Everyday of the year
a mass of humanity surges up steep pathways that cut across the hillside
for mile after mile. Popular belief holds that anybody who walks the Himalayan
trail to her abode to ask for a boon rarely goes back disappointed. There
are many who journey here year after year to pay obeisance regardless of
their faith or belief, creed or class, caste or religion, for Mata Vaishno
Devi transcends all such barriers.
As the legend goes, more
than 700 years ago Vaishno Devi a devotee of Lord Vishnu, used to pray
to Lord Rama and had taken vow of celibacy. Bhairon Nath, a tantric (demon-God)
tried to behold Her. Making use of his tantric powers, Bhairon Nath was
able to see Her going towards the Trikuta mountains and gave chase. The
Goddess felt thirsty at Banganga and shot an arrow into the earth from
where water gushed out. Charan Paduka, marked by the imprints of Her feet,
is the place where she rested. The Goddess then meditated in the cave at
Adhkawari. It took Bhairon Nath nine months to locate Her, the reason why
the cave is known as Garbh Joon. Mata Vaishno Devi blasted an opening at
the other end of the cave with Her Trident when the demon-God located Her.
On arriving at the Holy
Cave at Darbar, she assumed the form of Maha Kali and cut off Bhairon Nath's
head which was flung up the mountain by the force of the blow and fell
at the place where the Bhairon Temple is now located. The boulder at the
mouth of the Holy Cave according to the legend is the petrified torso of
Bhairon Nath who was granted divine forgiveness by the benevolent Mata
in his dying moments.
