Katra, Vaishno Devi | Chaturyatri-travel Stories On Budget Travel In India

It is long believed that one is able to visit holy shrine of Vaishno Devi (Katra) only when durga mata calls her children

. This seemed quite true for me as I was trying for the past 4 months to visit the place but unfortunately something always came up leading to cancellation of my trip.

Finally it was 1st of January (New Year) when I thought of booking my rail tickets for the same despite my parents having reservations about the trip, as it was freezing cold in almost entire Northern India with temperatures touching almost negative in the upper regions.

Ignoring my parents advice I decided to carry on with my journey, first hurdle in my journey was going to be in securing the train tickets to Jammu as it was peak holiday season and I was desperately trying to avoid the bus journey. With all tickets being already booked, I settled for a waiting ticket for 9th January (Friday) with hopes pinned on getting a confirmed ticket by the journey date. Keeping in mind the huge waiting list numbers I thought this would be just another case of me not able to visit the great place. Luckily on the day of travel the ticket got confirmed and I quickly packed my luggage and rushed towards the station.

The train arrived early in the morning and was extremely chilly outside. Buses to Katra are available right outside the station; I boarded the Jam packed bus and headed right towards the holy cave. Although I was not expecting snowfall on the roads but the driver of the bus indicated that areas near the bhavan had snow.

There are many budget hotels in Katra and one can easily get an accommodation within walking distance from the main entrance. After freshening up, I began my journey with the words Jai Mata di. Keeping in mind my parents advice I had worn heavy sets of sweaters & jackets. By the day it was cool but as soon I crossed half way there was a sudden drop in temperature and at some places snow was visible. As I inched closer the entire stretch was covered in snow making it extremely difficult to walk.

However it is truly said that mata herself gives the energy & determination to climb the steep slopes and gives darshan to her devotees. Same was the case with me, on reaching the top the entire bhavan was looking beautiful under the blanket of snow and providing 360 degree view of the snow capped Himalayas.

After the darshan at the bhavan, feeling extremely cold I decided to hire a horse for darshan of bhairon mandir, but all of them refused since the entire path was closed due to continuous snowfall. With no option at all I decided to continue my final steps on foot.

Despite the extreme weather conditions, this was one of my best journeys that I had undertaken in a while. Jai Mata di!!

Total Cost Rs. 2000 for 2 days.

Contributed by Kartik Sethi

by: Shobhit Pratap Singh

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