Vaishno Devi Mandir () is one of the holy
Hindu temples dedicated to
Shakti, located in the hills of
Vaishno Devi,
Jammu and Kashmir,
India. In
Hinduism,
Vaishno Devi, also known as
Mata Rani and
Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the
Mother Goddess.
The temple is near the town of
Katra, in the
Reasi district in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the most revered places of worship in
India. The shrine is at an altitude of 5200 feet and a distance of approximately 14 kilometres (8.4 miles) from
Katra. and it is the second most visited religious shrine in India, after
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board maintains the shrine. A rail link from
Udhampur to
Katra is being built to facilitate
pilgrimage. The nearest airport is Jammu Airport which has very high flight frequency. All leading domestic airlines have their services to Jammu Airport.
Significance
According to a
Hindu epic, Maa Vaishno Devi was born in the south of
India in the home of Ratnakar Sagar. Her worldly parents had remained childless for a long time. Ratnakar had promised, the night before the birth of the Divine child, that he would not interfere with whatever his child desired. Ma Vaishno Devi was called Trikuta as a child. Later She was called Vaishnavi because of Her taking birth from Lord Vishnu's lineage. When Trikuta was 9...
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