In Reasi district, there are many shrines such as Mata Vaishno Devi, Merhada Mata is one of them located in Ransoo a village in the Pouni block in Reasi district, which attracts lakhs of devotees annually. Shiv Khori is situated in between the hillocks about 140km north of Jammu, 120km from Udhampur and 80km from Katra.and light vehicles go up to Ransoo, the base camp of pilgrimage. People have to traverse about 3km on foot on a track recently constructed by the Shiv Khori Shrine Board, Ransoo duly headed by the Divisional Commissioner Jammu as chairman and District Development Commissioner, Reasi as vice-chairman.
Description
The lingum
Khori means cave (Guffa) and Shiv Khori thus denotes Shiva's cave. This natural cave is about 200 metres long, one metre wide and two to three metres high and contains a self made lingam, which according to the people is unending. The first entrance of the cave is so wide that 300 devotees can be accommodated at a time. Its cavern is spacious to accommodate large number of people. The inner chamber of the cave is smaller.
The passage from outer to the inner chamber is low and small, at one spot it divides itself into two parts. One of these is believed to have led to Kashmir where Swami Amarnath cave is located. It is now closed as some sadhus who dared to go ahead never returned.[citation needed] To reach the sanctum sanctorum, one has to stoop low, crawl or adjust his body sideward. Inside a naturally created image of Lord Shiva, about 4 metres high, is visible. The cave abounds with a number of other natural objects having resemblance with Goddess Parvati, Ganesha and Nandigan. The cave roof is etched with snake formations, the water trickles through these on Shiva Lingam. Pigeons are also seen here like Swami Amar Nath cave which presents good omens for pilgrimages.\
About 40 to 50 years ago, only a few people knew about the Shiv Khori shrine but it has gained much popularity during recent decades. In earlier times the number of yatries was just in thousands but after the constitution of Shiv Khori Shrine Board during December 2003, the number of devotees has superseded previous records as the number of devotees in year 2005 crossed 300,000. This year {2016} it is expected to exceed 20,00,000 tourists.[clarification needed] Some 30 percent of devotees reach the shrine from within the state and 70 percent from different states of the country.
A 3-day Shiv Khori mela takes place annually on Maha Shivratri and thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the state and outside visit this cave shrine to seek blessings of Lord Shiva. Maha Shivratri festival is usually held in the month of February or during the first week of March every year. Keeping in view the increasing rush of pilgrims to the holy cave shrine, the Shiv Khori Shrine Board has taken up a number of steps to develop this spot in a bid to provide more and more facilities to the devotees, like the construction of Shrine Guest House at a cost of Rs. 1.9million at village Ransoo, the base camp of yatra, Reception Centre and Pony shed at an estimated cost of Rs. 8 million, tile work of entire 3-km long track is nearing completion, plantation of ornamental and medicinal plants on track and development of parks etc. Other arrangements like electrification of the cave with modern techniques, provision of oxygen and electric generators, exhaust fans, construction of shelter sheds for yatris with toilet facilities near the cave site, 15 shelter sheds en route Ransoo to cave shrine, railing from the base camp to cave, additional facility of 15,000/EfnrKing[clarification needed] water reservoir, proper sanitation, provision of 25kV capacity electric transformer, cloak room, starting of permanent bus services from Katra, Udhampur and Jammu, Police post and Dispensary and a STD PCO are under active consideration of the Shiv Khori Shrine Development Board.
To meet the ever-growing rush of devotees in having smooth darshans of Lord Shiva, an exit tunnel has been constructed by the Shri Shivkhori Shrine Board this year in February.
Post lockdown, time has been restricted from 7 AM to 5 PM. Arti time is 7 AM to 8 AM and 7 PM to 8 PM. Advance Darshan booking is required.
Post Lock-down Temple Timing and Procedure:
Starting August 20, Pilgrim has to do advance online booking for the Darshan. Darshan can be booked using following URL,
There are few restrictions like total no. of visitors is limited to 1000 (500 from JK and 500 from other states). Darshan time is limited from 7 AM to 5 PM.
Other Terms & Conditions -
1. COVID negative certificate not later than 72 hours from the date of Darshan.
2. The total permissible daily limit is of 1000 devotees per day (500 from J&K 500 from other states).
3. Mask and Social Distancing are compulsory all the time.
4. Below 10 Years and Above 65 Years people are not allowed into the temple.
5. Darshan Booking voucher is not interstate/government Permission.
6. The pilgrims should not carry any luggage/cell phones/electronic gadgets while reporting.
7. All the Pilgrims in group tickets have to report together.
8. The pilgrims shall wear Traditional Dress only.
Male: Dhoti, Shirt / Kurta, Pyjama.
Female: Saree / Half Saree / Churidar with Dupatta.
9. Pilgrims who booked for Darshan should bring the printed copy of their receipt.
10. Reporting and late reporting of Darshan will not be allowed.
11. All bookings are FINAL: Postponement/advancement/cancellation is not allowed.
12. Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board reserves the right of changing the terms and conditions or cancellation of Darshan under Special Circumstances.
Katra is a city and Tehsil in the Reasi district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, situated at the foot of the Trikuta Mountains, where the shrine of Vaishno Devi is located. Katra is located 24 km from the town of Reasi, 42 km (26 mi) from the city of Jammu and around 685 km (426 mi) north of the national capital New Delhi and is the base for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple.
