Did you know that the Vaishno Devi temple, one of India’s most revered pilgrimage places, receives a whopping ten million visitors every year? Yes. You read it right! But that’s not it. The Vaishno Devi temple amasses several other intriguing facts to strengthen your determination to visit the pilgrim site. So, let’s get started then!
5 Intriguing Facts of Vaishno Devi Temple
1. The Way to the Temple isn’t as Straightforward!
While India is home to several pilgrimage sites situated at a height, Vaishno Devi’s case is different. Why? The temple is located at a staggering altitude of 5,200 feet. And not just that, reaching the shrine requires devotees to walk a distance of 13 kilometers. Again, it isn’t walking, but walking your way up to experience the divine delight of worshipping Mata Rani, who was formed from the combined energies of Lakshmi, Parvati, and Saraswati. Moreover, what makes the journey even more interesting is the fact that many pilgrims choose to walk bare feet or crawl their way up.
2. Lord Rama’s Role in Vaishno Devi’s Significance
You may wonder what role Lord Rama played in the story and the significance of Vaishno Devi! But it might surprise you to know that Mata Vaishno Devi observed the Navratri to pray for Lord Rama’s victory against Ravana. Lord Rama ensured that the world would worship her as Mata Vaishno Devi as an expression of gratitude. Accordingly, it is Lord Rama’s blessings that made Mata Vaishno Devi immortal and made her shrine such an important pilgrimage site in India.
3. The Goddess Shed Her Human Form! But why?
Bhaironath, also spelled as Bhairavnath, was a disciple of Gorakhnath. He was believed to have control over Tantrik siddhis. But with time, he grew arrogant. Bhairavnath went after Mata Rani considering her to be a little girl. However, the goddess took the form of Kali to behead him, and it was then that Bhaironath realized her power. During his last moments, Bhaironath asked for forgiveness and was forgiven by the goddess. She allowed him to attain salvation.
It is then that she shed her human form and transformed herself into a rock to continue meditating without any interruptions. Hence, Vaishno Devi offers darshan in the form of a five and a half feet rock, with three heads on the top.
4. The Caves are a Million Years Old
A few geological studies suggest that the caves are approximately a million years old! But wait. There’s another reference, made in Rigveda, which relates to Trikuta, who was a mountain deity. However, one must note that people started worshipping Shakti and other female gods during the Puranic times. Nevertheless, Vaishno Devi’s roots are yet anonymous. No one knows about the origin, occurrence, and reality of the caves!
5. Vaishno Devi is mentioned in the Mahabharata
Because Mahabharata happened after Ramayana, Vaishno Devi’s mention in the former seems pretty obvious. According to the epic, before Kurukshetra, Arjuna meditated to seek the goddess’s blessings for victory. He is believed to have described the goddess as “Jambookatak Chityaishu Nityam Sannihilaye.” It means the one who permanently stays in the temple on the slopes of the Jamboo mountain. Now, what’s Jamboo? According to some scholars, Jamboo may indicate Jammu.
We hope you found these facts interesting. However, we firmly believe that a trip to Vaishno Devi would be more interesting than merely reading these facts and a more memorable one! We wish you a happy pilgrimage!
