Every Hindu in India aspires to pay a visit to the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple located in Katra in Jammu and Kashmir. Popular folklore says that it is not upto the devotee to decide when he/she wants to visit Maa Vaishnodevi’s temple. This is because Mata is known to send a spiritual bulawa to her devotees and only then is their trip to the temple as well as Mata’s darshan successful. No wonder, it is commonly said, ‘Chalo bulawa aya hai, Mata ne bulaya hai’.
As per legends, Mata Vaishno Devi was born in the southern region of India to a man called Ratnakar Sagar and his wife. Ratnakar and his wife were childless and yearned to have a baby for many years. Just before the birth of Maa Vaishno devi, Ratnakar vowed that he would interfere or force his child and let him or her follow whatever their heart wishes to do.
# Maa Vaishno Devi is a powerful manifestation of Maa Durga. Navratri is a celebration of womanhood and appeasing Maa Durga who is the core essence of Womankind, the Shakti, Kanya Pujan is performed.
# She is a complete mystery. No one knows how the caves were formed and how she came to reside there!
# There have been many claims regarding Mata Vaishno Devi Temple’s caves. However, Geological reports state that these caves exits for over one million years and that pilgrims have been visiting them to worship Maa Vaishno Devi since forever!
# Maa Vaishno Devi blessed Arjuna before the battle of Kurukshetra. In fact, it was Lord Krishna who advised him to seek Maa Durga’s blessings so he meditated in front of the Holy cave and prayed for victory.
# We now know that Mata Vaishno Devi’s dwelling in the cave was a complete secret. So what led to this discovery? It is believed that late Guru Gobind Singjee himself trekked to her cave to seek her blessings and that is how the pilgrimage to Maa’s abode began.
# The highest point when visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi is the Bhavan. The Bhavan is located at 6218 feet, i.e. 1906 meters about the sea level. This place has a strong spiritual aura around it and only true devotees who trek on foot for 13 kms to reach this point can feel it.