Katra, a small town situated at the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains, is commonly known as the gateway to the Vaishno Devi shrine—one of the most important temples in India. Katra generally serves as the base camp for devotees who visit Vaishno Devi. This has made Katra one of the most popular tourist destinations. It offers abundant accommodation options, fast-food joints, and shopping destinations for pilgrims and tourists. The best time to visit this place is between the months of March and October, as the weather remains pleasant during this period.
read moreKatra is a small town in the hilly areas of Jammu and Kashmir. It is famous for the spiritual shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and a large number of devotees visit the shrine here every year. For such trips, Guest houses in Katra prove to be a good choice as they are more economical than the private hotels available here. Guesthouses are the most common type of accommodation in these areas as people from diverse backgrounds visit here and everybody doesn’t always have the required budget to check in to expensive hotels. So a guesthouse gives you the option to live in comfort and save money at the same time. You can easily find these kind of rental homes near the main Jammu road, Kashmir road, Ban Ganga road, and Residency road.
This offer is the best bet for backpackers, whose travel agenda is to focus on spending more time outdoors, returning to the place only for a change and a good night’s sleep. These lodgings provide the tourists a cheap and convenient way where they can spend a little time indoors and explore the outdoors more.
Trek up to Trikuta hill for darshan: Trekking up the 14 km path to the shrine of goddess Vaishno Devi is quite challenging, but it is fun and energizing as the spiritual chants of devotees all along the path are very inspiring. Also, on the way to the shrine, you will come across many sacred places like Bal Ganga, Charan Paduka, and Ardh Kuari. People come here from all over India. It is mesmerizing to see the devotion and inspiration of the devotees.
A visit to Dera Baba Banda: Another visitor’s attraction here is Dera Baba Banda, which is located 25 kilometers away from Katra and is a major pilgrimage centre for Sikhs. Some of the main attractions here are ashes of Banda Bahadur, an arrow which belonged to Guru Govind Singh Ji and a huge sword used by Banda Bahadur during wars. An average of 30,000 devotees from all over northern India, visit this place and a three-day annual mela is organized on the occasion of Baisakhi.
Refreshing Karua Jheel: The famous Karua Jheel is located near Karua village in the Resai district of Jammu and Kashmir. This Jheel is considered sacred and people believe that taking a bath in this lake and praying with complete faith can fulfill their wishes, though bathing is not allowed here. A large number of devotees visit here every year on the day of Mahashivratri. There is another holy Hindu shrine located at Karua Jheel, which is known as Baba Dhansar and is famous for its Nag and Shiva temples.
Explore the markets of Katra: The markets of Katra are famous for their dry fruits, garments, hosiery items, and leather goods. It’s a great place to buy Kashmiri embroidered garments and textiles. Also, the main bazaar of Katra is the best place to buy special items like souvenirs, Kashmiri carpets, namdas, shawls, silverware, wooden furniture, etc.
Researching well before any holiday, helps you plan your trip better and makes your travel experience interesting. Also booking your accommodation in advance gives you more options to explore the place. So what are you waiting for? Book that guesthouse in Katra now!
