Saturday, June 7, 2008
Summer of 2008
Jai Mata Di!!!
This was the cry that echoed through my mind when I agreed to join my sis and sis-in-law on a pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi the abode of Mata Vaishnavi. We planned our journey well in advance and everything just worked out well as a jigsaw puzzle falling into place. There is a strong belief in devotees that the journey is possible only when the Goddess wishes you to visit her. I had images of hindi movie heroes and heroines walking up to the shrine to have their problems solved and I also wanted to experience the bliss that they had experienced. The numbers in our group kept on increasing with my cousin Hema also joining us for the trip. It was a nice get together as we cousins had spent many summers in each others company as children this was probably a first as we reached middle age. Finally we were five cousins along with my uncle and aunt and Hari and Pavan as the male escorts. We all congregated at Jammu on the 9th of May and drove to Katra on the 9th evening. My aunt and uncle were booked for the next day by helicopter so twelve of us proceeded towards the Trikuta mountains.We reached there around 9 p.m. and stood there trying to assess our physical capacities , some of us chickened out of the climb and got onto ponies others started the arduous trek uphill. Exhausted we reached the shrine at around 2 a.m. had darshan and started the trek downwards at 7 a.m. reaching the hotel by 10 a.m. It was a dream fulfilled.
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