Hindu Sanskrti (Hindu Spiritual System)

HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT

         Hindu Sanskrti or Hindu Spiritual System, has evolved as a part of the Sanskrit culture of ancient India. Having evolved from its beginnings in the Vedic civilization, it has evolved through centuries of the history of India. The people of India are the descendents of the proto-Aryan people who lived in India from time immemorial. The Hindu spiritual system has a Vedic substratum, and its theological postulates, mythology, and legends are a part of the Sanatana Dharma. There is no sectarianism, no fake mysticism, and no pagan obscure rites in Sanatana Dharma. The rituals observed by the Hindus of India are Vedic in principle. The form of worship, the Puja-Padvati, is also Vedic in its structure. Hindus meditating every morning, or doing his Puja, chanting Bhajans, practicing his Asanas, or doing Pranayama, does not feel he is doing anything out of the ordinary. He has inherited it and firmly believes Pranayama, Indian science of breathing, is the physical conduit to the Divine.

 “Breath of life, your form is dearer to me than any physical form. I yearn for your healing touch, knowing that when you touch me, I am whole.” Atharva Veda, 11:4- 7.

           Sanatana literally means eternal, that which has no beginning or end. That which is timeless cannot have a beginning or end. Therefore, by definition, it is beyond the constraints of time, and that is why it is said to be the oldest living religion in the world.  The Hindu religion is a process in time, which is not divided between what is believed to be divine and what is believed pagan. Hindu religious culture does not have pagan past. It has continuity, which is its most characteristic feature. The spiritual quest for the realization of Parmatman is original to the Hindu spiritual system, which underlines the essential unity between the universal and the essential. The aim of the Hindu religion is Self-realization (Atma-jnana) by each individual (jiva): to seek the Truth, to know the Truth, to be the Truth, to be a liberated soul (jivanamukta) here and now .Over the ages there have been several Acharyas and Rishis who have expounded on the timeless Truth in their own way.  “Truth is one; many are its names.”- Rigveda

            David Frawley considers that breaking away between the West and the East is totally artificial and was created by Europe to prove its material and intellectual superiority.“Everything that then came from the East,” he writes,“took an inferior, or pagan value.” And yet, the European scientific spirit found its roots in Greece, whose religion was also pagan and was inspired by Hindu practices. He concludes; “If only the West knew that philosophical and religious framework from which emerged later European science, partakes much more with eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, than with the Judeo-Christian tradition, they would look at India differently.”       

             Civilization is a social phenomenon. The Sanskrit civilization constitutes the great heritage of our country. It flourished in different regions, mainly on the banks of the rivers, by socio-religious and cultural bonds till today. It was on the banks of the lost sacred river Saraswati, that the Vedic Rishis perceived the hymns of the Vedas, in Sanskrit. Almost all ancient scriptures of Vedic India were written in Sanskrit only. These written records are the kernel of Hindu sacred literature.Vedic culture spread over the banks of Indus and other rivers and became integral part of Aryan culture. In mythology the prominence of Saraswati has taken over by Ganga. The waters of sacred Ganga, has purified Indian life in all ages by washing out the dirt of time.

               Rishi is a word of multi-dimensional shades. Besides a sage and seer this word means Jaratri (singer), Karu (artist in words), Vipra (Inspired one), Dhira (one in whom the intellect has been aroused), Manishi (Intellectual, Powerful) and Veda, the wise one. There are three categories of Rishis. First category, which saw the Veda or Dharma in their hearts with the help of Pratibha (Intuition), are Paramarsi or Maharishi, the others who got it through Upadesa (Communication) were second, Srutarsi and the third that practiced and wrote it for the others, are Rishis.  George Clifford White Worth writes; “Rishi (Sanskrit) a holy sage, one who has heard the eternal voice, or seen the eternal words of revelation and through whom Divine knowledge has been transmitted to the Brahmins.”

              Swami Vivekananda said about Hinduism at the ‘World Parliament of Religion’ during Septmember1893 at Chicago; “The Hindus have received their religion through revelation, the Vedas. They hold that the Vedas are without beginning and without end. It may sound ludicrous to this audience, how a book can be without beginning or end. But by the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times. Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery, and would exist if all humanity forgot it, so is it with the laws that govern the spiritual world. The moral, ethical and spiritual relations between soul and soul and between individual spirits and the Father of all spirits were there before their discovery, and would remain even if we forgot them.The discoverers of these laws are called Rishis, and we honor them as perfected beings. I am glad to tell this audience that some of the very greatest of them were women.”

            Sri Aurobindo writes in ‘Foundations of Indian Culture’ (p.255); “The ancient and classical literature of the Sanskrit tongue shows both in quality and in body an abundance of excellence, in their potent originality and force and beauty, in their substance and art and structure, in grandeur and justice and charm of speech, and in the heightened width of the reach of their spirit which stands very evidently in the front rank among the world’s greatest literatures.”

