Vaishnodevi Temple is nestled in a beautiful recess of Trikuta Mountains forming a part of the lower Himalayas. The cave shrine of Vaishnodevi is located 61 km north of Jammu at a height of 5,200 feet above the sea level in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated near Katra, a town in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. This is an important cave temple where the three major goddesses are worshiped. It is dedicated to the goddesses Lakshmi, Kali, and Saraswati. The goddess Durga is said to have killed the demon Bhairon here.
Vaishnodevi Temple is one of the Astadasha Shakti Peethams, 18 prominent and Puranic temples dedicated to Goddess Shakti.
The Vaishnodevi cave is at an elevation of 1,700m (5,100 ft) and is 30m (93 ft) long and just 1.5m (5 ft) high. Vaishno Devi is a hard four-hour (13 km) climb from Katra.
The best time to visit Vaishnodevi temple is March to July, as the rest of the time of the year it can be very cold. The main pilgrimage time is March-April and September – October. In 1986, 1.6 million people came here, or 15 to 20 thousand people a day. The cave ideally handles just 8 or 10 thousand people a day, as only 12 or 15 people are let into the cave at a time.
On the full moon day in Kartika (Kartik Purnima in October / November) the line to get into the cave can be four km long. It is believed that the arm of Sati fell at this place. This is one place that answers your prayers where all dilemmas are resolved. So came with faith – that’s all that is asked of you.