Vaishno Devi
ce (gm, punc and minor re-wording for clarity)
| ← Previous revision | Revision as of 21:11, 21 April 2026 | ||
| Line 64: | Line 64: | ||
*She is depicted as a beautiful young woman dressed in a red sari and wearing a crown, riding a lion or a tiger. |
*She is depicted as a beautiful young woman dressed in a red sari and wearing a crown, riding a lion or a tiger. |
||
*She is usually portrayed with eight arms (though sometimes four or eighteen) |
*She is usually portrayed with eight arms (though sometimes four or eighteen) |
||
*In her hands, she wields an assortment of weapons including a sword, trident, discus, club, and bow as well as peaceful symbols like a lotus and a conch. |
*In her hands, she wields an assortment of weapons, including a sword, trident, discus, club, and bow as well as peaceful symbols like a lotus and a conch. |
||
*One of her right hands is typically raised in the Abhaya Mudra, a gesture offering blessings and the assurance of safety. |
*One of her right hands is typically raised in the Abhaya Mudra, a gesture offering blessings and the assurance of safety. |
||
*She is often flanked by her two guardians: Langurvir (Hanuman) carrying a red flag, and a tamed, childlike Bhairo who holds a bloody sword and a severed head. |
*She is often flanked by her two guardians: Langurvir (Hanuman) carrying a red flag, and a tamed, childlike Bhairo who holds a bloody sword and a severed head. |
||
| Line 81: | Line 81: | ||
=== Slaying of Bhairon Nath and the Boon === |
=== Slaying of Bhairon Nath and the Boon === |
||
When Bhairon Nath eventually located her at the Garbhjoon cave, she blasted her way out the other end with her trident and continued her ascent to the holy cave at the top of the mountain. Bhairon Nath relentlessly pursued her there, leaving her no choice but to assume the terrifying form of Goddess Kali (or Chandika). With a mighty blow, she beheaded him; his torso fell at the cave's entrance, while his severed head was flung to an adjacent mountain top. In his dying moments, Bhairon Nath realized his grave mistake, repented for his sins, and begged for her forgiveness. The merciful Vaishnavi forgave him and granted him a final boon that |
When Bhairon Nath eventually located her at the Garbhjoon cave, she blasted her way out the other end with her trident and continued her ascent to the holy cave at the top of the mountain. Bhairon Nath relentlessly pursued her there, leaving her no choice but to assume the terrifying form of Goddess Kali (or Chandika). With a mighty blow, she beheaded him; his torso fell at the cave's entrance, while his severed head was flung to an adjacent mountain top. In his dying moments, Bhairon Nath realized his grave mistake, repented for his sins, and begged for her forgiveness. The merciful Vaishnavi forgave him and granted him a final boon that any pilgrim's journey to her shrine would only be considered complete after they also visited his temple.{{sfn|Pintchman|2001|p=59,60}}Foster, Georgana, and Robert Stoddard. "Vaishno Devi, the Most Famous Goddess Shrine in the Siwāliks." 2010, pp. 111–112. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geographyfacpub/6/ |
||
=== Manifestation of the Holy Pindis === |
=== Manifestation of the Holy Pindis === |
||
Following this encounter, Vaishnavi decided to shed her human form entirely. She immersed herself in eternal meditation, manifesting as a five-and-a-half-foot |
Following this encounter, Vaishnavi decided to shed her human form entirely. She immersed herself in eternal meditation, manifesting as a five-and-a-half-foot-tall rock with three natural heads, or Pindis, at the top. These three pindis uniquely represent Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati, and they constitute the sanctum sanctorum of the Holy Cave today. Distraught over her disappearance, Pandit Shridhar was later guided by a dream from the Goddess to discover this cave, and he dedicated the rest of his life to her worship; this tradition is continued by his descendants, known as the Baridars.{{cite web |title=Mata Vaishno Devi Writ Petition |website=Bar and Bench |date=August 2020 |url=https://images.assettype.com/barandbench/2020-08/035b547a-33a7-49a0-b5b0-042866066218/Mata_Vaishno_Devi_Writ.pdf |page=17}}{{sfn|Singh|2009|p=108}} |
||
=== The Legend of Baba Jittoo === |
=== The Legend of Baba Jittoo === |
||
| Line 104: | Line 104: | ||