          T.S.Eliot has defined culture as the “way of life of a particular people living together in one place: that which makes life worth living; that which makes a society---It includes Arts, Manners, Religion and ideas.”                                                                      

           Professor Childe writes; “I stood on a mound of Mohenjodaro in the Indus valley in the North-West of India, and all around me lay the houses and streets of this ancient city that is said to have existed over five thousand years ago; and even then it was an old and well developed civilization---The Indus Civilization.”

            Swami Sankarananda, the author of ‘Rig Vedic Culture of the Pre-Historic Indus’ writes; “Those people went with the script and culture as well as the language from the Indus Valley. These colonists spread the Indus Civilization to the Mediterranean shores and eventually became the fathers of the civilization of Greece and Rome.”                             

                                                                                                              (Vol.1 Chap1, P50).                 

                   Long before the Egyptian or Sumerian cultures, there flourished Indus Valley Civilization in India. The culture of Mohenjodaro and Harappa was post Vaidika or Sanatana Dharma. In early sixties, Dr. Waddel wrote a book on the culture discovered at                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Mohenjodaro and Harappa, “that these cities were post Vedic date and that the seal and other objects of interest were completely Aryan in character and that the language impressed on the seals was Sanskrit” Aryatarangini, P13. 

             Australian historian, Auther Basham notes; “The ancient civilization of India differs from Egypt, Mesopotania and Greece, in that its traditions have been preserved without break down to the presene day.”  American mathematician A.Seindenberg writes; “Arithmetic equations from the Sulba Sutras were used in the observation of triangle by the Babylonians and the theory of contraries and of inexactitude in arithmetic methods, discovered by Hindus, inspired Pythagorean mathematics.” French astronomer Jean-Claude Bailly observed; “the Hindu astronomic systems were much more ancient than those of Greeks or even Egyptians and the movement of stars which was calculated by the Hindus 4500 years ago, does not differ from those used today by even one minute.”            

            Artabhatta in 5^th century stated that the earth revolves around the sun. In his treatise Aryabhatteam, he clearly states that earth is round; it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space. And explains that lunar and solar eclipses occur by the interplay of the sun, the moon and the earth. In his Surya Sidhanta, the ancient Indian astronomer Bhaskar Acharya notes; “Objects fall on earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction.” Newton re-discovered the Law of Gravity, 1200 years later.         

     “What is that by being known, everything is known?” -Mundaka Upanishad

                                 

                       Seal of Pashupati                               Seal from Mohenjodaro

       

          Yoga the spiritual aspect in Sanatana Dharma is a way to Godhood. It is discipline of mind and body ultimately leading to self-realization. Yoga was practiced during ancient times. It is evident from the terracotta figurines from Mohenjodaro depicting Yogic Asans. The famous Pasupati seal is pictorial representation of the Atharva Vedic hymn (II.34). The presiding deity of the hymn being Pasupati, the lord of beasts, who is described in the hymn as the lord of both biped and quadrupeds and is united with his creation through mind and vision. This union is possible only through the Yogic trance. The deity on the seal Pasupati is seen to be sitting in a Yogic posture. It is evident that people living during those times were not only familiar but were practicing Yoga as spiritual discipline. Other Indus Valley seals seem to depict what came to be known as the “Seven Mothers,” still worshipped in contemporary Hinduism. B.B. Lal, the most prominent Indian archaeologist of the Indus Valley culture, argues that other artifacts and fire sites of the Indus Valley complex appear to be designed for rituals associated with the Vedic ritual tradition, which is usually dated many centuries later.

 

            Some practices of Hinduism must have originated in Neolithic times (4000 B.C). The worship of certain plants and animals as sacred, for instance, could very likely have very great antiquity. The worship of Goddesses, too, a part of Hinduism today, may be a feature that originated in the Neolithic. At Boghaz Koy, Turkey (1350 BC), stone inscription of the treaty with Mitanni lists as divine witnesses the Vedic deities; Mitra, Varuna, Indra, and the Nasatyas (Ashvins).

           Recently, Indus seals have been reportedly deciphered by Dr. Rajaram and Dr. Jha and according to them; “the Harappan civilization, of which the seals are product, belong to later part of the Vedic Age. It had close connections with Vedantic works like Sutras and the Upanishads. The style of writing reflects the short aphorisms found in Sutra works. The imagery and symbolism are strongly Vedic. The vocabulary depends heavily on the Vedic glossary Nighantu and its commentary by Yaska known as the Nirukta.The name of Yaska is found on at least two seals, possibly three. There are references to Vedic kings and Sages as well as place names.  Of particular interest are references to Plakshagra, the birth place of Saraswati River, and Sapta Apah or the land of the Seven Rivers.” Dr.Wheeler says; “the Harappans worshipped Mother Goddess, Shiva and the Linga.” He further says; “it is now certain that the remnants of the big building 52 feet long, 40 feet wide and with walls 4 ft. thick are the remains of a temple. Many of the idols and the linga were discovered from this spot. He has no doubt that the Harappans were Hindus, and that temple worship had a place then.”

