Coordinates: 33.0299°N 74.

9482°E

Vaishno Devi
Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta and
Vaishno Devi
Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Hindu Goddess Mata Adi
Shakti/Adi Parashakti. The words "Maa" and "Mata" are
commonly used in India for mother, and thus are often heavily
used in connection with Vaishno Devi.

Vaishno Devi Mandir is a Hindu temple located in Katra at the

Trikuta Mountains within the Indian Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir.[1][2][3]

Ever since the inception of Shrine Board in 1986, the Holy The Vaishno Devi shrine attracts
Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi has witnessed an ever-increasing millions of devotees every year,
number of devotees. The Yatra that stood at 13.96 Lakhs in the located in Katra
year 1986, increased to 104.95 lakhs (10.4 Million) in the year Religion
2012, 93.24 Lakhs in the year 2013, 78.03 Lakhs in the year
Affiliation Hinduism
2014, 77.76 Lakhs in the year 2015, 77.23 Lakhs in the year
2016 and 85.87 Lakhs in the year 2018. [4] Deity Vaishno Devi (Maa
Adishakti
Festivals Navratri, Durga
puja
Contents
Location
Legend Location Jammu and
See also Kashmir
References Country India
External links

Legend
According to Hindu religion, in the Treta Yuga, when the earth
was overburdened by the wicked and tyrannical rule of the
demons, the Goddess Vaishnavi was created when Uma
(Mahagauri), Rema (MahaLakshmi), and Vaani
(MahaSaraswati) decided to combine their energies to rid the Location of Vaishno Devi in Jammu
earth of impending doom. After destroying the demons that and Kashmir
were burdening Mother Earth, Goddess Vaishnavi was
requested to reside on Earth, so that she may forever keep all
evil at bay. She chose to incarnate as a human, named
Vaishnavi.
As a child, Vaishnavi was immersed in the devotional service of
Lord Vishnu, a habit she carried well into her adulthood. When
she was of a marriageable age, she left home to perform intense
austerities to please and win Lord Vishnu as her husband. Years
passed, and as an answer to her prayers, Lord Vishnu appeared
to her in the form of Lord Rama. She learned from him that he
was already married and was searching for his wife, Sita, who
was abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana.

Seeing his devotee distraught, Rama promised her that he

would return to her one day, and if she recognized him, she
could marry him. Rama went on to rescue Sita and become the
king of Ayodhya, all while Vaishnavi waited for his return. One
Vaishno Devi (India)
such day, she was approached by an old man who asked the
beautiful Vaishnavi to be his wife. She however, refused his Geographic 33.0299°N
proposal, thinking of him as undesirable for his age and looks. coordinates 74.9482°E
She had failed to recognize the old man who was none other Architecture
than Lord Rama, who had come to keep his end of the promise. Type Cave Temple
However, the harsh penance of the goddess can't go unfulfilled,
Specifications
so Lord Rama granted her the boon that in his 10th incarnation
of Lord Kalki during kaliyuga, he would marry her and asked Temple(s) 4
her to wait for him till his 10th incarnation on the trikuta Elevation 1,584.96 m
mountain. He even gave her a troop of his monkey army for her (5,200 ft)
protection. Website

Rama left, and Vaishnavi continued to spend years in maavaishnodevi.org (https://www.maa

vaishnodevi.org/)
meditation, moving from place to place, solving the troubles of
all who asked, with her Siddhis. This threatened the popularity
of a local Tantrik who sent his disciple Bhairon Nath to find out more about her. But Bhairon Nath was
stupefied by her beauty and lustfully stalked her wherever she went.

In order to escape his unwanted attention, Vaishnavi entered a cave and continued her meditation there,
for nine months, as a child rests in its mother's womb. When Bhairon Nath discovered her hiding spot
and attempted to hunt her down again, with an intention of forcing himself upon her, Vaishnavi assumed
the form of the Goddess Kali and severed his head.

Bhairon Nath realized his mistake and begged her for forgiveness. His head had fallen far from his body,
but the merciful Mother Kali promised him that he would forever be enshrined there and that he would
be her guardian form then on. Kali abandoned her rage and returned to the form of Vaishnavi, and
reentered her cave, where she assumed the form of three rocks and resides there to date. Each rock is
representative of MahaSaraswati, MahaLakshmi and Mahakali. This shrine is lovingly called 'Vaishno
Devi', where lakhs of devotees throng every year.

See also
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
Vaishnavi (Matrika goddess)
References
1. "Maiden master plan for Vaishnodevi shrine area" (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne
ws/politics-and-nation/maiden-master-plan-for-vaishnodevi-shrine-area/articleshow/581480
44.cms). The Economic Times. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
2. Vaishno Devi History (https://www.yatra.com/india-tourism/vaishno-devi/history)
3. "Vaishno Devi-Bhairon Mandir ropeway service starts from today" (https://timesofindia.indiati
mes.com/travel/destinations/vaishno-devi-bhairon-mandir-ropeway-service-starts-from-toda
y/as67227545.cms). Times of India Travel. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
4. "Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board :: Helpdesk :: Yatra Statistics" (https://www.maavaish
nodevi.org/yatra_statistics.aspx).

External links
My Mother Goddess Vaishno (http://www.vaishno.in)
Maa Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (https://www.maavaishnodevi.org/introduction.aspx)
Vaishno Devi travel guide from Wikivoyage

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This page was last edited on 9 February 2020, at 18:25 (UTC).

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