountain, Vaishno Devi shrine looked majestic from a distance. And a plethora of emotions and thoughts kept clouding my mind. Among the feelings ranging from a sense of achievement to sheer futility, I kept wondering how to put my thoughts together. However, to start with, reaching there itself was not an easy task: a 12 km long hike over a steep terrain. A week prior to the trip, I had somehow convinced Sumit (my colleague-friend) & family to hike alongside. We did this exciting Delhi- Patnitop- Katra- Vaishno Devi- Delhi trip in the spring of 2023. In this article, I’m sharing my experience of the Vaishno Devi Yatra, and tips on all that you want to know before you plan your trip.
If you love pilgrimages, do check out: Amritsar (Sikh) ||| Varanasi (Hindu) ||| Shravanabelagola (Jain).
My thoughts on pilgrimages
Yatra, or a pilgrimage, in the common sense of the term, has never been a thing for me. Nor that I think it ever will be. Given the fact that I have always been an agnostic, pilgrimages never appealed to me. But then I read “India- A Sacred Geography” by Diana Eck. The book explores the spiritual destinations of India, a pilgrim’s India with vivid descriptions, stories and insights. The writing is so compelling and fascinating that I got inspired to experience some of the great pilgrimage-sites of India and the world.
Though pilgrimages have a deep spiritual meaning, in common parlance however, pilgrimages are basically a matter of faith. Devotees believe that by completing a pilgrimage, they earn certain blessings or virtue. Besides, a large number of believers undertake pilgrimages to fulfill their wishes. I think fulfillment of wishes is just a matter of coincidence. But religious people do believe in its genuineness.
So, why did I undertake the Vaishno Devi Yatra? It was because I wanted to experience a cultural phenomenon among practicing Hindus. I wanted to see the devotees in their primal form and observe their faith in action. Moreover, my interest was to capture the spiritual essence of the yatra, and experience it from a traveller’s perspective.
{For more spiritual/ cultural destinations, please check out: Rishikesh (Hindu) ||| Yuksom (Buddhist)}
Vaishno Devi Yatra: History and Mythology
Vaishno Devi temple is near the town of Katra in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). It’s among the most popular pilgrimages in India today. As per estimates, 9.4 million tourists visited the shrine in 2023!
{If you are planning to visit J&K, here’s our blog to refer: Best places in Kashmir}
Though Vaishno Devi gets mention in Hindu mythology running into thousands of years, its popularity as a pilgrimage is of relatively recent origin. Quite unbelievably, it was not even a significant shrine in north India in the 1970s. However, the infrastructural expansions made in 1976 saw rapid growth in pilgrimage here.
According to mythology, at the core of the story behind Vaishno Devi is Bhairon Nath’s lusty chase of Vaishnavi, a divine girl. Bhairon, a tantrik, enamored by her beauty, followed Vaishnavi up to a cave on Trikuta hills. Angered by the chase, Vaishnavi took to her astral form of Vaishno Devi. Drawing divine energies from Maha Kali, Maha Saraswati and Maha Laxmi, she beheaded Bhairon.
The place where Vashnavi meditated in a cave is today revered as Vaishno Devi shrine. Goddess Vaishno Devi appears in natural rock formations (pindis) in a cave at Bhawan. She manifests in three of her forms at the shrine- Goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Interestingly, the place where Bhairon’s head fell, also has a shrine. It’s said that a visit to Vaishno Devi is not complete without visiting the Bhairon Nath shrine!
Our Plan for Vaishno Devi Yatra
We (I, Sumit, Amruta and their son- Aarush) planned for a three and half day trip that included Patnitop and Vaishno Devi Yatra. Here’s the schedule:
- Day-0: Take an overnight train from Delhi to Udhampur
- Day-1: Take a taxi to Patnitop, and check in at the hotel
- Good part of day-1: a day trip to Sanasar lake
- Day-2: Local sightseeing in Patnitop, and proceed to Katra; late night trek to Vaishno Devi
- Day-3: Pay obeisance (darshan) at Vaishno Devi shrine early morning; return and take the overnight train to Delhi.
Two days in Patnitop:
As per plan, we took the overnight train (Uttar Sampark kranti) from Delhi and reached Udhampur around 7.30 AM. From there, we took a taxi to reach Patnitop by 9.00 AM, and checked in at Misty Pines hotel. Without wasting much time, we freshened up, had breakfast, and quickly left for day-trip to Sanasar lake.
