How I completed my Vaishno Devi yatra in under 36 hours

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1. Introduction

There is a certain degree of peace in divinity and that is probably one of the factors that personally draws me to religious places. Life in big cities is stressful as they are so everyone seeks an escape from the madness now and then and I am no different from that. Living in north India, you certainly would not have missed visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine or at least heard about it. During the pre-pandemic times, it was almost like an annual ritual for me. But then the terrible thing happened and I, like everyone else, had been locked inside. When the world kind of reopened, the spiritual/traveller bug inside me started itching to get out. The first destination that came to my mind was the obvious one the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. So, come join me as I make a quick stop at one of the holiest shrines in India. Jai Mata Di.

2. Background of the shrine

For the uninitiated, the shrine is located atop Trikuta hills near the town of Katra in the UT of J&K. The hike to the sanctum is roughly around 14 km from Katra and a further 2 km to the Bhairon temple. So this is a total of 16 km on one side and 32 km in total for the day. Certainly not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.

3. My preparation

During my younger days, this used to be an impromptu trip. I remember one of the times, I came back from my work late at night and just packed up and left. I guess with age and change in marital status the crazy factor goes notches down.
The normal itinerary people follow is that of leaving Delhi Friday night and then returning by Monday morning. However, due to personal compulsions if I were to go on this journey I had to return by Sunday. It was almost the end of March when I started to think about this trip. The weather was already turning hostile with temperatures heading up north. After giving it much thought, the dates finalised were 22-24 April. Though the days could be really hot, I decided to brave it out. This was going to be a solo trip.
With the dates finalised, there were few things left to do.

1. Train tickets: Yes, I decided to do this by train which is by far the most comfortable way and one which won’t break your bank. The problem was that the tickets for both Jammu and Katra were booked well in advance months ahead. The only option left is to try my luck at the tatkal system (which I eventually did get). I booked Duronto Express from Delhi to Jammu for Friday night and the return by Shri Shakti express on Saturday night from Katra (yes you read it right, the next day).
2. Yatra Parchi: Though you could get it physically while at Katra, booking it online saves some time given my punishing schedule.
3. Physical preparation: Might sound odd here but believe me hiking for 32kms and that too at a faster pace is not easy. It would knock the sails out of even a perfectly healthy youngster, but it is even more challenging when you step into the 40s. Started by process two weeks before with running 5k in approx. 30 minutes and doing some strength exercises with a focus on the legs to make the trip less painful (yes, the pain will still be there no matter what you do).

4. The night before

The day (22nd of April) was finally here and my heart was full of excitement at being able to go after a long time. I had booked my ticket on the Duronto Express till Jammu, which leaves Sarai Rohilla station at 10.15 PM. I started from my place in Faridabad at around 7.15 PM exactly 3 hours before my train was to depart.

Quickly checked the Delhi Metro map and the time to reach Shastri Nagar station (the closest one to Sarai Rohilla) was roughly 1.5hours. The trip to the metro station was a horror of sorts and I could finally manage to reach the metro station at around 8.15 PM.

Now my heart was racing as it could cut close to my train departure time. Whenever the metro train used to hang around a bit longer at a station, my anxiety levels went up a bit higher. But somehow, with divine intervention, I managed to reach the station on time and boarded my train.

A group was already sitting on my seat and wanted me to “adjust” to a different coach as they wanted to sit together. I declined politely as I failed to understand what they would do given that this is a night journey. I settled down and had a good journey, though I rarely sleep while travelling. Apart from the sleep deprivation and the cold air from a not fully closed window, there was nothing more to report about this one.

5. The morning after

I got up officially at around 5 AM and the train reached Jammu at 7.30 AM (30 mins late).

Quickly came out of the station and to the bus station next to it. The first choice was the government-run buses which unfortunately were sold out. Next were the private buses, which treat people like cattle and fill up every possible space inside the bus.

I, luckily, managed to grab a seat at the front next to another single passenger and waited for fellow cattle members to fill up. The total distance is around 40 km which, in an ideal scenario should not take more than an hour or so. However, the buses take more than 2 hours to cover this distance. One can just sit in frustration while the bus makes unnecessary halts along the way. What is the point of having a breakfast halt when the destination is within a striking distance? I fail to understand.

Anyway, I finally reached Katra at around 10 AM. The bus dropped us around a km away from the main bus stand as some politicians were to come that day. So a km added to the overall distance.

6. My (forced) companion

Just a quick note on this. The single passenger which I mentioned on the bus turned out to be my fellow companion on this trip. Though it is fun for some people to have company, I wanted to be with myself. But despite my best efforts, I could not turn that guy away. I finally relented and made peace with myself on this.

7. At the entry gate

I seldom eat while travelling because I simply do not feel the urge to do so. I just like to feel light and only eat what is necessary to keep me on my feet. But when you are with someone, you have to tag along. So, I ended up having an aloo paratha which took away 30 mins of my precious time (remember that I am on a very tight schedule). The time we reached the entry check post was roughly around 11 AM. There was, unusually, a big queue at the entry gate, especially for gents (highlighting the skewed sex ratio of our country). It took almost half an hour to get past all that security.

8. The Yatra

The time was 11.30 AM and I had just 11 more hours to get back to the railway station for my return journey. It was starting to bother me at the back of my mind.

