The shrine of Goddess Vaishnav Devi is located high in the hills about 80 km from Jammu near the town of Katra. One can take a State Transport bus, a luxury tourist coach, a car or a tourist taxi from Jammu to Katra. The drive through picturesque valleys and hills takes less than two hours. Katra has a thriving bazaar, where puja paraphernalia, coconuts and other offerings for the Goddess can be bought, besides woollen garments and (for hire or purchase) canvas shoes, raincoats, umbrellas etc. There is a fine tourist reception office at Katra, a number of good hotels and lodging houses to suit all budgets and even an amusement park. The shrine's administrative board also runs hotels and guest-houses.
It is 14 km from Katra to the hill temple. Most pilgrims trek the distance. You can also hire a pony or a horse or engage a porter (pithu) to carry your luggage or your baby. The old, weak or infirm may engage a 'doli' (sedan chair) carried by four porters. The pilgrimage provides a lot of jobs for villagers of the region. There are 8000 listed porters, 2000 listed 'ponywallas' and about 1000 doli wallas. Most of them are Muslims, some coming from places as far as Poonch, Badarwah and
Rajouri.
We started from Jammu around 4.30 p.m. In Katra two hours later, we had a wash at a shrine board guesthouse and then went to hire canvas shoes from a shop across the road. We could also buy offerings for the goddess at the shop. Traditionally, these consist of a piece of red silk or any other material, laced with zari and gotta, a coconut, sweetmeats, puffed rice etc., I was accompanied by an aunt, uncle, a teenager niece and a two-year-old nephew. To carry the child, we engaged a porter, Anwar, a charming young Muslim of twenty, from Rajouri, who charged about Rs.200/- for a trip. He said he usually made two trips per week. His income supported his family in the village, where they worked on a small land holding. Very agile, he almost ran up the hill and we had a tough time keeping up.
Our first halt was at Gulshan Kumar's free food service. The late Gulshan Kumar's music cassette company is rated the country's leading audiocassette manufacturer. Ascribing his success to the blessings of the Goddess, he started a 24- hour free kitchen for pilgrims. In a simple long hall, people sit on the floor and eat a meal of hot pooris, dal, vegetable curry and rice. When they leave, they carry a packet of delicious wheat halwa, prepared with pure ghee. The free food service costs Rs.1 lakh per day. The company also has several large shops en route, which sell cassettes of devotional songs in praise of the Goddess at subsidised prices.
The entire route is paved and walking is very comfortable. The old steps are still there, well maintained and well lit. The young and the adventurous and those in a hurry still run up those steps. But others take the gradual climb of the paved pony route, which imposes no stress or strain. And they walk both during day and night. In fact, the night walks are very popular as the route is well lit and a cool breeze is always blowing. All along the route, gardens and plantations are coming up as in Tirupati. Anna Rao, the former Executive Officer of the
Tirupati Tirumala
Devasthanam, was consulted as adviser here. But the Vaishnav Devi Shrine Board seems to have done better because I would say the trekking route here has better amenities than
Tirupati's.
There are modern clean toilets, STD booths, drinking water and medical facilities all along the route, which is kept spick and span. Apart from tea and food stalls, the Board has constructed comfortable restaurants at every vantage point, where one can relax and view the gorgeous valley below. The first holy halt is a couple of kilometres on at 'Ban Thirth', where pilgrims take a dip in a lovely river flowing there. A little later, is a fascinating sculpture garden, set up by a 'Masterji', who teaches in a neighbourhood Government school and pursues painting and sculpture as a hobby. Since we were in a hurry, we made an appointment with 'Masterji' for the next morning on our return journey.
There are display boards all along the route with ecofriendly messages. Half way to the temple is the shrine of 'Ard Kwari', where there is a narrow crack in the rock in a cave through which devotees crawl on their bellies. This is equated to going through a 'mothers womb' and is also known as 'garbzoon'. According to legend, Vaishnav Devi hid in this cave for nine months from a pursuing demon (as though in the 'garb' or womb of a mother)
(To be continued next week)