The distance of 20 kms via Natha top took us about an hour to reach there. The route was absolutely scenic, and the spring-time weather was enjoyable. We had a wonderful day at the Sanasar lake and the tulip garden nearby. However, let’s keep that experience for another day.
Reaching Katra and preparing for the trek:
On the second day, after doing a local sightseeing in Patnitop, we left for Katra in the afternoon. After checking in at the Mount View Hotel, we took some rest. In the evening, when we went to enquire about the entry pass to Vaishno Devi Yatra, we were flummoxed!
The que for collecting the entry passes at the counter (near bus stand) was about a kilometer long! And we heard that they were not issuing entry passes to those who registered online! It was a really disappointing for us because we thought we wouldn’t be able to make the trek! But we didn’t lose hope.
We decided to drop our plan of starting the trek early morning, and instead, start the trek after dinner. So, we had early dinner, and went back to the hotel. After resting for a while, we took an auto-rickshaw to reach Banganga, the entry point to Vaishno Devi trek.
{If you are a trekking lover, please have a look: Triund Trek (Himachal) ||| Dzukou Valley Trek (Nagaland)}
Vaishno Devi Trek
The routes:
From Katra bus stand, entry point to Vaishno Devi trek at Banganga is about 1.5 kilometers. Then from Banganga, Vaishno Devi shrine (situated at Bhawan) is about a 12- 13 kms trek. Banganga to Adhkuwari (halfway): 6-7 kms; Adhkuwari to Bhawan: 6-7 kms. Further, if one decides to trek up to Bhairon Temple, it’s about 1.5 kms more.
Here’s the complete route map for your reference:
From Banganga to Adhkuwari, there are two routes. The old route goes via Charan-paduka, and is about 5.5 kms long. The new route inaugurated recently, is called Tarakote marg, and is about 7 kms long. While the old route has facilities like ponies, porters and palanquins, the new route doesn’t have any such services. So, most people still choose the old route. However, the new route is much cleaner and scenic.
From Adhkuwari to Bhawan, again there are two separate routes: the old route (6 kms) goes via Hatimattha / Sanjichhat and the new route (5 kms) goes via Himkoti. While the new route starts a little before Adhkuwari, the old route diverts from the Adi-kuwari temple in Adhkuwari. However, there’s a tunnel that connects Adi-kuwari temple with the new route.
The new route is better for hiking because it’s less steep (than the old one) and it doesn’t allow the ponies. However, porters and palanquins are allowed on both the routes. So, if one is taking a pony ride, one has no choice but to take the old route. On the other hand, battery-rickshaws are available from Adhkuwari to Bhawan on the new route only.
Commencing our trek:
We reached the entry gate around 10 PM. Of course, the first task was to collect our entry passes. Most of the visitors in the que told us that indeed, entry pass was available only offline! To our utter disappointment, we actually saw tens of visitors who had booked online return from the gate. They told us that they would collect their entry passes offline the next day, and would come again. We were distraught as we didn’t have time.
However, on enquiring a bit more, we actually got to know about a counter at the entry gate that gave entry passes to visitors having online booking! Such a relief it was! But I felt bad for all those people returning due to lack of proper information at the gate.
So at last, it was around 10.15 PM, we checked in at the Banganga entry point, and chose the old route via Charan-Paduka. In fact, at that point of time, we didn’t know about the new route, and just followed the majority.
Banganga to Adhkuwari:
After walking a short distance from the entry point, the first thing we noticed was the pony/ porter/ palanquin-booking counter. However, as we had already decided to trek the whole distance, we just took note of the rates and moved from there quickly.
Since we were running late, we didn’t stop over at Banganga temple; we thought of doing it on the return trip. According to legends, Mata Vaishno Devi had originated the river by hurling an arrow at the mountain! Next stop was Charan Paduka temple, where one can see the footprints of Vaishno Devi.
First part of the trek was easy because of gentle slopes. It took us only about 30 minutes to reach our first stop: Charan-paduka temple, 2.5 kms from the entry gate. We spent some 10 minutes at the temple and proceeded towards Adhkuwari soon. Thereafter, the slope started to be a bit steeper. There were a few short cuts with steps to climb. We took some of those, but they proved to be a more difficult choice.
