Vaishno Devi — more fully Mata Vaishno Devi — is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, a shrine to the goddess dedicated in a cave at 1,585 metres on the slopes of the Trikuta Mountains in Jammu and Kashmir. It draws around 8–10 million pilgrims every year — the second most-visited Hindu pilgrimage site in India after Tirupati — and on the busiest festival days the number of pilgrims climbing the mountain in a single day can exceed 30,000. For Indian Hindus, a visit here is a major life event; foreign travellers are rare.
The shrine itself is in a narrow natural cave where the goddess is represented not by an idol but by three pindis — naturally formed stone outcrops representing the three aspects of the Mother Goddess: Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati. The cave is at the top of a 13 km trek from the base town of Katra, which is the starting point for everyone: you must register for a free Yatra Slip at the Yatra Registration Centre in Katra before starting the climb, and you will be checked at various points along the route. The walk takes 5–6 hours on foot and climbs steadily from Katra via Banganga, Charan Paduka, and the halfway point of Ardhkuwari (where a pilgrimage tradition has you squeeze through the Garbh Joon — the "womb passage", a narrow natural gap in the rock). Those unable or unwilling to walk can hire ponies, take a palanquin carried by porters, or ride in the modern cable car that now runs part of the way. An electric shuttle covers some of the less steep sections, and helicopter flights from Katra land at Sanjichhat just below the cave.
After darshan at the main cave, the pilgrimage is traditionally not considered complete until you have also visited the Bhairav Nath Temple, 2.5 km further up the mountain. Cameras, leather items, and combs are not allowed in the main shrine. The best months to visit are March to October, though the pilgrimage runs year-round; the summer months (particularly the Navratri festivals in April and October) see the largest crowds. Foreign visitors should note that this is an active religious site — respectful dress and behaviour are essential.