             Dr. Subash Kak adds; “There is evidence of temple structures in the Harappan period in addition to iconography that recalls the goddess. Structures dating to 2000 BC, built in the design of Yantras, have been unearthed in northern Afghanistan. There is ample evidence for continuity in the religious and artistic tradition of India from the Harappan times. The constructions of the Harappan period (2600-1900 BC) appear to be according to the Vedic principles. The dynamic ratio of 1:2:4 is the most commonly encountered size of rooms of houses, in the overall plan of houses and the construction of large public buildings. This ratio is also reflected in the overall plan of the large walled sector at Mohenjo-Daro called the citadel mound. It is even the most commonly encountered brick size.”

         According to the Sthapatya Veda (the Indian tradition of architecture), the temple and the town should mirror the cosmos. The temple architecture and the city plan are, therefore, related in their conception. In the basic Vedic scheme the circle represents the earth and the square represents the heavens or the deity. Volwahsen (2001) has remarked on the continuity in the Indian architectural tradition. “The Harappan cities have a grid plan, just as is recommended in the Vedic manuals. The square shape represents the heavens, with the four directions representing the cardinal directions as well as the two solstices and the equinoxes of the sun’s orbit.”

           Diana Eck puts it in her ground breaking study of Hindu iconography, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India;“ Long before people wrote textual treatises, they wrote in images…One must learn to read these visual texts with the same insight and interpretive skill that is brought to the reading and interpretation of scriptures, commentaries, and theologies.” (Eck, 1998: 12-13)

                    B.B.Lal was the first in the Indian sub-continent to view the archaeological data against the background of Puranic and Epics literature and opinioned that a large number of sites associated with the Mahabharata contain the same ceramic industry, i.e., the Painted Grey Ware in their lower level (Lal, 1954-55, AI, 10-11). The excavation at Hastinapura, named after King Hastin of the Puranic dynasty confirmed the stratigraphy of the Painted Grey Ware in the upper Ganga basin. He proposed a time bracket of 1100-800B.C. for PGW and associated these settlers with the early stock of Aryan in India. The Archaeological Survey of India further excavated Ram Janmabhumi in 2002-2003. To mention in the words of excavators, “the site (Trench AYD-1—G7) has also proved to be significant for taking back its antiquarian remains for the first time to 1300BCE.”  

North India which were worshiped from earliest times till today, other earliest instances of Indian temples of which are the rock-cut and cave temples of Southern and Western India,  dating to the 3rd and the 2nd centuries B.C. which provide some of the first known images of Hindu iconography.

          “Shaivism and Shaktism are thought by some scholars to have roots reaching back to the Indus valley civilization, although others consider the evidence inconclusive, based as it is on iconographic similarities rather than textual evidence.” (Flood 2003: 91, 204)

           The Indus-Saraswati valley civilization spread over more than 250,000 square miles, and included over 1600 sites. Most of the villages and cities were laid out on an exact north-south grid on sites west of the river, and were built with kiln-fired bricks of uniform size. Sites have been found dating from 6500-7000BC.” writes, Kenneth Chandler in ‘Origins of Vedic Civilization.’        

             

       

                        Mother Goddesses from Mohenjodero          

            Rig Vedic Hindus, living in the space-time continuum of the Saraswati-Harappan-Sind Valley cultures, of which Kashmir, Ghandara in the north-west, the whole expanse of central India in the south and the Hill country of India, had conceptualized universal existence as the expression of a single reality---the Parmatman, of whom force-energy was a part and an attribute. Parmatman and in him the force or energy, were the sole source of creation, its sustenance, and was governed by the dissolution it suffered. The force or the energy, which formed a part of the Parmatman or was inherent formation, an attribute of the Parmatman, which they described as Shakti in early Vedic age, symbolized the creation, which without the Parmatman exercising it, could not have led to the creation of this universal existence. The Rig Vedic people worshipped the Parmatman and the Shakti---the God and the Mother Goddess with the same reverence. In fact, the worship of the Parmatman, the personification of God is the worship of Shakti, the personification of Mother Goddess.

           Dr.M.K.Teng notes; “that the Rig Vedic people were perhaps, the first of people among various civilizations, who were able to conceptualize force as Parmatman---which are same but act differently.”

          The iconic manifestation of the divine reality in the Hindu religion or more specifically the Sanskrit religious culture has a content, which is drawn from the geographical boundaries of the Hindu India and represents the intellectual expression of its generations. The Hindu temples and the practice of worship in them must be differentiated from what idol worship is considered to be as a Semitic tradition of pagan origin. Idol worship is a concept of the Semitic civilization and the social prohibition it has been subject to in the later evolution of the Semitic civilization must be differentiated from temple worship in the Hindu religious culture. The two civilizations represent two different world views, two different streams of consciousness, two different theories of action, and two different views of the real, the apparent and the relative and two different perspectives of space and time as well as two different universes of human experience.

