Jai Mata Di!

Vaishno Devi Shrine by night Photo credit: Shri Gaurav Sah

A long and dreary weekend in New Delhi with nothing exciting to look forward to, just bearing the heat and humidity…. A sudden and unexpected visit from a dear friend based in Udhampur and his cordial and heartfelt invitation to us to visit Mata Vaishno Devi. An invitation which we accept with alacrity, much to his surprise and our own! Indeed, it is difficult to say whose surprise is the greater! As the famous bhajan from the film, “Avtaar” goes–“Chalo bulava aaya hai/ Mata ne bulaya hai…” Come, let us go, the Mother has called!!

Photo credit: Shri Gaurav Sah

Our friend, surprisingly, has been in Udhampur for close to sixteen months and has yet to visit the shrine. Perhaps he has been too busy arranging trips for others! Truly, as the saying goes,it is only when the Mother summons you that a visit is possible. And there is no foreseeing when — and how– that will happen.

Photo credit: Shri Gaurav Sah

Our romance with train travel, which had been lying dormant for long, is rekindled. We catch an overnighter from Delhi to Udhampur. The train journey is beautiful -winding through lush greenery with the hills coming into view . The much-anticipated trip, however, starts off on a wrong note , as the train unexpectedly steams into the Udhampur station half-an -hour early, catching us off-guard! In our hurry to disembark i leave my spectacles behind. I watch aghast as the train chugs off. The personnel of the RPF [Railway Protection Force] are most helpful and, a couple of frantic calls later, the offending instrument is located at the next station. Leaving me and my wife to say, in chorus, “RPF Ki Jai”! Long live the RPF.

En route to Udhampur. Photo credit: Sangeeta Verma

Udhampur is a small, quaint town hugging the foothills,remarkable only for its strong military presence. We exult in the pure mountain air, which is such a refreshing counterpoint to the polluted air of the national capital. The greenery also catches and soothes the eye. No concrete jungle here!

Having reached our gracious hosts at Udhampur, the next morning we were scheduled to catch the helicopter ride to Bhawan, Katra, the seat of Mata Vaishno Devi. With a rush of excitement and anticipation we reached the helipad early only to be told that flights could not ply as the weather had turned inclement. Numerous yatris waited in hope as they prayed that the Mother may grant Darshan. Four hours later we got the news that the skies had cleared and we would be airborne soon. The waiting Yatris responded with a unified whoop of delight!

Photo credit:Shri Gaurav Sah

We reached Bhawan at about 3.30 in the evening with very little time to walk from the helipad to the temple . The place was teeming with the devout all making their way to the shrine . Our options were to take a horse or a palki . The available horses were all booked so , reluctantly, we booked a palki ride. The palki is a contraption made of iron pipes with a seat in the middle to seat one passenger. The device,itself weighing about 20 kg, with its occupant, is carried by 4 bearers moving in perfect unison. The palki is hoisted on to the shoulders of four men all walking in a row,one behind the other. It’s a lesson in complete team work. The men, with their load ranging from 80- 100 kg, move in coordination- periodically shifting the log of wood used to carry the palki from one shoulder to the other. Across each man’s shoulders is strung an ordinary woollen blanket folded into four to provide some cushion against the weight gnawing into them. The man immediately behind the passenger walks blind – he cannot see a thing ahead – he just has to step in whichever direction the leader leads. Day in and day out they run up and down the undulating terrain, earning their daily bread, navigating through crowded lanes full of people, some on foot others on horseback, through teeming bazaars, all the while keeping up a happy banter with each other and with their passenger! For them work was indeed worship! The Mother had given us an invaluable lesson – happiness and satisfaction lie in teamwork.

Photo credit: Sangeeta Verma

Somewhere, in the back of our minds, the question of exploitation arose. But we consoled ourselves with the fact that our payment, combined with a hefty tip, helped to put food on the table of these hard-working men and their families.

Our “darshan” of the Goddess is superbly organized and goes like clockwork. On coming face-to-face with the image of the Goddess, we feel overwhelmed and seek Her benediction. The priest regales us with stories of how Lord Shiva, in the aspect of a tantrik named Bhairon, mistook her for a young girl and, becoming obsessed with her, chased her all over the mountain ranges. It was only when She took on the form of Kali and beheaded him that he realised Her power and begged for forgiveness.

On our return, the helicopter ride gives us the slip again, as threatening clouds gather. Perforce, we have to engage the palkis again. And this is when the depth and intensity of faith manifest themselves most strongly. People of all ages and sizes–toddlers, the old and infirm, even pregnant women–walk and even prostrate themselves in frenzied devotion, all to the chants of “Jai Mata Di”!As we come to the end of our eventful journey, we give a hat-tip to the superb organisation of the yatra by the Ma Vaishno Devi Board– from the provision of lockers to pilgrims to the fixation of rates for different modes of transport.

Photo credit: Shri Gaurav Sah

We thank our hosts profusely for making our visit so memorable. And we can hardly wait for Mata to summon us again.

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