Vaishno Devi is one of the most important pilgrimage centers of
the country. It is located in the mighty
Trikuta mountain, 61
kilometers north of Jammu at a height of 5,200 feet above the sea level
in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. According to legend, more than 700
years ago Vaishno Devi a devotee of Lord Vishnu had taken vow of
celibacy but Bhairon Nath, a
"tantric" (demon-God)
tried to behold Her and chased her towards the Trikuta mountains. It
took Bhairon nine months to locate Her inside the cave known as
Garbh
Joon. Mata Vaishno Devi blasted an opening at the other end of the
cave and on arriving at the Holy Cave at Darbar, she assumed the form of
Maha Kali and thereby cut off Bhairon Nath's head. The head then
flung up the mountain by the force of the blow and fell at the place
where now the
Bhairon Temple is located. It is a common belief
among the devotees that Maa Vaishno sends a
"call' to her
devotees and whoever receives it, wherever he or she is, marches towards
the holy shrine. It seems there is a supernatural power which seems to
draw them through the mountain and they climb up those great heights,
chanting
"Prem se bolo, Jai Mata Di". There are images
of three deities inside the cave-
The Mahakali, Maa Saraswati and
Maha Lakshmi. The shrine of Vaishno Devi is flocked every year by
thousands of pilgrims.
