- Distance from Katra
- 13 km
- Altitude
- 5,200 ft (about 1,585 m)
- Route
- Common to all routes
Distance and altitude as published by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
The Bhawan houses the sanctum sanctorum — the Holy Cave — where the Goddess is worshipped as the three Holy Pindis. Pilgrims usually get their first glimpse of the Bhawan about 1.5 km before arriving, and the last stretch is level or gently downhill.
The complex has free and rented accommodation, round-the-clock Bhojanalayas, cloak rooms, blanket stores, a medical dispensary with an ICU, banks, a post office and a police station. Darshan runs in a continuous queue through the cave, with a second, artificial tunnel creating a one-way circuit.
After darshan, many pilgrims continue to Bhairon Temple, on foot or by the passenger ropeway.
Facilities
- Bhojanalaya
- Accommodation
- Free rest halls
- Blanket store
- Cloak room
- Medical aid
- Bank / ATM
- Police / help post
- Toilets
- Drinking water
- Ropeway
Getting here
The end point of the old track, the alternate track and the battery car route.
Tips
- Deposit shoes, belts, combs, phones and other items not allowed in the cave at the free cloak rooms before joining the queue.
- Darshan pauses for about two hours during the morning and evening aarti.
- Collect a free blanket (refundable deposit) if you stay the night.
Timings, fares, rules and routes can change at short notice. Please confirm time-sensitive details with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board or the relevant authority before you travel. Page last reviewed: 4 October 2026.