Katra, the City of Fulfilment of Hopes

by Manish Kumar Marketing Head

India is a country which is explicitly high on religion, festivals, Gods and pilgrim treks for the same. One little beautiful town which nests one of the holiest temples of this country called The Vaishno Devi Temple is Katra. This little town is exactly 42 km away from the main city, Jammu. People visit this little town in tremendously huge numbers. The popularity is such that, the city is no more known as just Katra. Rather it is generally called as Katra Vaishno Devi.

As the temple is nested high on hills, Katra actually serves as the base camp for the Vaishno Devi trek. The uphill trek is 14kms long! But this number is nothing for the people who come to bow their heads in front of the pious shrine and ask for the blessing of the Deity. The aura of this place is such that this strenuously heavy trek does not make the trekker feel strenuous as the motive is to be able to spend a few moments of oneness with the Almighty. Before the trek, people need to register themselves at Katra. This helps them get insured of any mishap that might happen during the trek.

Katra is actually all about the Vaishno Devi trek. To cater to such a huge number of people, who have been pouring in for so many years for the purpose of pilgrimage, the transportation, and hospitality system is always at its utmost level of maintenance. Reaching Vaishno Devi Katra is generally through means of railways. The Indian railways have connected Katra very well to all the cities of India and made the pilgrimage hassle free.

The accommodation arrangements are a thing of perfection at Katra, Jammu. There are many fine hotels near the Jammu railway station. They are not just in small numbers; rather they are in huge numbers and offer hospitality in the best way possible. Being nearer to the railway station, it saves people’s time and let them rest well before and after the trek.

They say that the trek is not complete until one reaches the Bhairon Nath Temple, which is 2.4 km further of The Vaishno Devi Temple. This trek actually has a beautiful holy vibe and a beautiful picturesque view to soak into, while a person treks. This trek is always more enjoyable when done with a huge group of people. It helps each other push through 14kms in the midst of holy chanting of “Jai Mata Di”. Such a trek is only possible when the accommodation arrangements by the budget hotels in Katra do their jobs perfectly, which they are.<