Vaishno Devi Darshan In 2024: The Detailed Travel Guide

Finding a room is not difficult in Katra as there are multiple options to choose from. You can easily get a good double occupancy room in the price range of 2000-2500 per day. However, you can avail rooms at much cheaper price than this if you are a budget traveller and can compromise over other aspects of a stay. For people who prefer more luxurious stays, there are hotels that are much better in terms of comfort and other amenities yet you won’t find any 5 stars. It is important to know that Katra remains pretty crowded during Navratri festival and during the months of May-June. The impact could be seen on rooms availability and a spike in the associated tariffs during these times.

The food offered is only vegetarian, reasonably priced and free of onion & garlic in the whole of Katra. Onion and garlic, also known as tamasic and rajasic foods are associated with spiritual hinderance in hinduism and hence you will find them to be devoid of meals at various religious places throughout India. Though there are multiple restaurants to choose from yet I found them pretty much the same in terms of taste and ambience. While you try to choose for a place to eat in Katra, I would suggest you to go as per your instincts and visual abilities. What I noticed is that, around the Bhawan, which is the place where the temple of Mata Vaishno Devi is located, the taste of the food surpassed in every aspect to the meals that I ate in Katra. The reason may vary from person to person but what I believe it to be is a divine presence, that the food which is devoid of onion & garlic, made for thousands & thousands of pilgrims is full of flavours. This is an observation that has been backed up by experiences at various other religious places that I have been to, over a period of time.

This 15 km long trek has been divided into 3 parts :

1. Base to Ardhkuwari (6 km)
2. Ardhkuwari to Bhawan (7 km)
3. Bhawan to Bhairav Mandir (2 km)

The base point of the Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra can be reached through an auto rickshaw, the tiny ride which is also the backbone of the commute system in the whole of Katra. The journey starts by passing through an enormous white gate which is located at the base of the Trikuta Hills.

Once you pass through the gate and cover a few kilometres, you will encounter Baan Ganga, a continuous flowing fresh water stream that is believed to be the place where Mata Vaishno Devi had washed her hairs. Some also believe that this stream is actually created by Lord Hanuman who happened to encounter Mata while she was trying to ditch Bharaiv, once a sage who had turned demon. Once during my trip I tried to validate this fact with a shopkeeper, all he did was point his index finger towards a group of monkeys and said “You will always find them here, protecting the entire place just like Lord Hanuman did while Maa Durga washed her hairs… “ I think I got my answer.

The one way distance of the trek till the Bhawan, where the actual pindis are situated is 13 kms. After that, the pilgrims need to cover an additional 2 km if they want to visit the Bhairav Temple. So that makes it a total of 15 km for the one-sided trek. Although the trek can easily be covered by literally anyone on foot, there are situations where one could need an alternative.  For that, several other options are made available like porters, strollers, e-autos, paalkis and mules. Apart from that, the helicopter facility is provided till Sanjhi Chhat and ropeway facility from Bhawan till Bhairav temple is also made available. These alternatives are provided at government-defined rates. You can also book any of the above mentioned options online through the official website – https://online.maavaishnodevi.org

After covering 6km of the entire trek, you will reach Ardhkuwari. A place where thousands of pilgrims wait for long hours, sometimes even days, just to have darshan (the act of visiting a place where a divine presence is believed to be present) of the holy cave. It is believed that Maa Durga took shelter in the same cave for 9 months, after getting exhausted while the sage turned demon, Bhairav kept chasing her. Entry to the sacred cave requires a token slip which just takes a couple minutes to buy from the nearest available counter, however the turn could come after several hours. And because of this reason many people either prefer to stay at Ardhkuwari or skip the stop altogether. To make the waiting hours bearable, there are facilities of dormitories and private rooms available at Ardhkuwari that you can book through both the online and offline options. However, it is advisable to book the rooms online and well in advance as they are available on a first come & first serve basis.

7km more into the trek after Ardhkuwari will make you reach the Bhawan, the holy place where Mata Vaishno Devi resides, manifested in the form of 3 powerful pindis. As of 2024, a new passage also known as “The Skywalk’ has been made functional. As is its name, passing through it feels like walking through the clouds. The pilgrims will get a good view of the Trikuta Mountains enveloping them as they pass through the Skywalk and reach the Divine Cave, where Maa Durga resides. It is important to know that the holy cave is not open to the public except during the months of Jan-Feb. As an alternative to the actual cave and to regulate the crowd, growing each year, a man-made cave has been constructed that is also the only way to the pindi darshan. 

The third and the mandatory stop is the Bhairav temple that is located 2 kms ahead of the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, also known as Bhavan. It is believed that the Darshan of a pilgrim is said to be incomplete if he/she do not visit the Bhairav temple.The 2 km stretch for the Bhairav temple is the steepest portion of the entire trek. However, keep your will strong and your pace steady and you will reach your destination in no time. From my personal experience I have realised that from the Bhawan, it usually takes around 30-45 mins to reach the Bhairav Temple. Apart from the option of travelling on foot, there are other options like ropeway, mules and paalkis. The Bhairav temple is located at the tip of the Trikuta hills and hence upon reaching you will find a small space dedicated for relaxation and to sink into the captivating allure of the mountain’s beauty. Be sure to spend some time over there, just to take in the spiritual essence the place is enveloped with.

With the darshan at the Bhairav Temple, your spiritual journey to the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is marked as complete.