             For at least two reasons the Hindu tradition contains the greatest diversity of any world tradition. First, Hinduism spans the longest stretch of time of the major world religions, with even the more conservative views setting it as well over 7,000 years old. Throughout this expanse of time, the Hindu tradition has been extremely conservative about abandoning elements that have been historically superseded. Instead, these elements have often been preserved and given new importance, resulting in historical layers of considerable diversity within the tradition. Second, Hinduism has organically absorbed hundreds of separate cultural traditions, expressed in as many as 300 languages.   

                  Archaeological evidence is more reliable and authentic than literary evidence. It has been rightly acknowledged by antiquarians like Marshall, Mackay, Piggot and Wheeler that some of the basic elements of the historic religious beliefs and practices of India go back to the Harappan culture or Indus civilization of the third millennium BCE.      A steatite seal from Mohenjodaro, discovered by E. Mackay, and described by John Marshall as the prototype of historic Śhiva, “Trimurti,” and “Paśupati,” deserves special mention. Long before the ideas of Śhiva, Mahādeva, Trimurti and Paśupati had come into existence in historic Hinduism, Another figure on a seal is supposed to be that of a priest. This human figure shows only the upper half of the body, the eyes are almost closed, seemingly in meditation; he wears a beard and long hair; the cloth on his body keeping the right arm uncovered. There is then a stone figure of a man clearly seated in meditation, dating from the second millennium BCE. The figure of another ascetic found on a steatite seal from Mohenjodaro, depicting a man seated in a cross-legged yogic posture. He is flanked by two human worshippers with raised and folded hands apparently in adoration: behind each of these worshippers is a snake (nāga) in half-rearing posture. This clearly shows that origin of worship in Hinduism is Vedic. In fact, Hinduism rarely declined; it went on growing with the growth of centuries, and it retained its original Aryan character in some form or another even when it had been refined and transformed by non-Brāhmanical doctrines and practices.   

         B.B.Lal was the first in the Indian sub-continent to view the archaeological data against the background of Puranic and Epics literature and opinioned that a large number of sites associated with the Mahabharata contain the same ceramic industry, i.e., the Painted Grey Ware in their lower level (Lal, 1954-55, AI, 10-11). The excavation at Hastinapura, named after King Hastin of the Puranic dynasty confirmed the stratigraphy of the Painted Grey Ware in the upper Ganga basin. He proposed a time bracket of 1100-800B.C. for PGW and associated these settlers with the early stock of Aryan in India. The Archaeological Survey of India further excavated Ram Janmabhumi in 2002-2003. To mention in the words of excavators, “the site (Trench AYD-1—G7) has also proved to be significant for taking back its antiquarian remains for the first time to 1300BCE.”   

                  

     Dikshit, Mani, Pl.7; structures of           Dikshit, Mani, Pl.8; comparision of Mother

    period I, Bhirrana (after L.S.Rao)             Goddess  from Bhirrana and Mehrgarh 

         In their findings K.N.Dikshit and B.R.Mani report; [‘PURATATTVA’ journal of the Indian Archaeology Society, New Delhi(Number 42—2012)] “For the first time, on the basis of radio-metric dates from Bhirrana(district Fatehbad, Haryana), the cultural remains of Pre-Early Harappa horizon go back to the time bracket of 7380 BCE to 6201 BCE representing the Hakra Ware Culture (plate 7)….It has been found that the clay ‘Mother Goddess’ figurines from the levels dating back to 6000 BCE from both Mehergarh and Bhirrana have marked similarity (plate 8)….When the site of Mehrgarh was excavated by a joint team of Pak and French archaeologists in Baluchistan from 1974 to 1985 and the C14 dates of 8^th—7^th millennium BCE were found, the archaeologists were taken aback as civilization of the sub-continent was pushed almost 3000 years back than what was considered then.”            

             The beginning of India’s history has been pushed back by more than 2000 years, making it oldest history, older than Egypt and Mesopotamia The finding was announced at the International Conference on Harappa Archaeology, organized by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) at Chandigarh in November 2012. Hindustan Times dated 4rth Nov.2012, reports; Based on their research, B.R Mani, ASI Joint Director General  and K.N Dikshit, former ASI Joint Director General “The preliminary results of the data from early sites of the Indo-Pak subcontinent suggest that Indian civilization emerged in the 8^th millennium BC in Ghaggar-Hakra and Baluichistan area.” “On the basis of radio-metric dates from Bhirrana (Haryana), the cultural remains of the pre-early Harappa horizon go back to 7380 BC TO 6201 BC”. In other words archaeological

evidence  has proved beyond doubt that Indian Civilization, the Sanskrit Civilization, has grown during Vedic period.    

GUPT GANGA TEMPLE------BHADARWAH

GUPT GANGA  TEMPLE------BHADARWAH

Ancient Bhadarwah was a sovereign and prosperous state. It had its own colorful and flourishing civilization. Its famous cities were Durga Nagar and Udho Nagar which perished under the red hot material of the volcano that erupted on the nearby Kailash Mountain. A new city of Bhadravart came up, which is presently known as Bhadrot.  It is said that a university with capacity of lodging and boarding for about one thousand students existed exactly where present Bhadarwah university campus has been set up.

