Vaishno Devi Mandir, a Hindu Temple dedicated to Maa Durga, is situated at Trikuta Hills in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir. Mata Rani Darbar and Vaishnavi Mandir are the other well-known name of Vaishno Devi Mandir. This temple is about 13km away from Katra and 61km away from Jammu.
Architecture of Vaishno Devi Mandir:
A natural narrow cave is present there leading to the Holy Pindies. This cave is used to reach the Sanctum Sanctorum. It takes several minutes for a single person to cross this cave and reach to Holy Pindies. The number of devotees visiting Vaishno Devi Mandir increases day by day then the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board constructed two new tunnels facilitating a large number of devotees for Devi Darshan. One tunnel is used for entrance, it directly leads to Holy Pindies. The other tunnel is used for exit. The original cave is kept closed for a large part of the year. When the Yatra is less than 8000 pilgrims per day or on traditional festivals or ritualistic occasions, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board opens the original cave.
At the original cave entrance, a symbol of Vakratund Ganesha Ji is present on the left-hand side. Symbols of Surya Devta and Chandra Devta are present adjacent to Vakratund Ganesh Ji. A few steps ahead there is the torso(the human body apart from the head, neck, arms, and legs) of Bhairon Nath present there. It is 14 feet long. After this, the symbol of Hanuman Ji in the form of Launkra Beer is present there. Charan Ganga arrives later, a river flowing from the feet of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. One has to walk through water after this point. After that, many heads of Shesh Nag is present. It seems like the whole weight of the cave rests on the heads of Shesh Nag. Havan Kund of Mataji is present there just below. Symbols of Shankh, Chakra, Gada, and Padam are there near this Havan Kund. Symbols of Paanch Pandavas, the Sapta Rishis, Udders of Gau Mata, Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh, and Shiv-Parvati are present there. It looks like they are touching the ceiling of Vaishno Devi Mandir cave.
Know More About : Mata Vaishno Devi Mandir | Katra, Jammu | Temple History
One can see Prahlad gripping the Khamba Statue a few steps ahead. There is a Yantra on which mystical signs and symbols are inscribed present very close to the water level. A few feet ahead, the mark of the lion's feet is there representing the mount of Vaishno Devi mata. Symbols of Shankar and Gauri mata are there six feet ahead. After Holy Pindies, symbols of Ganesh Ji, Surya Devta, Chandra Devta, and Mata Annapurna are present. All these sites can be seen only when one goes through the Original Holy Cave.
At the entrance of the new tunnel, numerous bells suspended from the ceiling. After which, statues of the Lions, the mount of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, and a life-size statue of the goddess are enshrined on a broad platform. This tunnel is about 200 meters long.
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