Our Vaishnodevi adventure - Jammu, Kashmir area

Vaishno Devi Temple of Mata Maha Kali, Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Saraswati is one of the heavily visited Hindu shrines.  This is located in the Udhampur District in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a shakti peetham. Who and when it was built? -  there was no information on that.

The facilities and cleanliness throughout are very impressive.

Reaching Vaishno Devi by railway is a relatively economical way and you can easily get the super fast and express trains for the various destinations of India including Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. 

Road access to Vaishno Devi is very convenient also. The region has well-maintained network of state and national highways. We passed through destinations that connect Jammu (the nearest transit point of Vaishno Devi) namely Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Jallandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jwalaji and Srinagar - of which Jalandhar and Jwalaji, we did it on our own, not with the group even though they were supposed to take us to those places. 

The shrine is at an altitude of 5200 feet and visited by millions of devotees each year. One can trekk, take a doley or a helicopter. We had the option of the latter two. Rao opted for the trekking the 12 to 14 kilo meters. I heard that you can do one way trekking also. The helicopter would take you to only a certain point and then we walk another 5 kms. So, Nirmala and I decided to go by the doley all the way, to and fro. Trekkers can hire a porter to carry our baggage, if any. The whole climb is a paved path and very clean with all neccessary fecilities for food, bathroom and so on.

Let me go back to the beginning. From Delhi, one can take an overnight train to Jammu and it is additional 3 hours by bus to Katra (the base camp) where the hike begins. Since we were travelling by bus from Delhi anyway, we did not have to look for alternate arrangements. Thanks to the useless Travel agency we picked, we had a long overnight journey by a very uncomfortable bus from Delhi to Jammu anyway..

We took an auto rickshaw to the office where you book the doleys. The cost was 3200 rupees total, out of which we paid 800 rupees there and the balance to be given to the doley group after our return. They are all registered with the Govt. and so you are safe and secure.

After approx 7 km of hike you'll reach AdhKawari (Ardh-kawari). This is where Mother Goddess meditated for 9 months in a cave attaining spiritual wisdom and powers. The pilgrims wait in queue to enter the holy cave.

A token is issued - one per family/group. The typical wait time after the token number varies.
The doley carriers stop at this midpoint for tea and snacks. You pay extra for this.

Some take a dip in the cold water here. We did not.

I felt that we walked alot after getting off the doley to reach the line that walked through the maze. Finally, when you reach the marble cave where the actual manifestation of Vaishno Devi resides, you are allowed to worship just for a couple of seconds. The crowd is so much that they cannot allow you to stand for longer than 5 seconds. Perhaps it depends on the season!!

Also, I bought a package of kumkum (sindhoor) to offer to Mata and to bring it back as prasadam to family and friends. But the security did not allow it even though it was a sealed package.

The pilgrims keep reciting "Jai Mata Di" all through out the journey from Katra to the Mandir and back. People much older than me were trekking and I felt ashamed for being carried in a doley.

Watch out for aggressive monkeys who can snatch any small bags that you are carrying.

After worshipping at this Temple, you may go over to Bhairon Temple. This is at a  further higher altitude and steep. This is at an elevation of approx 6600 feet. It is very scenic, but I did not carry my camera to any Temple this trip.

We had great darsan and there was another couple from Anantapur who tagged along with us. We were the only ones that took doley ride.

So far, things ran smooth. I will write about our adventure in my next post.

Near the Golden Temple - Amritsar

This is a must see Temple. Soooo serene and calm!!!

More photos.......

Kheer Bhavani

Adi Shankara

I forgot where these were taken.

Kheer, Khir or Ksheer are all the same

The Kheer Bhavani temple is situated at Tullamula in the Srinagar district. The Kheer Bhavani temple is devoted to Ragnya Devi, a Hindu Goddess. Representing the goddess is a sacred hexagonal spring at Tullamula village, which houses a small marble temple. The legend goes that Lord Rama worshipped Ragnya Devi during his exile. After the exile period got over, Rama asked Lord Hanuman to shift the seat of the goddess.
It was the wish of Mother Ragnya that her seat be place at Khir Bhavani Mandir in Kashmir. And this wish was conveyed in a dream to a pandit, Raghunath Gadroo. The temple of Ragnya Devi is called "Kheer Bhawani" because numerous devotees offer milk and kheer to the sacred spring. It is believed that milk and kheer turn to black color to warn of any impending disaster. We were told that the spring water changes color frequently. Maharaja Pratap Singh got the temple constructed in 1912. Later, Maharaja Hari Singh undertook  restoration work on the temple.

The eighth day of the full moon in May( Jeshta ashtami - wow,  my birthday) holds great significance for the devotees of Ragnya Devi. They fast on this day and gather at the temple in huge numbers. It is believed that on this day, the goddess changes the color of the spring's waters. The Kheer Bhavani temple serves as the venue for an annual festival held in May-June, on the occasion of Jeshta Ashtami. During this festival, a large number of Hindus visit the temple to seek blessings of the goddess. Another occasion on which the Kheer Bhavani temple gains special importance is Shukla Paksha Ashtami. On this day, havans/yagnas are performed to please the goddess.

Our adventure continues

www.religiousportal.com/JwaladeviTempleHimachalPradesh.html

I thought that I would post some photos from our trip. No theme, no order yet! We covered Kurukshetra and another Devi Temple near Jalandhar. We are very grateful for all the help we received from the Kapoor family and their niece Charu Malhotra of Cleveland. I will provide the details when I actively start posting again.