[[File:Vaishno Devi Bhavan.jpg|thumb|right|The Vaishno Devi temple in 2008]] |
[[File:Vaishno Devi Bhavan.jpg|thumb|right|The Vaishno Devi temple in 2008]] |
||
The '''Vaishno Devi Temple''' is an important [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to Vaishno Devi located in [[Katra, Jammu and Kashmir|Katra]] at the [[Trikuta Mountains]] within the Indian [[Union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (Union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]].{{cite book|title=Indian Himalaya: Story of a 100 Visits|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHZ5CwAAQBAJ|page=47|first=Kirit|last=Rindani|publisher=Partridge Publishing|year=2016|isbn=978-1482858860}}{{cite book|title=Discovering the Himalaya, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kusLzP8H6TQC|page=429|author=S. S. Negi|publisher=Indus Publishing|year=1998|isbn = 9788173870798}}{{cite book|title=Mountains of the God|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K5AaI2PhiV8C|page=15|author=Kuldip Singh Gulia|publisher=Gyan Publishing House|year=2007|isbn = 9788182054202}} It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India. Every year, millions of visitors visit the temple.{{cite news|title=Vaishno Devi pilgrim footfall in 2019 lowest in 3 years: Shrine Board|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/vaishno-devi-footfall-in-2019-lowest-in-3-years-shrine-board-120010200678_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard|date=2 January 2020}}{{cite news|title=Vaishno Devi likely to receive 8.5 mn pilgrims by Dec 31; highest in 5 yrs|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/vaishno-devi-likely-to-receive-8-5-mn-pilgrims-by-dec-31-highest-in-5-yrs-118122900321_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard|date=29 December 2018}} During festivals like [[Navaratri]], the count even |
The '''Vaishno Devi Temple''' is an important [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to Vaishno Devi located in [[Katra, Jammu and Kashmir|Katra]] at the [[Trikuta Mountains]] within the Indian [[Union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (Union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]].{{cite book|title=Indian Himalaya: Story of a 100 Visits|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHZ5CwAAQBAJ|page=47|first=Kirit|last=Rindani|publisher=Partridge Publishing|year=2016|isbn=978-1482858860}}{{cite book|title=Discovering the Himalaya, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kusLzP8H6TQC|page=429|author=S. S. Negi|publisher=Indus Publishing|year=1998|isbn = 9788173870798}}{{cite book|title=Mountains of the God|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K5AaI2PhiV8C|page=15|author=Kuldip Singh Gulia|publisher=Gyan Publishing House|year=2007|isbn = 9788182054202}} It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India. Every year, millions of visitors visit the temple.{{cite news|title=Vaishno Devi pilgrim footfall in 2019 lowest in 3 years: Shrine Board|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/vaishno-devi-footfall-in-2019-lowest-in-3-years-shrine-board-120010200678_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard|date=2 January 2020}}{{cite news|title=Vaishno Devi likely to receive 8.5 mn pilgrims by Dec 31; highest in 5 yrs|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/vaishno-devi-likely-to-receive-8-5-mn-pilgrims-by-dec-31-highest-in-5-yrs-118122900321_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard|date=29 December 2018}} During festivals like [[Navaratri]], the count even reaches one crore visitors.{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/vaishno-devi-bhairav-mandir-ropeway-service-starts-from-today/as67227545.cms|title=Vaishno Devi-Bhairav Mandir ropeway service starts from today|newspaper=The Times of India|access-date=2018-12-25}} Vaishno Devi Temple is one of the richest temples in India. Authors Michael Barnett and Janice Gross Stein say, "Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in [[Jammu]] has an annual income of about $16 billion, mainly from offerings by devotees".{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L3NpAgAAQBAJ|title=Sacred Aid: Faith and Humanitarianism|page=140|author1=Michael Barnett|author2=Janice Gross Stein|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=3 July 2012|isbn=978-0199916030}} |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