Raja Lakshmi Dev’s, dynasty ruled Bhadarwah up to sixteenth generations and then Nagas took over. Historically, Nagas as a race are not serpents, but a totem, a title or a sub-caste named after many animals in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India. In the epic literature they have been described as the posterity of Rishi Kashyapa and Kadru, one of his wives, and in mythology they have been sketched both as humans as well as snakes. According to Harivamsa Purana, Nagraj Vasuki is the Naga sovereign and immortal Naga, having the largest number of worshippers in India.  Nagas were strong worshippers of Shiva and ruled many parts of India. The origin of their ruling dynasty is attributed to Navnagas and there were other prominent ruling Nagas also. Naga dynasty rulers shifted their capital to Bhadarwah proper called Nagar. Bhardarwah became part of Jammu and Kashmir State, under Dogra rule, in 1821AD.

Bhadarwah is known as ‘Chotta Kashmir’. God has bestowed on Bhadarwah unparalleled charm and fragrance. To the east of the town, on the bank of river Neru, is an ancient Shiva temple, situated at the mouth of a huge cave. According to Vasuki Puran, when Pandavas performed the Ashumegh Yajna, the ‘Sham Karan’ horse that would graze upon the meadows in the surroundings of holy ‘Sonabain’ was taken from Sawan the then king of Bhadarwah. It is generally said, that Pandavas during their exile took shelter in Bhadarkashi, presently known as Bhadarwah. One day they disappeared suddenly. It is believed, that they disappeared through this long cave to some unknown place because that was the day their Agyatvas, living in hidden position, started.

The temple has a tomb like construction and long stone slabs have been used in it. Here Ganga abruptly falls on the Lingam and then disappears. It is a natural phenomenon. The Shiv-Ling of this temple is of huge size and made of black marble. The domb of the temple is made of stones in a circular shape. A stream of pure water flows from inside of the temple and drops on the Shiv-Ling day and night.  Then this water flows to a “Bawali” (Pond) where Sadhus, and devotees take bath. The water of the Bawali is cold in summer and warm in winter. Since the stream of water comes into the temple in a mysterious way, the water of this stream is considered as sacred as the water of the Ganga, so it is called Gupt Ganga. Inside the temple, there is a footprint of Bhimsen, one of Pandav brothers, on a rock. This ancient Shiva temple is greatly revered by Hindus of the state and is a famous historical pilgrimage centre.

VAISHNOV DEVI IS MAHA KALI, MAHA LAKSHMI, MAHA SARASWATI

VAISHNOV DEVI  IS  MAHA KALI, MAHA LAKSHMI, MAHA SARASWATI

The cult of the Mother Goddess is as old as humanity. The worship of the Mother Goddess is an integral part of the Sanskrit civilization of India and the broad structure of temple worship which evolved through the Indian history. A striking uniformity exists between the forms of worship in the temples of Jammu and Kashmir and temples in India. It appears that the historical sequence which marked the evolution of temple worship in Jammu and Kashmir is identical to the historical sequence of the temple worship in India. The worship of the Mother, in the form of Bhavani, is the basic ground-work of the Hindu temple worship in India. It is definitely the most ancient form of worship in Jammu and Kashmir as well.

 Vaishnov Devi, the shrine built by nature, is one among the most popular religious shrines of India. Vaishnov  Devi  in  Jammu  has  been  designated  as  the Elder Sister among  the  six  other  Devi shrines in a fairly  narrow  belt  of  the Siwailiks between the Yumuna and Chenab rivers. Vaishnov Devi has become much more popular than the other Six Sisters  ---Mansa Devi, Chintipumi Devi, Naini Devi, Jvala ji (Jvalamukhi), Kangra (Kangrevali Devi or Vajreshvari) and Chamunda.

There is lack of exact chronological evidences in history as to when the Vaishnov Devi shrine, came into existence. It is an ancient shrine whose reference is found in the Vedas and ancient scriptures. Like other highly venerated shrines of India, Vaishnov Devi shrine is an ancient one, whose antiquity is pre-Mahabharatan. Lord Krishna is believed to have advised Arjuna to go up in the hills of ‘Jambu’ and seek the blessings of Vaishnov Devi before taking up arms in the battle field. 'Jambu' is identified with present day Jammu. Arjuna, while worshipping Vaishnov Devi, calls her the highest Yogin who is free from decrepitude and decay, who is the Mother of the 'Vedas and the science of Vedanta' and who is giver of 'victory and personification of victory' itself. The shrine of Vaishnov Devi has a long traditional, spiritual and religious history as a long surviving institution of nearly 1,000 years.