It was quite crowded with hundreds of devotees at any point of the trek passing each other. Add to that the ponies, porters and palanquin carriers. Though the weather was pleasant, the surroundings were not so pleasant with pony-shits all around stinking quite badly.
The most memorable point on the first part of the trek was a place from where the night view of Katra was quite gorgeous. And the moon in the sky over a tree looked mesmerizingly beautiful. It was ~11.45 PM when we reached Adhkuwari.
Stopover at Adhkuwari:
Adhkuwari is not only the midway resting place, but also the place for Adi-kuwari temple. Generally, devotees pay first obeisance (darshan) to Goddess Vaishno Devi here. But since it takes about 2-4 hours for darshan, we couldn’t wait that long.
Early in the evening itself, we had already got an idea about the large crowd there in Vaishno Devi that day. But it really hit us hard when we reached Adhkuwari. The most striking scene at the temple campus was the thousands of devotees sleeping in the open all over the place. From roadside to courtyard to toilets, everywhere devotees were laying down in hundreds!
Here’s a little interesting story. Before commencing our Vaishno Devi Yatra, when we first decided to take up this journey, Sumit asked his son whether he would like to join. He was initially hesitant about the trek. But when Sumit showed an YouTube video mentioning that there’s a McDonald cafe up there are at Adhkuwari, he agreed instantly!
So, from the very beginning of our trek at Banganga, he had been asking about the cafe. Sumit kept telling him that it was just a few hundreds meters away. And when we reached the McDonald cafe at Adhkuwari, buoy, was he excited! Keeping his promise, Sumit did bring him his favorite burger and French fries.
After spending about 45 minutes there, it was time for us to proceed towards Bhawan.
Adhkuwari to Bhawan:
From Adhkuwari, as it was a gradual ascent, and nicely paved road, it was not really physically challenging. However, walking at odd hours of late night till early morning, it was an arduous task. In hindsight, I thought it was not at all a good idea to walk after midnight.
Sumit had put his son in a pram (pithu), and we walked alongside. But the porter didn’t go beyond a certain point (perhaps Himkoti). Beyond that point, poor chap Sumit had to carry his son over his shoulder! It must be such a difficult task!
From Adhkuwari to Bhawan, we had taken the new route via Himkoti. Again, we weren’t aware of the two routes; just enquired a bit, and chose the route taken by the majority. Starting ~1.30 AM, we reached Bhawan ~4.30 AM; covered the distance of 5 kms in 3 hours.
Paying obeisance (darshan) at Bhawan/ Vaishno Devi shrine:
The congregation of crowd was beyond my imagination up there at Bhawan. The que to enter the Vaishno Devi temple to pay obeisance (darshan) at Vaishno Devi temple was 1-2 kms long! Then we got to know that they didn’t allow any hand bags inside the temple.
So, we went in search of a locker room. But to make things worse for us, we found the locker rooms full. So, one of us had to stay outside the temple keeping a vigil on our bags. I offered myself for that job. Actually, I thought I would enter the temple after they came back.
However, it took them about one and half hours to enter the temple, pay obeisance and come back. By that time (6 AM), the gates were closed for morning Aarti (rituals). And I would have to wait another two hours for the gate to open again.
To be honest, I was totally exhausted exacerbated by my sleeplessness. Thus, I had hardly have any patience left to wait till 8 AM to enter the temple. So, we decided to take the return journey; started ~6 AM.
Bhawan to Bhairon temple:
According to mythology, Vaishno Devi Yatra is not complete without visiting Bhairon temple, 1.5 kms from Bhawan. So, majority of devotees trek up to Bhairon temple and return via Adhkuwari. But as said above, we didn’t have any energy or willpower to go any further.
The return trek:
Like any other return trek, this was supposed to be relatively easier. But sleeplessness and exhaustion made things difficult. Sumit put Aarush in a pram (pithu). Since the porter walked fast, Sumit had no choice but to walk fast alongside. I and Amruta walked a little slower and took a number of small stops along the way. About 30 minutes before reaching Banganga, we departed somehow. The return trek took us about three and half hours (reached ~9.30 AM).