The first point on the yatra is the Banganga which is roughly a km from Katra. A lot of devotees like to take a dip in the stream due to its religious significance of it. But I chose to move ahead as I planned to take a bath near the Bhawan (sanctum). The weather was slightly forgiving as there was a mixture of clouds and sun. But it was very humid thus draining me of my fluids. I had to constantly stop to hydrate myself.

The next point on this yatra is the Charan Paduka temple. This temple is believed to have the foot imprints of the goddess. Distance-wise, this temple is around 1.5kms from Banganga. I had a quick darshan in this temple and then proceeded further.

The humidity was beginning to take a toll as I was sweating like anything. I had to make frequent stops to drink water and salts in the form of nimbu paani or lemonade. There are plenty of vendors en route so there was no worry on that front.
I proceeded further to Ardhkuwari which is the halfway point on this yatra. Just before a km from Ardhkuwari, the route splits into two. One is the new way (5.5kms to Bhawan) which bypasses Ardhkuwari and the second one (6.5kms to Bhawan) which goes through it. I took the new way as it is shorter and also more considerate on the knees (gradient rise is gradual).
My original estimate was that I would reach Bhawan at around 2 PM which would give me enough time to get back in time for my return journey. I pushed hard after Ardhkuwari though I had to take breaks for hydration. I finally reached Bhawan at around 2.30 PM, not at all bad it was just 30 mins away from my estimation. The delay was mainly due to the heavy rush at the start (and of course the breakfast).

The next thing to do was take a bath as I was tired due to the rapid ascent and also due to the excessive sweat. I went to the bathing area and while my companion stood guard over my bag I took a bath in the icy cold waters. It was heaven-sent for me and did the dual objective of cleaning up and also driving away my exhaustion. It was 3.15 PM when we submitted our bags in the locker room and proceeded for the darshan. I completely forgot about getting the group number for darshan and the prasad before entering the sanctum. The entry into the sanctum itself is a long process which winds down and goes along a long distance. After several layers of security checks, I was finally ready for the thing that I came for, the darshan. The atmosphere was like being in a trance, the chants of Jai Mata Di reverberating across and people of all ages and from various parts of the country assembled for one single purpose. Caste, creed, whether one was rich or poor didn’t matter and everybody was truly one. This is one feeling that simply cannot be put in words and as I said it is a feeling.
The darshan was fantastic without any rush and my heart was indeed content. The time, when I was out from darshan and after collecting my prasad, was 4 PM. I now had roughly 7 hours with me. By this time we were starting to feel hungry and visited Sagar Ratna near Bhawan wherein we had a dosa each. The next stop was the Bhairon temple, which is roughly around 2kms from Bhawan. But this 2kms feels like a lot because of the extremely steep gradient. There is a ropeway which has now opened and makes life easier. However, the rush is always there. So we decided to continue our journey on foot. My companion was beginning to feel some discomfort around his knees and took the stairs whereas I continued climbing the sloping road.

It must have taken an hour to reach Bhairon temple and had a good darshan. We were done with it and the time was 5.30 PM.

There is an open space to relax near the temple which is the topmost part of this hike. We rested there for about 30 mins soaking in the atmosphere and also taking pictures.

9. The climb down

It was around 6 PM when we started our way back. The route while going back is the old way which goes via Ardhkuwari and has Sanjhi Chhat and Himkoti on the way. Sanjhi Chhat is the place where there is a helipad, so if one were to take a helicopter you will get dropped over there. At Himkoti there was a prasad distribution happening so we stopped there for that. It had poori chana and halwa along with tea. It was delicious and was a good stop to refresh our batteries.

The temple board does a great job in providing a lot of amenities to the devotees so giving credit where it is due. By the time we reached Ardhkuwari, our knees had started to give away. So we decided to take a break and that was again at Sagar Ratna. We ordered vada but got treated to idli because vada was not available. The time was 8 PM then and I still had to cover another 6kms roughly to get to the entry gate. We did not have a darshan at Ardhkuwari because it takes around 4-6 hours if you are lucky, maybe next time.

That was when I told my companion that I am rushing off on my own while he can come down at his own pace because he was struggling at that time. However, he remained faithful and continued to tag along till the end.
After enduring a lot of physical stress, we finally made it to the entry gate at around 9.30 PM. There are shared autos which take you to the Katra market, however, I wanted to get to the station directly. So hired an exclusive auto (which cost a bomb) to the station. En route, I dropped off my companion and bade goodbye.

10. The final part

I finally reached the station at 10.15 PM completely exhausted. The railway station at Katra is one of the best that I have seen in the country in terms of design and cleanliness.

I straight away went to the cafeteria and got myself a sandwich and an orange drink. I gorged on the sandwich like I had not eaten anything for ages. I got to my train and my berth on time and passed out. Sometime later about an hour or so, I felt extreme chills, probably my body saying that I had done enough for the day. I had a paracetamol and retired for the day.

Woke up relatively fresh in the morning and had tea dipped in sugar (IRCTC!). The train arrived well on time at the New Delhi station at 9.45 AM.

Thereon, I took the metro and auto and reached home at 11.30 AM. So, that was an account of my yatra which I completed in less than 36 hours (from the railway station). Unless you are extremely fit, I would not suggest this kind of itinerary. Hope you enjoyed reading my account of the yatra to the holy shrine.