And when it is all about “Jai Mata Di”…
The journey to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in the Trikuta hills some 40-odd kilometres of Jammu is an enchanting journey of the places where Mata Vaishnavi had spent some time while observing various penance.
The 13-km-long walk journey to the main Gufa from Ban Ganga is much cherished and revered by the Maa followers. Though a new easy-to-walk track has been prepared for the convenience of the devotees, lot of people still prefer the arduous old track for the old connection.
Khurki, in all reverence, lists out the common feelings among the devotees taking the holy journey to Maa ka darbaar!
1. If you reach in the evening and are going for the climb next day, you will surely enjoy the vibe of the market
2. We all bring dried apples and walnuts for friends and relatives in Vaishno Devi Shrine Board bags!
3. The Vaishno Devi car keychain or car danglers or stickers are a must
4. We all have haggled and bargained with the pony waalahs
5. No matter how fit you are, we all stop and wish to be as fit as the guy who’s walking so fast
6. Whatever our age, we all love to rent those lathis for the climb
7. As you keep going higher, you love to see how much you’ve climbed
8. We all relish the fruit chaats and the banta bottles at the small bhojnalyas and not to miss the Nescafe huts on way to the darbar
9. No matter what’s our hygiene quotient, we all bathe at the Ban Ganga before we begin our climb and after the climb we again get ready to meet MAA..!
10. Whether we go with our family, friends or relatives, we all greet all strangers going up and down with “Jai Mata Di”
11. The langar at Ban Ganga has been attracting us for years, but due to the rush many of us leave without relishing it: must try next time: the taste of faith!
12. We all keep the parsad coin in the inside pocket of our wallet with the mishri packet. You never know when we need Her blessings
13. No matter how fashionable we are, we all love to wear that Jai Mata Di head band for the Vaishno Devi yatra….it seems faith is still bigger than fashion !
14. We all need maalish waalahs when we return from Darshan
15. Most importantly, before we enter the cave, we have big requests to make. But once we are in front of the pindi, we all go numb and a few burst out crying
So, with folded hands, let’s just thank the mother of all saying “Jai Ma, Just Be With Me”. And if you want to share some of your experiences with Khurki, feel free to send them to us in the comment box below!
