Sunday, September 4, 2011

Vaishno Devi Temple


Vaishno Devi Mandir  is one of the holy Hindu temples dedicated to Shakti, located in the hills of Vaishno DeviJammu and Kashmir, India. In Hinduism, Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Mother Goddess.
The temple is near the town of  Katra, in the Reasi district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the most revered places of worship in India. The shrine is at an altitude of 5200 feet and a distance of approximately 14 kilometres (8.4 miles) from Katra. Approximately 8 million pilgrims (yatris) visit the temple every year and it is the second most visited religious shrine in India, after Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board maintains the shrine. A rail link from Udhampur to Katrais being built to facilitate pilgrimage. The nearest airport is Jammu Airport which has very high flight frequency. All leading domestic airlines have their services to Jammu Airport.
More details can be read from wikipedia link here  and from the Vishno devi Shrine Board website : http://maavaishnodevi.org/

Helicopter service is available to reach the top of the hills upto 7PM. More details on this can be had from the web page here.

Excellent accommodation is available in this place. We stayed at Trikut Bhavan of Shrine Board. See the video of the rooms at the Videos section.

Well it is a pity that cameras are not allowed beyond the entrance at the foothills and hence the trekking path could not be shot..!

Though the road to Vaishno devi is not all that great, the scenery on either side is quite the opposite..!






This is trikut Bhavan - Our accommodation

The Vaishno devi mountain makes a perfect backdrop for the hotel
My room had a perfect view from the balcony..!


Can you see the pathway..Zoomed in from the balcony of my room..




The accommodation at Trikut Bhavan is excellent. The small temple at the centre and the open to the sky terrace is really enchanting..!






From the balcony of my room.. The white dots are the lighting on the path way..
We have never been far away from the south Indian food..Thanks to enterprising Rammohan..!








 Well, no trip ends without shopping.. Does it?






The shopping is never a quick activity in the case of womenfolks.. Ram wondering when the female folks were going to return ?..



In the meanwhile , Let's take a stroll on the streets ..!





I wish they allowed cameras while trekking up..! Sigh..!
It is time to pack for our next destination..!





PHOTOSTORY






Full Set OF PHOTOS

VIDEOS

View of the Vaishno devi at night


Accommodation at Trikut Bhavan of Shrine Board


24 comments:

  1. Quite an impressing site and I understand why cameras are not allowed as we have to respect highly religious sites such as this one. Are the Mother Goddess and Gaia different?
    I love the temple and glass roof in the hotel, that is superb and creates a very unique ambiance.
    Nice post Sridharan, thanks!

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  2. What a gorgeous, fascinating place, Sridharan! And your posts are always so well written and such superb photos! Love all the colors! The pathway that you zoomed in on is awesome! Thank you for sharing the beauty, the fun and the history! Have a lovely evening!

    Sylvia

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  3. Wonderful place. I loved the scenic beauty of the place.

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  4. Thanks DeeBee.. I am upset about their not allowing camera even before 14km trek..The trekking route should be a marvellous sight and provide ample photo opportunity. Well.. Mother Goddess is not really Gaia.. But a general terminology used for the feminine aspect of the God!

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  5. Thanks for looking Sylvia.. Your comments are always a source of motivation, I am sure..!

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  6. It is a lovely place indeed Rajesh.. If I will not visit it again, it is only because of the fact that they do not allow cameras in the 14 km long trek..!

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  7. Bewitching beauty of the hills captured so well. These images would get etched in mind forever.

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  8. Thanks Chitra..I wish I had more time there.

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  9. Brings back wonderful old memories!! But Katra has developed very rapidly in the last few years, some 15 years ago it was a very quiet place...
    Also did you visit the Bhairav Nath Temple about 2 kms ascend from the Vaishno Devi Temple... It is said that without a visit there the visit to Vaishno Devi Temple is meaningless!!

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  10. nice texts and pics

    thanks for sharing

    "HAPPY ONAM TO YOUR & YOUR FAMILY"

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  11. I too find it disappointing about "no cameras".
    You got nice shots of around the place. Great trip.

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  12. Beautiful photos and such divine atmosphere.

    I agree. It's very disappointing to see a "No Camera" sign.

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  13. I did not Arti.. Would do it next time as my current visit has turned meaningless..(lol)!
    Thanks to visiting the post.!

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  14. Thanks Krishna.. Hope you had a very happy ONAM as well..!

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  15. Thanks Indrani.. It was quite disappointing indeed..!

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  16. We have always wanted to visit this shrine; it was such a pleasure going through this post. The shops brought back recent memories from our visit to India! :-)

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  17. Magical places - i hope i can travel Indis one day to see it with my own eyes! Thanks for posting, Sridahan!

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  18. Thanks ?. I too refresh my memory by visiting these blog posts of mine and others to get rejuvenated..!

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  19. Thanks Martina for stopping by and caring to comment nicely..!

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  20. A wonderful series about your journey! I have enjoyed reading these posts very much and the photographs are fantastic- my Friend and I also enjoyed viewing them.

    Thanks,

    Vaishno Devi Helicopter Service | Kumbh Mela Dates | amarnath helicopter service

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Your comments are more important to me than even my post..! I appreciate your time & Thank you..