The Holy Cave of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi is situated at an altitude of 5200 ft. The Yatris have to undertake a trek of nearly 12 km from the base camp at Katra. At the culmination of their pilgrimage, the yatries are blessed with the Darshans of the Mother Goddess inside the Sanctum Sanctorum- the Holy Cave. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji resides in a Holy Cave located in the folds of the three peaked mountain named Trikoot. These Darshans are in the shape of three natural rock formations called the Pindies. There are no statues or idols inside the Cave. Darshans are open round the clock throughout the year.
The Holy Bhawan houses the Sanctum Sanctorum – the Holy cave which is the ultimate destination of the yatries. Inside the Holy Cave the Goddess has revealed herself in the form of Holy Pindies manifesting Mata in her three forms Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Mata Saraswati.
The entry gate to the track is around 1 km from the bus stand at a point known as Darshani Deodhi or Darshani Darwaza. Legend says that Mata Vaishno Devi met Pandit Shridhar at this spot in the form of a girl child. This is also known as Darshani Darwaza because from here one gets a complete view of the Trikuta parbat (mountain). The term Darshan stands for view; hence symbolically this is the first Darshan of the Yatra. This spot is at 2800 feet above sea level.
There are two gates at this point; the first or the older gate leads to a flight of stairs; the second or the newer one has been developed by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board as a grand colonnaded porch with adequate parking for private vehicles. The army assistance counter is also located here.
One can either walk up to the Darshani Darwaza on foot or hire an auto rickshaw. If one has his own vehicle one can drive up to the new gate, adjacent to the Darshani Darwaza and leave it parked there.
Yatries would collect that prior to the commencement of their yatra, they had obtained a Yatra Registration Slip or Parchi from the Yatra Registration Counter (YRC) located at Katra. This slip had been checked and stamped at Banganga. The most important role of the slip is at Bhawan, where the slip is re-validated and used to issue a group number. The group number is allotted at the Yatra Slip Counter located on the left hand side immediately after the luggage check post. This group number would then determine the sequence in which the yatries would have the Holy Darshan and the time for which they would have to wait before obtaining Darshans.
The Holy Bhawan, is the main centre of reverence for the devotees. It is also the key location in the entire Yatra circuit. Therefore adequate arrangements and facilities have been created by the Shrine Board for the convenience of the devotees. These include free & rented accommodation; Toilet Blocks; Bhojanalayas; Post Office; Banks; Communication (STD/PCO); Announcement Centres; Blanket Stores; Cloak Rooms; Medical Dispensary (with a ICU); General Stores; Bhaint Shops; Police Station, etc.
Due to the narrowness of the Cave and restriction on the number of people being able to pray inside the Cave at any given point of time, Darshans are regulated through a continuously moving queue. Yatries are grouped into batches of 200 each depending on their time of arrival at the grouping counter at Bhawan and each group is called one by one to enter into the Darshan Queue.
The group which is having Darshans at any given point of time is called the current group and the number of groups in between the current group and the group number allotted to the yatri will determine the time for which the yatries shall have to wait before having Darshans. On ordinary days or days of moderate rush, yatries can have Darshans almost immediately after reaching Bhawan. However, on days of heavy rush, especially during the peak months, one may have to wake for 9-10 hours before one’s group number is called out for Darshans.
Two new tunnels have been utilised to facilitate a larger number of pilgrims to have Darshans. One tunnel is used for the entrance and leads directly to the Sanctum Sanctorum. The other tunnel is used for exit.
Just outside the exit tunnel, towards the left hand side of the Cave is the Amrit Kund. This comprises the water taps through which flows the water of the Charan Ganga, the sacred water flowing from the feet of Mata.
The traditional offerings to Mata include Chunri (a red coloured drape), Saries, Cholas, Silver or Gold ornaments, Dry Fruits, Flowers etc. No sweets, sweet dishes, food stuffs etc. are allowed inside the Holy Cave and pilgrims should refrain from buying such offerings. Coconuts are also not permitted due to security considerations and hence no Coconuts are allowed to be broken anywhere near the Holy Cave, as is the practice at other temples.