Vaishno Devi

Presiding goddess of the Vaishno Devi
shrine, located in a cave on Trikut
mountain in the hills near Jammu, and
one of the nine Shiwalik goddesses.
Pilgrims to Vaishno Devi travel by road
via Jammu to the village of Katra,
whence they walk the ten miles to the
shrine itself. As with many of the images
of the Shiwalik goddesses, the images at
Vaishno Devi are “self-manifested”
(svayambhu), in the form of three stone
outcrops. These outcrops are considered to be Mahakali, Mahalakshmi,
and Mahasaraswati, the three forms
of the Goddess mentioned in the
Devimahatmya, the earliest and most
authoritative source for the mythology
of the Goddess. The presence of all three
goddesses is believed to make this site
extremely powerful, and according to
popular belief, Vaishno Devi grants
whatever request her devotees (bhakta)
make. According to some accounts,
those whose wishes are granted are
highly advised to make a second trip,
both to thank the Goddess and to bear
witness to her grace. The number of visitors to the site has increased dramatically in the recent past, perhaps
reflecting anxieties about modern
Indian life.
There are several stories connected
with Vaishno Devi’s charter myth. The
name Vaishno is a derivation of Vishnu,
reflecting the claim that Vaishno Devi
was born as a partial avatar of Vishnu.
One sign of this connection is that
Vaishno Devi is a vegetarian goddess, for
whom no animal sacrifices can be performed. According to another story,
Vaishno Devi was the spot at which the
arms of the dismembered goddess Sati
fell to earth. Since this story is never further connected to Vaishno Devi, this
seems a transparent attempt to tie into
the network of the Shakti Pithas, a
group of shrines sacred to the Goddess,
which stretch throughout the subcontinent. The longest version of the charter
myth reports that the cave is discovered
by a brahmin named Shridhara.
Shridhara, a great devotee of the
Goddess (who tested him in various
ways), is disturbed by the fact that he
has no children. The Goddess reveals
the location of the Vaishno Devi cave to
him in a dream. After an extensive
search he finally finds the cave and is
soon blessed with four sons, emphasizing the claim that Vaishno Devi will
grant the desires of her devotees, whatever they may be. For further information see Kathleen Erndl, Victory to the
Mother, 1993. See also pitha.