Hello there, welcome to the forum!
I need some guidance on how to reach Vaishno Devi temple from Jammu Tawi railway station?
The distance between Jammu Railway Station and Katra is 50 kilometres. You have three options on how to reach Katra from the Jammu Railway Station:
1. By Train - Katra now has its own railway station which is directly connected to Delhi. However, if you'd still like to reach Jammu first, then you can ride another train from Jammu that will take you to Katra. The station in Katra is named the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station. Here are some of the train timings from Jammu to Katra:
Daily Trains
- Shri Shakti Express Train No. 22461 - This departs from Jammu at 3:10 and arrives in Katra at 5:10.
- Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 - This departs from Jammu at 4:40 and arrives in Katra at 6:30.
- Uttar Sampark Kranti Train No. 12445 - This departs from Jammu at 6:45 and arrives in Katra at 8:40.
- Jammu Mail Train No. 14033 - This departs from Jammu at 9:40 and arrives in Katra at 11:50.
Scheduled Trains
- Kalka SVDK Express Train No. 14503 - This departs from Jammu during Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:30 and arrives in Katra at 4:35.
- Ahmedabad SVDK Train No. 19415 - This departs from Jammu during Tuesdays at 5:05 and arrives in Katra at 7:00.
- Jammu Tawi Express Train No. 11449 - This departs from Jammu during Wednesdays at 13:10 and arrives in Katra at 15:20.
- Andaman Express Train No. 16031 - This departs from Jammu during Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 13:10 and arrives in Katra at 15:20.
2. By Bus - There are two bus stands in Jammu, namely: the Railway Station Bus Stand and the Jammu General Bus Stand. There are buses departing for Katra in both bus stands. However, it would be more convenient for you to just take a bus from the Railway Station Bus Stand, which is just outside the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Here are some of the timings of these buses, which are all operated by the JKSRTC:
- JKSRTC Deluxe Buses to Katra - Bus timings are 7:00 am, 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 12:00 pm and 4:30 pm. Journey duration is around two hours. Fare is at Rs. 86 per passenger.
3. By Taxi - The distance between Katra and Jammu is not that long so you can also opt to ride a taxi to teach the former. Fare would be between Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,600.
The mode of transport to get from the station to Katra and how to go from Katra towards to the Vaishno Devi temple.
So I've mentioned how you can reach Katra from the Jammu Railway Station above. Now, let's go to how you can reach the Vaishno Devi Temple from Katra.
First of all, make sure you go to the
Yatra Parchi Counter located in the Katra Bus Stand in Ban Ganga Road and register for the yatra. If you wish to rest first before the yatra, then don't register immediately after you arrive in Katra, as you need to cross the Ban Ganga Checkpoint 6 hours after you register for the yatra. The counter is open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm only so do plan accordingly.
The base camp for the trek to reach Vaishno Devi Temple is at Darshan Deodhi located at the main entrance of the Trikuta Hills. This is about two kilometres away from Katra. You can walk that distance, rent an auto-rickshaw or hire a taxi to take you there. Vehicles are also allowed to park up to the Darshan Deodhi, which is why many pilgrims bring their own cars up to this point.
So from Darshan Deodi, let's highlight the points of your journey to reach the Vaishno Devi Temple:
- Ban Ganga > Charan Paduka > Adhkuwari > Himkoti > Sanjichhat > Vaishno Devi Bhawan > Bhairon Ghati (Optional).
Ban Ganga is about one kilometre away from Darshan Deodhi. This is where you'd need to cross 6 hours after you have registered for your yatra.
Charan Paduka is about 2.5 kilometres away from Ban Ganga. This is the place where the goddess stopped for a while on her way to the Bhawan. There's a newly constructed temple here as well.
Adhkuwari is about 6 kilometres away from Ban Ganga. This is the cave where the Mata Vaishno Devi resided for 9 months and worshipped the Lord Shiva. If you'd like to enter the cave, you need to get a sequence number. But if you would just like to see the cave from the outside, you won't need to get a sequence number.
Himkoti is about 8.5 kilometres away from Ban Ganga. Then, Sanjichhat is another point, which is 9.5 kilometres from Ban Ganga. You would reach the Bhawan after about 3.5 kilometres from the last point.
The last point is the Bhairon Ghati, which you may or may not visit, it is about 14.5 kilometres from Ban Ganga. It's a temple dedicated to Bhairon Nath, after his repentance to the Mata Vaishno Devi.
Here are your options for transportation:
- Helicopter - The helicopter takes you from Katra to the Sanjichhat point. So you only need to trek about 3.5 kilometres to reach the Bhawan. The downside is that you won't be able to visit the Adhkuwari Cave. Fare is at Rs. 1,170 per person for a one-way trip. Journey duration is around 8 minutes only.
- Pony - You can also opt to ride a pony between two points. The rate for this would be Rs. 380 per person, for two points.
- Palanquin - You can hire a palanquin from Katra to Bhawan directly. The rate for this would 3,000 and above.
- Pitthu - You can hire a pitthu for carrying your luggage or carrying a small baby. The rate for this would be Rs. 260 to Rs. 400.
- Battery Operated Van - This is only available in Adhkuwari and can take you up to the Bhawan. This is mostly used by the elderly. Fare is at Rs. 300 per person.
- By Foot - Most devotees prefer this way of reaching the Bhawan. You can reach the Bhawan in about 6 or more hours by walking. With stopovers and if you're visiting the Adhkuwari, you'd reach the Bhawan in about 10 hours or more.
At the Bhawan, there are accommodation options as well which you can book online. From the Bhawan, you need to trek for another two hours to reach the Bhairon Ghati Temple.
I hope this helps you.
Train (Fastest & Budget-Friendly) 
Taxi (Comfortable & Convenient) 
Bus (Cheapest Option) 
Step 2: Katra to Vaishno Devi Temple (13 km uphill trek)
