The airport closest to the Vaishno Devi shrine is at Jammu. Jammu is an important transit hub, well connected to the rest of the country through air, train and road links. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways operate regular flights to Jammu from Srinagar and Delhi; Indian Airlines also has two flights weekly from Leh to Jammu. A large number of trains link Jammu to major Indian cities, including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bhopal, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. Similarly, an extensive network of roads links Jammu to other parts of the country.
For pilgrims headed for the shrine, the base for the trek up to Vaishno Devi is Katra, 50 km from Jammu. Katra is connected to Jammu by National Highway 1A); regular buses and taxis are available for Katra from Jammu Airport, from the Railway station and from the General Bus Stand in Jammu. Buses leave the bus stand every 15 minutes for the shrine; bus services operate from 6 am to 8 pm.
From Katra, the shrine is a 13 km trek up a mountain; the climb can be done on foot or by using ponies and dandies (local palanquins).Pilgrims climb one km to Banganga, where the goddess is believed to have stopped to drink water; six km further is the cave shrine of Ardhkunwari, where it is believed she meditated for nine months.
The last halt before the actual shrine is the Bhawan, where there are arrangements for wash- and- change, accommodation and for depositing luggage and valuables.
Entry
For entry into the shrine, devotees need to get a Yatra slip issued by the Shrine Board at Katra. The Shrine Board operates a Tourism Reception Centre at the Katra bus stand, from where the slip can be obtained; it’s free of charge. The slip must be presented at the Banganga checkpost within 6 hours of being issued. Furthermore, when you reach the Bhawan, just below the shrine, you’ll need to present the slip in order to be assigned a place in the queue of devotees waiting to go up to the shrine.
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