Best Places to Visit near Katra

Katra Vaishno Devi or simply Katra is a very popular town in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. Nestled in the foothills of the giant Trikuta Mountains, this small town is a religious destination of Hindus. It is the place where Vaishno Devi’s holy shrine is situated. It is frequented by the pilgrims all year round. It is the base camp for the tourists who visit the Goddess Vaishno Devi temple. There are many other beautiful tourist spots located in this town that gain the fancy of tourists across the country. If you are soon to offer a visit to Katra to seek the blessings of Ma Vaishno Devi, let us tell you about the best places to visit near Katra.

Let’s take a look:

·         Vaishno Devi Temple

Katra is the home to the very popular Vaishno Devi Mandir which is the second most visited temple in the country only after Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The shrine is also popularly called Mata Rani or Vaishnavi. If numbers are to be believed, this holy place is visited by more than eight million pilgrims per year. 

There are many famous legends associated with this holy shrine. Legends say that it is the exact place where Ma Vaishno Devi’s eternal energy concentrated and taken adobe. It is believed that Mata Sati’s skull fell at this very place during self-immolation. Some legends also state that her right arm fell here. A stone hand is indeed present inside the cave which is believed to offer blessings and boons.

Perched at an altitude of about 5300 feet, this temple is sheer beauty. The original cave access to Pindis or the natural rock formation is breathtaking. The original entrance can be accessed only during festivities.

·         Bhairon Temple

If you plan to return home after seeking blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi, you must change your plan. Bhairon Temple is another holy place to visit in Katra. The temple sits on the highest point to the neighboring hill. Situated at an altitude of 6,619 ft, you would need to climb a very steep hill to reach the shrine. You can cover the distance on foot or by palanquins or ponies.

Just like Vaishno Devi, Bhairon Temple also has some legends associated with it. It is said that Ma Vaishno Devi killed Bhairon Nath and later gave him a boon of being the pilgrimage’s last link.

Inside the temple, you will see natural rock formations. According to the legends, Bhairon Nath’s head fell at that place when Mata Rani killed him, while the body remained at the cave’s entrance.

·         Darshani Darwaza

Darshani Deodhi or Darshani Darwaza is counted amongst the best places to visit near Katra. It is the entry gate to the Vaishno Devi temple. This place provides the entire view of the gorgeous Trikuta Mountain.

Darshani Darwaza is not merely a gate to the temple. It also has a famous legend attached to it. According to the legend, it is the place where Mata Rani met Pandit Sridhar in the form of a little girl.

Darshani Darwaza comprises of two gates; the older one leads to a staircase, while the newer one has a porch with parking space.

·         Himkoti

One of the most sought-after places to visit near Katra is Himkoti. This is basically a viewpoint from where you can savour the picturesque beauty of the entire valley.

An artificial pond, a beautiful garden, and a meditation centre offer a place to the tourists to relax and appreciate the beauty of nature. There are many good restaurants here where you can have a sumptuous meal. However, if you want the real taste of Kashmiri non-vegetarian food, you would need to take a long drive to reach Jammu. The best restaurants in Jammu serve delicious non-vegetarian food. While in Karta, non-vegetarian food and alcohol are banned.

·         Jhajjar Kotli

Another tourist spot near Katra is Jhajjar Kotli. It is 15 km from Katra on the National Highway 1A.

Jhajjar Kotli is constructed on the bank of river Jhajjar. It is a very popular picnic spot. People visit here to soak in the scenic beauty.

·         Ardh Kuwari Cave

While on the way to the Vaishno Devi temple, midway you will reach Ardh Kuwari Cave. It is a stopover for pilgrims visiting the main shrine. This place also has a grand shrine dedicated to Goddess Kali, Goddess Laxmi, and Goddess Saraswati.

Legend has that Goddess Vaishno reached the cave while hiding from a malevolent sage. She spent nine months inside the narrow cave. When Bhairav Nath discovered about the cave, Ma Vaishno created an opening using her trident at cave’s other end. She beheaded Bhairav Nath when he followed him.

·         Banganga River

Banganga river is said to be created by Goddess Durga while she was on her way to the cave. She created it with an arrow from the quiver. The holy river holds great spiritual importance. The river has two ghats where the pilgrims going to Ma Vaishno Devi temple take a dip before visiting the main shrine.

·         ISKCON Temple

ISKCON Temple or Sri Radha Parthasarathi Mandir is also one of the best places to visit in Katra. It is dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radharani.

Though the temple is always visited by tourists from across the country, the numbers sore around festivities like Rama Navami, Gaura Purnima, Govardhan Puja, and Janmashtami, and Radhastami.

If you have any plan to visit Katra, you must postpone it and visit around any of these festivities to enjoy the real fervour.

·         Baba Dhansar

Located across the Karua Jheel is Baba Dhansar’s holy shrine. It is believed that Baba Dhansar prayed to Lord Shiva to kill all the demons that lived near the pond. This shrine is visited by many pilgrims throughout the year.

Just like the shrine, the pond also holds sacred importance. Though bathing is not entertained in the pond, the devotees bathe further downstream. They believe that bathing in the holy water will wash their sins away.

If you want to visit this temple, you must visit here on Mahashivratri, as it is celebrated with great zeal.

These are the best places to visit near Katra.