Vaishno Devi Yatra : Travel Tips
Best time to visit:
- March (spring) to June (summer) are the best months; October (autumn) is good as well
- July to September are monsoon months; rains can mar the trip
- Winters are a bit difficult due to very low temperatures
A suggested schedule for the trek to Bhawan:
- Day-1: Reach Katra in the morning, take some rest
- Late afternoon/ early evening: Keep the room if you have luggage; and proceed for Vaishno Devi trek. Reach Adhkuwari by late evening. If you want to pay obeisance at Adhkuwari, take a token and wait for your turn.
- Day-2: Early morning proceed to Bhawan; reach ~4- 5 AM for darshan
- If you decide to skip Adhkuwari, reach Bhawan directly late in the evening, and check in at your selected accommodation, and take rest.
- If you wish, hike up to Bhairon temple and return via Sanjichhat, onward to Katra.
How to reach Katra:
- Katra is the base location for Vaishno Devi Yatra. From Banganga in Katra, one has to trek to reach Bhawan (Vaishno Devi Shrine) via Adhkuwari temple
- If one prefers travelling by flight, the nearest airport is in Jammu, just 45 kms away from Katra. From there, regular buses are available to Katra; or, one may take a taxi
- Katra has a railway station; one may find out if there’s a train available from their location
- If one wants to take a bus, there are buses from cities of Jammu, Punjab, and Delhi.
Where to stay:
- Some budget hotel suggestions in Katra: Niharika Bhawan || Ginger Katra || Hotel Katra Residency || Hotel Divine Oak || The White Hotels || Hotel Vaishno Devi || Vaishno Devi IRCTC Guesthouse || Royal Krishna Hotel
- As hotels generally offer drop off (at Banganga) facility to guests, location of hotel doesn’t matter too much
- Accommodation at Adhkuwari: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board– rooms and dormitory. No private hotel is available here, and one has to book at least 60 days in advance.
- Accommodation at Bhawan: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board- rooms and dormitory. Like Adhkuwari, no private hotel is available here, and one has to book at least 60 days in advance.
How to undertake the trek to Bhawan:
- Helicopters: If you want to take a chopper ride, you have to book at least 60 days in advance. They fly from Katra to Sanjichhat, from where one has to walk up to Bhawan (3- 3.5 kms). However, helicopter trips are cancelled often due to bad weather.
- Hiking: As the slope is gentle, moderately healthy people can easily hike up to the temple. Check out the routes mentioned above; should take 5-6 hrs up and 3-4 hrs downhill
- Pony ride: Pony rides are available at Banganga entry point. If one chooses to hike, and later finds it difficult, one can find ponies on the trail till Adhkuwari. Taking a pony ride up the hill, and walking back is also a good idea.
- Porter (Pithu) service: Porters are available to carry children by prams and elderly people on the back (called pithus).
- Palanquin (palki) service: Elderlies may choose palanquins as well; they are better than pithus or ponies.
- Battery rickshaws: They are available from Adhkuwari to Bhawan. Though bookings are available online, one can book on the spot as well, depending on availability of seats. Appropriately, elderlies are given priority.
- The government defined rates for all these services are written at the counter near Banganga; do check out.
Where to eat:
- In Katra: Lazeez restaurant || Pooja Vaishno Dhaba || Rajasthani & Gujarati restaurant || Madhuban Saattvik restaurant || Jewel’s restaurant || Rainbow restaurant
- At Adhkuwari: Vaishno Devi Bhojanalay || Shrine Board Cafe || Manokamana Bhojanalay || McDonald’s
- At Bhawan: Sagar Ratna || Bhojanalay.
Miscellaneous tips:
- Avoid weekends, holidays and special days, unless you have a very good reason to do so
- Always book the entry pass online before starting your journey
- Book at least 60 days in advance for: Helicopter; Entry Pass; Rooms at Adhkuwari and Bhawan; Morning Aatki Aarti Darshan at Bhawan.
Food for thought
Need for planning well:
When I reached back the hotel room, there were not many good feelings in my mind. The trek was strenuous and absolutely exhausting. To be honest, I hardly enjoyed the trip. However, in the hindsight, it seems not that bad. If anything needs to be changed if I want to go back, it’s the planning bit. To be honest, I had hardly done any research on our Vaishno Devi Yatra, or any planning whatsoever. That was a big mistake.