 The shrine of  Vaishnov Devi  is a manifestation of the Mother Goddess and it lies nestled in a natural cave located in the Trikuta Mountains towering above Katra, about 50 km. from Jammu, at an altitude of 5,200 feet and a distance of approximately 12 km.   from Katra, the base camp of the shrine. The connection  with the Vaishnov Devi  shrine is often indicated  by its  setting among snow  capped  mountains,  particularly  among  the  three peaks  of  Trikuta mountain. Enroute, the pilgrims cross Ban Ganga, Charan Paduka, Adhkwari and Sanji Chhat before one reaches the holy cave temple. The entire pilgrimage from Jammu to Katra and then to gufa of Vaishno Devi shrine is famous for its natural beauty. Devotees cover the journey from Katra to gufa of Vaishno Devi shrine, usually on foot. About the natural beauty of entire place, it is said that all over the world, there has been no more beautiful a place than the journey from Katra to the gufa of Vaishno Devi. Earlier, there had been only one tunnel, which had been created by nature, which led into the shrine. This tunnel was used for both entering the holy shrine and for coming out of it. Second tunnel was opened for devotees in the year 1977 and the third tunnel in the year 1998.

The mythological journey that the pilgrims take up the mountain follows the footsteps of Vaishnov Devi as she fled up the mountain from the home of the Vaishnavite Brahmin, Shridhar, in Katra. Using her special powers, she had helped provide the food for a Bhandara, or feast for mendicants, which she had advised Shridhar would bring him the boon of sons. However, also coming to the feast was Bhairava Nath, the chief disciple of Guru Gorakha Nath, adept of the Shakta sect, who had to be included in the broad invitation. He decided to test the power of Vaishnovi by asking her to serve meat and wine to him, but Vaishnovi told him it was not allowed in a Vaishnava vegetarian household. When she sensed that Bhairava had "evil intentions" towards her, she fled up the mountain. But Bhairava, as he now is called, followed her. The first spot that marks her route is the Bal Ganga, where she struck a rock to bring forth a stream, for the monkeys who were now accompanying her, to drink. Further up the mountain she entered a first cave where she remained for "a full nine months, as a child in the womb of her mother." Through his occult powers, Bhairava could see her going up the Trikuta Mountain and he followed her. When Bhairava entered the cave, she struck an opening at the other end of the cave with her trident and went on up the mountain to another cave. When Bhairava began to enter the next cave, Langur Vir (Hanuman) attempted to restrain him but was unsuccessful. Therefore, Vaishnov Devi assumed the form of Maha Kali and cut off the head of Bhairava. She did this with such force that his head was flung up the mountainside. As the head of Bhairava flew up the mountain, its voice recognized her and said, "Oh mother, I was not familiar with this form of your holiness. I have met my fate at your sacred hands ….. but if you don't pardon me, coming generations will hate my name." In response the Devi granted him her own temple, located at the spot where his head had landed, but she stipulated that pilgrims could only go to his temple after visiting her shrine.

It is believed that after killing Bhairava Nath, Vaishnovi took the form of a rock and went into eternal meditation. She appeared in Shridhar’s dream and showed him the route of the Holy Cave. Shridhar accordingly reached the holy cave temple and started regular Puja of Vaishnov Devi at the gufa. Later, he was blessed with four sons.

The entrance to the cave is called Bhavan. At the mouth of the original tunnel to the holy cave is the symbol of Ganesha, on the left hand side of the rock face.  Adjacent to it is the symbols of Surya Dev and Chandra Dev. While crawling into the holy cave through the natural tunnel one crosses over the Dhadh of Bhairo Nath who was beheaded by the Goddess at the entry point to the holy cave.  The Dhadh is 14 feet long.  After this is the symbol of Hanuman called Langur Vir.  The pilgrims have to wade through water beyond the Langur Vir point.  23 feet beyond Langur Vir, on the left upper hand side, on the roof of the cave are the innumerable heads of Shesh Nag. Immediately, below Shesh Nag is the Havan Kund of Devi.  Adjacent to it are the symbols of Shankh, Chakra, Gada and Padam.  Higher up, almost touching the ceiling of the cave are the symbols of the five Pandavas, the Sapt Rishis, the thein of the divine cow, Kamdhenu, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Parvati.  3 feet further ahead, on an elevation is Khamba that was gripped by the devotee Prahlad.  Diagonally below this, at the water level is the Yantra with innumerable mystical signs and symbols inscribed on it.  22 feet beyond this point is located the Sher Ka Panja symbolizing the lion, which is the mount of Vaishnov Devi.  The distance from the entry point to the Sher Ka Panja is 59 feet.  Thirteen feet beyond this, immediately above, is located the symbol of the primary hood of Shesh Nag which appears to be bearing the weight of the roof of the cave at that point. 

