HOW TO REACH SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI TEMPLE, KATRA FROM DELHI

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi is a sacred shrine located in the Trikuta hills in Katra, Jammu. It is one of the highly revered temples in India. It is the adobe of Goddess Vaishno Devi. The temple is viisted by millions of devotees all the year round from different parts of India and abroad as well. Maa Vaishno devi is believed to bless all her devotees with whatever they wish for in her temple.

If you are coming from Delhi, you can consider multiple options to reach Katra according to your convenience.
You can check our small duration vaishno devi package from delhi here.

You can explore our special train packages from Delhi
IRCTC Vaishno Devi package from Delhi
Vaishno Devi Tour Package from New Delhi with Vande Bharat Train




Katra is the base camp area for the pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi Temple. Once you reach Katra, you can take any hotel according to your budget. Rest for that day and start your journey to the temple the very next day. Accoding to time that you have and your physical fitness, you can choose from 4 options to reach Maa Vaishno devi temple.

From Katra, you can choose from multiple options to reach the maa Vaishno devi Temple since its located at a hieght of approximately 5200 feet

OPTION 1: BY HELICOPTER

The base helipad is located in Katra itself.
Regular helicopter flights operate at an interval of 15 mins from 7 am in the morning upto 5 pm in the evening.
The helicoter flight from Katra drops you at the Sanjhichat Helipad.
Sanjhichat Helipad is the one located at a distance of 2.5 kms from the maa vaishno devi shrine.
Vaishnodevi helicopter service is the easiest and time saving way of reaching the temple.
It also makes it convenient for the eldery, people with infants/ small children or people with certain disabilities to reach the temple and fulfill their wish of seeking the blessings at maa vaishndoevi temple.
The helicopter ride from Katra to Sanjhichat is of just 5 - 7 mins.
On reaching the Sanjhichat helipad, the pilgrims can either walk the 2.5 kms distance to maa vaishno devi temple or can take a horse ( pony )/ palanquin ( paalki ) - available at a reasonable rate at a counter just near the Sanjhichat helipad.
Also, people who have booked the same day return helicopter tickets are eligible for VIP darshan at the maa vaishnodevi temple. VIP darshan here implies that the pilgrim can skip the line entering the maa vaishno devi shrine and do the darshan faster. Else, the person will miss the return flight. Once you reach the Sanjhichat helipad, the pilgrim needs to show the return ticket at the counter no 3, from where he/ she will get the yellow slip for the VIP darshan.

OPTION 2: BY TREK

The trek from Katra to Maa Vaishno devi shrine is of 14 kms ( one way ) Its an easy trek with variety of food stalls and resting places available along the trek. Although it is recommended that people with any health condition related to heart, joints, etc. should avoid the trek and consider other options to reach the maa vasihno devi temple. if you can walk comfortably at a steady speed with taking small breaks, you can easily complete the trek from Baan Ganga to the Maa Vaishnodevi Temple in about 6 hours.

OPTION 3: BY HORSES/ PALANQUINS

Horses called as ponies and Palanquins called as Paalkis are readily available at the counters at the Baan Ganga ( Baan Ganga is the starting point of the trek to maa vaishno devi temple ) The prices for both the services are fixed. Rest, its upto your wish if you want to give tips to the people handling the horses and the palanquins. ( A palanquin/ paalki is a like chair which is carried by 4 people )

OPTION 4: BY BATTERY CAR

Battery car is also an easy alternative to trek, because as the hieght increases, some people are not able to walk comfortably anymore. The battery car service operates from Adhkwari. Adhkwari is the mid point of the trek, signifying that you are half way through the trek. Once you have walked from Katra to Adhkwari, you have completed 7 kms of your distance to the Maa Vaishno Devi temple. The remaining 7 kms can b easily covered by the battery car.



Please Note: Whichever option you choose, the most mandatory thing is the RFID card ( earlier known as yatra parchi ) if you have taken the helicpoter service from Katra to Sanjhichat, the RFID cards are readily available at the Katra helipad. if you plan to choose from any other option listed above, apart from the helicopter, then you can take the RFID cards either at the counter just outside the shri vaishno devi katra railway station or near the Bus stand. RFID CARD is basically the registration of a pilgrim for the yatra ( pilgrimage ) to the maa vaishno devi temple, that is why its a mandatory thing to do. Without it, you cannot do the yatra and will be fined if not taken before the yatra.