Vaishno Devi

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with
Vaishnavi (Matrika goddess)
.
For the temple, see Vaishno Devi Temple.

Vaishno Devi
Mother Goddess; Goddess of hills
unmarried

Vaishno Devi (also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta, Ambe and Vaishnavi) is a manifestation of the Hindu mother goddess

Mahasarasvati. Additionally, she is seen as the potency of Hari or Vishnu
.

Origin

Purāṇa

According to Dēvī Mahābhāgavata Purāṇa, she is mentioned as "Viṣṇupriyā".[1]

In the Varāha Purāṇa's Triśakti Māhātmya, she originated from Trikalā (the goddess who was born from Trimūrtis) and slayed an asura called Mahiṣāsura on Śataśṛṅga Parvata where the current Trikūṭa Dhāma of Vaiṣṇōdēvī is situated.[2] (Disclaimer: this event is of a separate Kalpa – Mānava Kalpa – and not of our Śvēta Varāha Kalpa)

Pāñcarātra

The Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa Saṃhitā's Kṛtayuga Santāna and Dvāparayuga Santāna calls her "Māṇikī", the Śakti of Kalki, as she resides on Māṇika Parvata (another name of Trikūṭa).[3]

A view of Vaishno Devi Bhawan

Pilgrimage route

Professor and author Manohar Sajnani says, According to Hindu beliefs, the original abode of Vaishno Devi was Ardha Kunwari, a place about halfway between Katra town and the cave. She meditated in the cave for 9 months just like how a baby stays in its mother's womb for 9 months.[4] It is said that when Bhairav Nath ran after Vaishno Devi to catch her. The Devi reached near a cave in the hill, she called up Hanuman and told him that "I would do penance in this cave for nine months, till then you should not allow Bhairav Nath to enter the cave." Hanuman obeyed the mother's orders. Bhairavnath was kept outside this cave and today this holy cave is known as 'Ardha Kunwari'.[5]

Temple

Main article: Vaishno Devi Temple
The Vaishno Devi temple in 2008

The Vaishno Devi Temple is an important

Shakti Peethas dedicated to Durga, who is worshipped as Vaishno Devi.[9] It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India. Every year millions of visitors visit the temple.[10][11] During festivals like Navaratri, the count even increases to one crore visitors.[12] Vaishno Devi Temple is one of the richest temples in India. Authors Michael Barnett and Janice Gross Stein says, "Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu has an annual income of about $16 billion, mainly from offerings by devotees".[13]

The temple is sacred to all Hindus. Many prominent saints such as

Vivekananda have visited the temple.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dēvī Mahābhāgavata Purāṇa". 4 March 1975.
  2. ^ Veda Vyasa. The Varaha Purana in English.
  3. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2021). "Lakshminarayana Samhita Verse 1.334.53 [Sanskrit text]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  4. ISBN 9788178350172
    .
  5. ^ Virodai, Yashodhara (5 October 2017). "Story of Mata Vaishnodevi". newstrend.news (in Hindi). Newstrend Network Communication Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  6. ISBN 978-1482858860
    .
  7. ISBN 9788173870798
    .
  8. ISBN 9788182054202
    .
  9. ^ "Famous Durga temples in India for religiously inclined souls". Times of India. 5 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Vaishno Devi pilgrim footfall in 2019 lowest in 3 years: Shrine Board". Business Standard. 2 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Vaishno Devi likely to receive 8.5 mn pilgrims by Dec 31; highest in 5 yrs". Business Standard. 29 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Vaishno Devi-Bhairav Mandir ropeway service starts from today". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  13. ISBN 978-0199916030
    .
  14. ISBN 9788187374442
    .

https://www.maavaishnavi.com/51-shakti-peethas-of-maa-durga-maa-sati-dakshayani/

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Vaishno Devi.
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