The length of the cave up to the primary hood of Shesh Nag is 70 feet. Six feet further ahead, on the left hand side, are the symbols of Shankar and Gouri. 13 feet beyond the symbols of Shankar and Gouri are located the holiest of the holy Pindies of Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati. Within the temple is the deity in the form of a five and half feet tall rock with three Pindies or heads. The three manifestations of the Goddesses are represented in ‘Pindi’ (Rock) form and are located at the end of a 98 feet long cave. The worship of the Goddess is formalized through Aarti and chanting of various Mantras by the Pujaris. Aarti is performed twice a day, once at sunrise and again at sunset.  To the right of the holy Pindies on the upper side again are the symbols of Ganesh, Surya Dev, Chandra Dev and Goddess Annapurna.  Slightly behind the holy Pindies, on the right hand side is the symbol of the seated Sinh Raj.  A little ahead of it is seen the full hand of the Goddess in the Vard Hast mode granting boons to the world.

Invariably the Goddess  is  riding  on  her  vahana  (vehicle),  dressed  in  red  wedding  attire, with  all  her jewellery. The image illustrates a benign Goddess virgin, auspiciously dressed as a bride. She wears the victory  Mangala garland and  in her eight  arms  she  holds several weapons  symbolic  of  Vishnu  and Shiva . Also  included  are  the  accompanying  attendants of Hanuman, the Langur Vir  carrying a red  flag with Garuda on it, and Bala Bhairava (a child Bhairava), carrying a severed head . Immediately opposite the holy Pindies is the natural symbol of Lord Pashupati Nath.

Water gushes out of the base of the holy Pindies and flows out of the holy Cave.  It is known as Charan Ganga and this holy water is collected in small containers by the devotees and taken home. The same water flows to the bathing ghat and the devotees take a bath before they have Darshan of the holy Pindies. Pilgrims from all over the world come to the cave temple to seek the blessings of the Goddess, and crawl through the narrow cave to have Darshan of the holy Pindis. Vaishnov Devi shrine is frequented every year by hundreds and thousands of pilgrims.

Vaishnov Devi is a unique shrine as it is said to have manifested Herself in all her three forms of Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati . It is believed that the Goddess in her manifestation of Maha Kali blesses her devotees by giving them strength, as Maha Lakshmi, she blesses her devotees with wealth and prosperity. As Maha Saraswati she blesses her devotees with high intellect. To lead a full and meaningful life, a balance has to be struck amongst the three. This balance is extremely difficult to achieve. It needs divine blessing and the belief is that it is only at Vaishnov Devi cave temple that such blessings are possible simultaneously from a single source of Shakti. This is what makes the holy shrine of Vaishnov Devi unique in the world.

The original myth of  Vaishnov  Devi is,  of  course,  on the story of  the Devi Mahatyma,  wherein  all the  gods  call  upon  Devi to  kill Mahisha, who is destroying all the sacrifices given to them; and they each give her a weapon with which to do that. They cannot use these weapons themselves  because  the  demon  has  been  given  the  boon,  through austerities,  of  being  killed only by  a  woman.  Destroying many others in the Mahisha army, ultimately cutting off his head, is done by Devi, for all the gods. There are numerous other myths associated with Vaishnov Devi. One of the myths is that of Vaishnov Devi meeting Sri Ram as a child. The popular belief is that Devi was born to a childless couple in South India after several years of penance. The couple while praying to Mother Goddess had promised that they would fulfill all the wishes of the child. A baby girl child was born to the childless couple and she was named Trikuta. From a very young age, Trikuta showed high spiritual inclination and was an ardent devotee of Sri Hari Vishnu. When she reached adulthood, she asked her parents’ permission to meditate by the sea. During this period, Sri Ram was searching for Sita and he reached the seashore where Trikuta was meditating. Vaishnavi told Sri Ram that she had already chosen him as her husband. Sri Ram told her that he was already married and therefore could not marry. Sri Ram could not ignore the austerities undertaken by Trikuta and instructs her to go and dwell in a cave in the Trikuta Mountains and meditate; she will retain the powers she has gained from remaining a virgin, and she will be honoured there. This explains her title, Adikumari, Virgin Forever.

                                                                                                                                          One myth relates the Devi's protection of poor peasants who were exploited by kings and landlords. One version of this type is found in "The Story of Baba Jittoo" (Kaul 1980). In this long and complex myth, a poor peasant devotee of Vaishnov Devi, Jitmal (Jittoo) had a bountiful crop of grain, due to Vaishnov Devi, who had been incarnated as his daughter. The King Vir Singh, upon seeing this abundant crop, demanded half of the harvest instead of the one-fourth as agreed upon, and sent his men to get it. In despair, Jittoo prayed to the Devi, who tells him to leave the world, and dwell with her, and she will deal with the king. Jittoo takes his own life and lied while bleeding on the grain which polluted it. In the conclusion of the myth, King Vir Singh becomes a leper, his property burns, and he and associates go insane. The association with Jittoo is collaborated by another myth which describes the Jhiri Fair (held west of Jammu city). This fair is held at the height of the pilgrimage season to Vaishnov Devi in honour of the "memory of Baba Jittoo, who died 500 years ago fighting feudal tyranny." At the fair, descendants of the thieves who robbed Jittoo of his grain are compelled to furnish free food for a feast. Another story has Vaishnov Devi protecting a king of Jammu, Maharaja Ranjit Dev, who is her devotee at the time of the reign of Aurangzeb in Delhi. The kingdom of Jammu was a very small hill state at the time; hence the Maharaja was frightened when he was called to Lahore by the regional Moghul governor. According to the story, Maharaja Dev pretended to go hunting, but instead went to seek out Vaishnov Devi. He found her "sitting on the top of Trikuta Mount" (Shri Mala Vaishno Devi:83).He asked for her help. When he went to Lahore, and with the help of Vaishnov Devi, the Maharaja was able to survive by cutting a deal with the Moghal governor, Mir Mannu, to keep Jammu from being swallowed up. It is said that, in his gratitude, Ranjit Dev cleaned and established huts and water along the path to Vaishno Devi. Every year he went barefoot to Her gufa.

