HOW TO REACH KATRA

Katra is a holy town situated at the foothills of the Tirukata Hills in the state of Jammu. MaaVaishno Devi resides in these mountains at a height of 1,585 meters (5,200 ft) above sea level. Thousands of pilgrims visit the holy shrine of Shri Mata VaishnoDevi year-round. It is believed that MaaVaishno Devi grants every wish of the devotee. Also, the shrine of MaaVaishno Devi has a strong spiritual aura that you can feel and find answers to your confusions about.

Over time, many facilities have come up to ensure a smooth and fruitful yatra of pilgrims visiting this holy shrine.

Mata Vaishno Devi can be reached very easily now through different services:

• It is well connected by railway. One can either visit the nearest Jammu Tawi( JAT ) railway station & then take a cab/ bus up toKatra (Jammu to Katra distance is 50 km only ) or you can book the train directly up to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra ( SVDK ) railway station. Vandebharat train is the most liked train by pilgrims as it reaches Katra in just 8 hours from the Capital City, New Delhi.
• You can also consider the option of taking a bus from your hometown as a lot of sleeper overnight buses now run from the nearby places to the Katra bus stand
• Once you reach Katra, there are three ways of reaching the MaaVaishno Devi shrine:
  
  1. TREKKING: from Katra to MaaVaishno Devi is an easy level trek of 14 km. The trek takes about 6 hours depending on your speed and stamina. The trek is filled with stalls and shops offering variety of food, beverages and clean restrooms.
  
  2. BATTERY CAR SERVICE: The starting point of the trek from Katra is called “Baan Ganga” & the midpoint of the trek is called “Adhkwari”. You can either walk uptilAdhkwari or take a horse/ palkiup to this point. The horses and palkis are readily available at a price ranging from INR 700 to INR 1500. On reaching Adhkwari, you can pay your respects at the temple situated at this place. After this you can take a battery operated car which will drop you off directly at the Bhavan.
  
  3. HELICOPTER SERVICE: If you cannot trek or have less time for any reason or you are with elderly people of your family, then you can opt for the option of helicopter service which starts directly from Katra. This helicopter service is of 8-9 minutes. It will drop you at the Sanjhichat helipad which is at a distance of 2.5 kms from the matavaishnodevi temple. On reaching the Sanjhichat helipad, you can either walk upto the temple or take a horse/ palki service. The small trek from Sanjhichat to bhavanis not a difficult one. It’s a steady walk path but for people with children, elderly people, or with some medical problems can surely take the much needed services.
• It is believed that MaaVaishno Devi temple yatra is incomplete if you don’t visit the Bharionath Ji Temple. Bhaironath Ji Temple is situated at a height above the MaaVaishno Devi temple. This temple can be reached in 3 ways:
  
  1. TREKKING: The trek from Vaishno Devi temple to Bhaironath Ji Temple is a steep trek of about 2 kms. The distance might sound short but the trek is a difficult one.
  
  2. HORSE/ PAALKIS: Again horse and paalki service is readily available near the temple at reasonable prices. Tip: Don’t forget to bargain here.
  
  3. You can take the ropeway service from MaaVaishno Devi Bhavan to Bhaironath Ji. The ropeway ticket cost is just INR 100. It can be booked in both offline and online modes. There is a separate counter near MaaVaishno Devi Bhavan from where you can easily buy the ticket by showing your relevant ID proof.
  
  
• A new service has been started for people who are aged, have some medical problems or have less time but are sincere devotees of MaaVaishnodevi. JAMMU TO KATRA CHARTER SERVICE. Now there is a direct helicopter service from Jammu Airport which will take you directly to the Katra helipad, after which MaaVaishnodevi temple is at a distance of just 2 km. A separate battery car service has been started on this new route for the ease of the pilgrims. Facility of VIP darshan at both MaaVaishnoDevi Temple and Bhaironath Ji Temple is also included in the package. So no hassle and an easy way to thank the mata rani for all her blessings.