Our group and Nirmala and I all ready for the cold weather

On our way to Kashmir

Our Sabari Malai trip - transportation, the weather etc.

We boarded the train at Tirupathi to go Ernakulam (Kerala) on Sep 17th. It was an overnight journey. Very comfortable journey and the fellow passengers were young and helpful. We arrived the next morning and Nirmala's niece's husband Sudarsan picked us up at the station and dropped us off at the Prasanthi hotel, which was walking distance from their apartment. Due to the rains, the climate was cooler than expected. After freshening up, we walked over to their house and had lunch there. On the 19th-20th night, we were to go up the hills. A taxi was arraned to pick us up around 3 a.m. Nirmala decided to spend the day time with her niece's children. Rao and I had good rest in the hotel room itself.
The taxi arrived on time and the journey to Pampa near Sabari Malai was very comfortable. Rao started trekking and Nirmala and I hired the doley. The altitude of the hill is close to 3000 feet, steep and path not so easy to trek. The four men that carried each doley wore very loose slippers. The doley was made up of one bamboo easy chair and two long rods. No cushions, no belts to hold you. They took a short cut and it was the most uncomfortable ride. The cost varied from 2000 to 4000 rupees. After some bargaining, we agreed to pay 2200 rupees each. Throughout the way, there was no problem for bathrooms. You just release anywhere you like.
My palanquin (=palki, doli) carriers, after dropping me off told me that they would be right back in 10 minutes after taking another lady (who had darsan the previous night and who was waiting for them to take her back) down the hill. It took about two and a half hours for them to bring us up the hill. By then, I learned the India unit of time. No matter who says it, when they say 'five minutes' it could be upto five hours. I tried to argue with them, but they left anyway. We had great darsan and we finished it in 40 minutes. We were not allowed to go near the idol anyway. The darsan was only from a few feet away.
Now, after walking over to the doley parking area, Nirmala's doley was ready and my people retuned only after 2 hours. Then they put me on a different chair, smaller and more uncomfortable. It was a scary ride coming down. I will never go on a doley again. Rao was blissfully walking and enjoyed the beautiful vegetation!!!
I will write about the actual darsan in detail in my next post. Don't forget to click on Pampa in the second paragraph. Click here to see the scenic beauty of the place.

It was a happy ending - or a new beginning

Now that I am back in my own nest in Cleveland, I look back to see what happened in this trip. Since I could not post much during the yatra, I thought of walking backwards and cover from the last few days in India. the purpose of our trip now appears to be very different from a spiritual pilgrimage. The focus was more on compassion, seva, self analysis, some transformation!!!
Things started being calm and blissful since a week ago Thursday. Rao was not with us - so I have to speak for only myself and my life. He was and he is still in Hyderabad with his brothers. I am sure it is gradually improving for him also. Anyway, on the 14th, Nirmala and I visited the local ISKCON Temple in Tirupathi. In the past, I showed no interest. The Temple was huge, with exquisite architecture and beatiful vibrations. We spent about an hour enjoying the bliss. Both of us sponsored a free meal for 20 people. My father-in-law's death anniversary was on the 18th and since I could not be at Hyderabad for that, I thought of doing this. Nirmala just followed m - she is very generous and spontaneous for such deeds. We visited two of our old friends' homes to see the Navarathri bomma koluvu.
On Friday we went the Padmavathi Temple in Tiruchanur. The darsan was splendid since the crowd was very little. I felt really great. On Saturday I boarded the train to Chennai and reached Gayatri's in-laws' home by 2 p.m. Rested well in their good company. On Sunday, they took me to Sundaram for Sai bhajans and that, I was craving for a long time. From their we went to the Ramakrishna Math in Mylapore. This was a first experience for me. I listend to the vedic chanting. To our surprise, each individual was blessed by the priest with sacred water. Then we went to the local Shiridi Sai Temple. Being the day of Maha samadhi of Baba, there were many activities going on. Children were singing bhajans in one room. Elderly were chanting Sai names in another. Lectures were going on in another room. We spent time in each room, had some prasadam and returned home.
I felt that my yatra had just begun. I still feel the happiness that I received that day. I owe my thanks to Mohan and Priya for taking me on this one day yatra.

But, prior to this, when Rao also was with us in Chennai in September, they took us to see few other temples.  Local Ayyappan Temple, Hanuman Temple and Kapileswara Temple in Mylapore and Parthasarathy Temple. The Kapileswara, I have visited during my previous visits to Chennai.

Nangainallur(Nanganallur) Hanuman in Chennai:

In 1989, Sri Paramacharyar of Kanchi entrenched this 32 foot Idol of Anjaneya carved out of a single rock. Marui bhakta samajan trust are the ones that wished for this Temple. This Temple is known for bestowing better health to devotees and the idol is believed to have healing powers. The day of our visit, He was adorned with a vada maala that extended far beyond the 32 foot statue. I felt great vibrations in the Temple. No pushing or shouting anywhere.
The other forms indoctrined here are of Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Seetha with Anjaneya, Vinayaka, Raghavendra and Krishna with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama.

Each visit was unique and we both felt the bliss immensely. We missed not having our dear friend Nirmala with us. The main reason being she was our companion in all other Temple visits.