Associated with Vaishnov Devi is vegetarianism, an attribute that sets her apart from the other Devis in this region. Even though the shrine to Vaishnov Devi relates to a local Goddess, the name carries the advantage of representing the gentle side of Mahadevi, especially the vegetarian aspect of the Goddess. The name Vaishnov refers to Vishnu, which in India commonly means vegetarianism and hence greater ritual purity. Although the other Devi temples no longer practice animal sacrifice, but their ritualistic histories are not as "pure" as that of Vaishnov Devi. Consequently, this Goddess shrine developed a reputation for maintaining a high degree of ritual purity and for a high level of efficaciousness. In  addition,  the  shrine is  regarded  as  unique  because  it contains  "the  holiest of  holy Pindis, manifesting Mala in her three forms of  Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati". Again, this is not to deny that other shrines may have   certain distinctive characteristics, but the unsurpassed distinction of combining all three manifestations of the Goddess furnishes a strong incentive for pilgrimage to this particular shrine.  Pilgrimage is an important part of the Hindu tradition.  Pilgrimage, in its true tradition, is under taken to meet the Gods, have face-to-face communication with them to attain a deeper state of spirituality and experience a higher vision of truth. In order to seek union with God, the Hindus undertake pilgrimages to the holy Shrines which are scattered all over the Indian Sub-Continent. Indeed, the Hindus have been visiting such places since times immemorial. It is faith, which brings these people back to drink from the springs of Indian spirituality and feel rejuvenated. The concept of pilgrimage goes to the great Indian saint Shankracharya, who in the 8th century AD traveled throughout the great expanse of India, at a time when means of communication were almost non existent, and demonstrated to the Hindus that it was not only possible but also spiritually uplifting.

The development of the shrine began in the year1846 when Maharaja Gulab Singh took Jammu and Kashmir from the British. He established, Dharmarth Trust, and took over several temples and shrines, including Vaishnov Devi. The Trust continued under the descendants of Gulab Singh, who, along with their kingship, retained the position of sole hereditary trustees. At the time of independence, Karan Singh, became responsible for the operation and administration of the shrine. During this time, several physical changes were made to facilitate the arrival and movement of pilgrims. These included improving and changing the approaching road, installing water and food stations along the road, and cutting a new exit into the side of the mountain to allow pilgrims to leave immediately rather than returning through the same tunnel. Traditional Dogra Maharajas' of Jammu and Kashmir provided royal patronage to Dharamarth Trust since its inception. Dogra Maharajas were in control of the trust for performing routine administrative functions by their nominated family priests. This system of the management of the shrine was popularly known as "Baradari System”. In reality the groups of Baradaris, collectively, and privately controlled the major administrative and managerial functions of the trust with the blessings of Maharajas. On 30th August 1986, the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Jagmohan initiated the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Act, which was later confirmed by the state legislature. The need to make these changes was cited by Governor Jagmohan because he was appalled at the "material and moral corruption" at the shrine. The Shrine board has stated in its written vision as: "Better management, administration and governance of the Shrine and its endowments beginning from Katra to the holy cave." This act, which changed control of the shrine from the Dharmarth Trust and the hereditary priests to a governing statutory board, resulted into "what appears to be one of the most efficiently run temples in India". 

Religious tourism and the popularity of visits to the shrines of the Seven Sisters have affected the number of pilgrims to all the shrines. The popularity and importance of Vaishno Devi affects, and is affected by, prestigious visitors such as Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Commanders-in-Chief of India. As declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1980), she made the trip to this famous pilgrimage site because "the people want me to go." The number of pilgrims who visited the shrine rose from 13 lakhs in 1986 to 50 lakhs in the year 2000. This figure was expected to cross the 60 lakhs mark by the end of 2005. The collections rose from Rs. 27 crores in the year 1996-97 to Rs.75 crores in 2003-04. According to Board sources, the current annual average income is around Rs 80-90 crores.  The major indication of growing importance of this sacred shrine, is the  increased  number of  pilgrims, especially during  Navratras , who  visit  the cave temple of Vaishnov Devi  regularly. The annual number of pilgrims has more than tripled and has crossed one crore mark, during the last decade. Certainly this growth far exceeds that to the shrines of her Sisters in the same region.