Gupteswar Cave is a cave shrine dedicated to Shiva. It is a pilgrim site situated about 55 km (34 mi) away Jeypore, Koraput District in the state of Odisha, India. It is a limestone cave, and its main attraction is the gigantic Shiva Linga which is said to be increasing in size. It is believed that the cave was discovered by Rama and re-discovered in the reign of Maharajah Veer Vikram Dev. In the holy month of Shravan, the cave is visited by devotees who walk to the shrine bare-footed with decorated bamboo palanquins called "Kanwadiya" and bathe in the maha kund before worshipping Lord Gupteshwar. There are 200 steps to reach to the Shiva linga temple. Its entrance is about 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.6 ft) high.
Amarnath Temple is a Hindu shrine located in the Pahalgam tehsil of the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a cave situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), about 168 km from Anantnag city, the district headquarters, 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, reached through either Sonamarg or Pahalgam. It is an important shrine in Hinduism.
Udhampur is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. Covering an area of 4,550 square kilometres (1,760 sq mi) in the Himalayan mountains, the district has its headquarters in the town of Udhampur. The Northern Command headquarters of the Indian Army is located in the district.
The Jammu–Baramulla line is a railway track being laid to connect the Kashmir Valley in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir with Jammu railway station and thence to the rest of the country. The 338 km railway track will start from Jammu and end at Baramulla. This Rail project from Jammu to Baramula was being initiated by Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1983 & in 1991 Congres Government at Centre led by Prime Minister Shri PV Narshimha Rao & erstwhile union Railway minister Shri C.K.Jaffer Sharief sanctioned the huge funds to connect mainland India i.e. Jammu to Kashmir Valley till Baramulla Later in 2002 Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced this project as National Project.Some of the section of this Railway Project was being inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2008, 2009 & 2013 & later in 2014 & 2024 Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated some section of this Railway Project.It comes under the jurisdiction of the Firozpur railway division of Indian Railways' Northern zone. Part of this railway route from Udhampur to Baramulla is known as Jammu Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (JUSBRL). The 359 m (1,178 ft) tall Chenab Bridge lies on this line, which is the tallest railway bridge in the world. The total project cost in 2022 was INR28,000 crore.
Reasi is a town and a notified area committee and tehsil in Reasi district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Situated on the bank of River Chenab, It is the headquarters of the Reasi district. In the eighth century, Reasi was a part of the Bhimgarh state established by Rajput king Bhim Dev Rasyal. The name Reasi is derived from the town's old name, "Rasyal".
The holy place of Baba Dhansar is located at Karua Jheel (pond) near village Karua, 17 km from Reasi towards Katra in Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir State, India. The approach involves a walk of 200 metres from the road. It is a belief that when Lord Shiva went to the Amarnath cave to tell Parvati the story of his immortality, he left his serpent king, Sheshnag at Anantnag. Shesh Nag came in the human form as Vasudev. One of the sons of Vasudev was Dhansar who was a saintly person.
Baidyanath Temple, also known as Baba Baidyanath Dham, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located in Deoghar, in the Santhal Parganas division of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The temple complex comprises the central shrine of Baba Baidyanath along with 21 additional temples. It is significant to the Hindu sects of Shaivism as this temple is referred to as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
Sri Raja Rajeshwara Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples in Telangana, India, dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in the town of Vemulawada, Telangana, India. Historically the region was the capital of the Vemulawada Chalukyas who ruled from 750 to 973 CE.
Reasi district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Jammu region. The Reasi district is bordered by Udhampur district and Ramban district in the east, Jammu district in the south, Rajouri district in the west and by Kulgam district on the north. The Reasi and Rajouri tehsils formed a joint district called the "Reasi district" at the time of the princely state's accession to India in 1947. As part of the reorganisation, the two tehsils were separated and Reasi was merged with the Udhampur district. It again became a separate district in 2006.
Mata Mansa Devi is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti, in the Panchkula district of the Indian state of Haryana. The temple complex is spread of 100 acres (0.40 km2) of the Shivalik foothills in the village of Bilaspur, near Sector 13 of Chandigarh, and Panchkula, 10 km from Chandi Mandir, another noted Devi shrine in the region, both just outside Chandigarh.
The Brahmapureeswarar Temple is a Hindu Temple located in Thirupattur near Trichy, Tamilnadu, India. Worshippers believe that a person can change his fate by seeking the blessings of Brahma and Brahmapureeswarar Shiva Temple, Tirupattur.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station is a railway station on the Jammu Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Railway Link in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It mainly serves for the town of Katra where the major hindu divine temple Shri Mata Vaishno Devi is situated which is visited by millions of travellers per month with the help of this station and its frequent special trains connectivity from all over India. The station belongs to the Firozpur division of Northern Railway zone in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is bordered by the Kashmir division to the north. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most of the land is hilly or mountainous, including the Pir Panjal Range which separates it from the Kashmir Valley and part of the Great Himalayas in the eastern districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Its principal river is the Chenab.
The 22461/22462 Shri Shakti Express is an AC Superfast Express run by Indian Railways between New Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway stations in India.
Reasi railway station is a railway station in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir. Its code is REAI. It will serve Reasi city. The station consists of two platform. The station lies on Jammu-Baramulla line. Reasi station is 17 km from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station. The railway line has been completed.
Pouni is a village and municipality in Reasi district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The town is located 25 km from the district headquarters Reasi Town.
Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple is a historic underground Hindu temple in Karachi, Pakistan. It is located near the Clifton Beach in Clifton. The temple is famous for its annual Shivratri celebration, and during religious celebrations, around 25,000 pilgrims visit the temple.
Vaishno Devi Temple, also known as the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple and Vaishno Devi Bhavan, is a Hindu mandir (temple) located in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, dedicated to Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of Durga. It is located on the Trikuta mountain at 5,000 feet / 1,500 meters elevation. The Shakti tradition considers it to be a Shakti Pitha. The temple is governed by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) and has been chaired by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since August 1986.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Jammu and Kashmir 
India 
