Vaishno Devi is a very popular pilgrim centre for Hindus dedicated to Godess Durga. It is situated 61 km north of Jammu, and Jammu is a good base to visit this place. Thousands of pilgrims visit it every year and particualrly during the `Navratras Festival' in March-April and September-October, when pilgrims flock in large numbers from India as well as abroad. The path from Katra to Temple Shrine has been paved and facilities like drinking water, snack bars, medical aid, food and accommodation are provided along the route. It provides cuisines of a large variety keeping in mind the fact that tourists flock from all over the world. The Shrine Board runs bhojanalayas at Katra, Adhkawari, Sanji Chhat and Durbar.

Some good news for the Pilgrims
       The pilgrims going to Vaishno Devi shrine will now have to trek atleast 1 km less to reach the Bhawan, with the opening of an alternate track from Audhkuwari to Bhawan. The new track, starting from the base of Audhkuwari, reaches Bhawan without touching Hathi Matha and Sanji Chhat. The new track, having a length of 5.5 km, will not only decongest the existing track but will also be shorter by 750 metres. It was constructed at a cost of Rs 6.50 crore. This alternate track has 8 toilets and a number of potable water points. In addition to this, there are 3 View Point-cum-cafetarias. No pony would be allowed on this new track.

Stay at Vaishno Devi
       In addition to the traditional pilgrim centres `serais' and `dharamshalas', several hotels are available and accommodation is reasonably priced. The Shrine Board accommodation on the way to the temple, at Adhkawari and Sanjichat, and at the Darbar, must be booked at the Katra office. There are about 55 hotels/guest houses, lodges, 6 dharamshalas and a number of paying guest accommodation at Katra which can accommodate nearly 13,000 pilgrims for a single day.

How to Reach
       Vaishno Devi Temple can be reached after making a steep 13 km trek from the roadhead at Katra, the town at the foot of the Tirkuta hills. Katra is 48 km from Jammu, 650 km from Delhi (via Una), 520 km from Udhampur, 410 km from Chandigarh and 80 km from Patnitop. Several Porters and Ponies are available at Katra on hire.

Air
       Jammu is the nearest airport. Jammu's Civil Airport Ranibagh is 9 km from the city centre. Alliance Air (a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Airlines) flights are available to and from Delhi, Srinagar and Leh. Jet Airways connect Jammu with Delhi and Srinagar. Only private taxis are available for Rs 200 to city centre.

Rail
       Jammu is the nearest railhead. The railway station of Jammu is on the other side of the Tawi river from town. Jammu is very well connected with all major destinations in India by rail. Direct express trains link it with Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta.

Road
       Regular bus service and taxis are available from Jammu to Katra. Taxis and buses are available from Jammu to Katra every 10 minutes from bus stand and railway station. Approximate fares from Jammu to Katra in an air-conditioned bus is Rs 45, deluxe bus Rs 20, mini coach Rs 33 (5 persons one way), Taxi Rs 520 for 4 persons. Regular bus services to Katra are also available from a number of north Indian towns like Taran Taran, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Chandigarh, Delhi,Jwalaji and Srinagar.

Places of Interest
Vaishno Devi Temple
       The holy temple inside a cave is dedicated to three mother goddess of Hinduism - Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati.

Visitors Please Note:

• The Shrine Board at Katra has setup a number of counters for issuing `Yatra Slips' to the visitors. After obtaining the slip, the pilgrims must clear the Banganga check point within a period of 6 hours from the time of issue.
• On reaching the Darbar (The main temple), the pilgrims are assigned to groups which are permitted `Darshan' in a set sequence.
• Only 20,000 visitors are allowed to cross the Banganga check point daily. If the prescribed number of slips have already been issued, the pilgrims are issued with `Waiting Slips'. The `Bhaint' (offerings) for the goddess must include coconut, mauli (sacred thread), red `Chunni' (headscraf) with gold/silver trimmings, dryfruit, bangles, incense and vermillion powder.
• Other offerings include `mehndi' (henna), `supari' (arecanut) and `Chattar' (holy Umbrella). There are facilities for hiring blankets, and for buying `bhaint' (offerings) at fixed prices.
• Visitors would do well to have non-leather walking shoes, cotton bags, torches, caps and walking sticks. Most of these items can be hired at Katra. Visitors should leave all their leather belongings and other heavier baggage at Katra.

Other Religious Sites
Places connected with the legend of Vaishno Devi include Raghunath Mandir, Kalka Mandir, Bhumika Mandir, Shalimar Park and Chintamani Park. Temples of Adhkawari, Bhairon Ghati and Garbh Joon are enroute to main temple, but Bhairon Ghati temple is to be visited only after visiting the Shrine of goddess Durga.

Natural Scenic Spots
Scenic spots around Katra include Deva Mai, Devi Pindian, Baba Dhansar, Chamba, Aghar Jitto, Salala Lake, Riasi and Bhim Garh Fort.

Shopping
Most things at Katra are brought from Jammu, so if one has time, shopping should be done there. The shopping here should be restricted to the `bhaint' requirements. These should be bought from shops run by the Shrine Board outside the temple.

Tourist Information centres

• J&K Tourism, Tourist Reception Centre, at Vir Marg and at Jammu Tawi Railway Station.
• J&K Tourism, Tourist Office, Railway Station, Jammu.
  Tel :- (0191)-530078.
• J&K Tourism, Tourist Office, National Airport, Jammu.
  Tel :- (0191)-531917.