I thought it was going to be a straight forward trek without too many complexities. But little did I know about all the complexities waiting for us! Luckily though, at least Sumit had booked our entry for the day. Would you believe, I wasn’t aware of this even! And because we weren’t well prepared, we had no idea how to schedule our trek. This proved to be a major reason for the not-so-good experience.
Further, if I go for a second Vaishno Devi Yatra, I would take a pony on the way up, and return by foot. This way, I would save a lot of energy, and enjoy the trip more.
Looking back at the sunny side
All was not that bad though. I did enjoy the learning experience. This was my first mountain pilgrimage where one has to undertake a difficult trek to reach the temple. I wanted to see for myself how believers take all the hardship with a smile. And I was not disappointed at all.
Besides, the views from the trek were nice, especially the view of Katra town, both night and morning views.
Information dissemination:
We found there was a big gap in information dissemination. Because we didn’t find any reliable information on routes and entry passes in Katra or at Banganga. It was all hearsay! There was a lot of chaos among the visitors. Yes, one can always find information on google, but they are not always reliable. And not all the devotees are tech-savvy! So, the authorities should put up official information center/ help desk 24/7.
Facilities at Bhawan:
In the peak season (between March and June), the facilities at Bhawan are very limited. When we visited, hotels were full and restaurants were overcrowded. We didn’t even get a cloakroom to keep our luggage! Authorities must create decent and enough facilities. Because visitors come from all over the country, and reach there exhausted. The least they would want is a bed and some food.
However, overall facilities on the trek route were good though. There were frequent snack corners, toilets, massage centers, souvenir shops, etc.
The Epilogoue
The faith factor:
The most striking thing that I experienced was how intense was the sense of pilgrimage/ religiousness among devotees. Of course, not everyone who undertakes the Vaishno Devi Yatra is an equally ardent devotee, but majority of them are.
The 13 km long trek over a hilly terrain is by no means an easy task. But I saw large number of elderly people trekking by foot, however difficult was the proposition for them. Besides, a sizable number of very old people took to porters and palanquins!
So much so that some of the devotees were trekking by full-body prostration (lying flat on floor reverentially, and keep repeating)! And they cover the whole distance like this! I cannot even imagine the kind of hardship they undergo. For what?! I may not understand, but they do.
Faith is designed to be this way only. If you question, you cannot do this.
A note to self:
It’s true that after taking all the hardship to reach Vaishno Devi temple gate, I couldn’t actually pay obeisance (darshan) to the Goddess! But was I unhappy? To be honest, not at all. In fact, it was a choice I made that morning willfully. I could have waited for another two hours to enter the temple. If I took all those pain, I could have definitely taken a bit more. But I chose not to. It was a conscious decision.
I asked myself if God really resides in a temple? My mind said no, as always. By reaching the gate of the temple, had I accomplished what I wanted to? The answer was yes. So, it was easy for me to return from the temple-gate without paying obeisance.
Ardent believers say that it’s only the chosen ones who can see the Goddess. So, maybe they are right! At the end of the day, it’s what you believe is what defines you.
I have and I will definitely undertake more pilgrimages, be it Hindu, Muslim, Christian or any other. However, it will continue to be as my quest for cultural experiences rather than for any faith.
Sara Hevia
Fantastic trip
A place unknowed for me, with a lot of mystic and culture
Thanks for share it in your usually form, very complete information
stampedmoments
We are glad that you keep coming back to our blog.
Readers like you are our inspiration. Can’t thank you enough!
juha sandro
Absolutely! The Vaishno Devi Yatra is a spiritual journey like no other, nestled in the breathtaking Trikuta Mountains of Jammu and Kashmir. Whether you’re a first-time pilgrim or a seasoned devotee, there’s always something special to discover.
stampedmoments
Well said! It’s a difficult journey, but worth the experience.
Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback.
Delip
What a well written clear blog. You mentioned about pre-planning which i fully agree with & in the same quest went about searching foir tips. You were right. Information was scarce and dispersed. I found your tips the best by far. So keep the faith!
stampedmoments
Hi Delip!
We are happy that you found the tips useful; that’s been our endeavor.
Thanks for sharing your feedback; keep connected.
Cheers!