Parvata Mata: Mountain Mothers
Vaishno Devi and Naina Devi - the Himalayan guardians
Trek to two of India's most visited Shakti Peethas. Discover Vaishno Devi's cave shrine in Katra where Sati's arms fell, and Naina Devi in Bilaspur where her eyes fell. Learn about the 12km trek, the three pindis, and why millions undertake this arduous pilgrimage annually.
The Call of the Mountains
Every year, over 10 million pilgrims undertake one of India's most demanding journeys, a 12-kilometer trek up the Trikuta mountains to reach a small cave 5,200 feet above sea level. They walk through the night, calling out "Jai Mata Di!" as they climb. The elderly are carried in palanquins. Children walk beside parents. The rich and poor climb together.
They are answering the call of Vaishno Devi, the Virgin Goddess, the Mountain Mother, one of the most visited pilgrimage sites on Earth.
Not far from here, in the hills of Bilaspur, another Mother watches from her mountain perch. Naina Devi, the Goddess of Eyes, sits atop a hill overlooking the Gobind Sagar lake, where Sati's eyes fell as Shiva carried her lifeless body across the sky.
These are the Parvata Matas, the Mountain Mothers of the Himalayas. Their temples are not easily reached. The Goddess makes you climb to her.
Where the Arms Fell: The Vaishno Devi Legend
The Trikuta Parvat (Three-Peaked Mountain) in Jammu is where Sati's arms fell according to the Shakti Peetha tradition. But the Vaishno Devi mythology includes a unique local legend that gives the pilgrimage its distinctive character.
According to this legend, a young girl named Vaishnavi was born to a devout family, an incarnation of Adi Shakti herself. She was devoted to Vishnu and sought to remain a virgin (kumari), dedicating her life entirely to spiritual practice. The sage Gorakhnath, founder of the Nath tradition, heard of her powers and sent his disciple Bhairavnath to test her.
Bhairavnath became obsessed with Vaishnavi and pursued her relentlessly. To escape, she fled from her home to the Trikuta mountains. During her flight, she performed several miracles:
- At Ban Ganga, she shot an arrow into a rock, releasing a stream of water
- At Charan Paduka, she left her footprints in the rock
- At Adhkuwari, she hid in a cave for nine months, doing penance