Jai Mata Di

The trip to Hyderabad was followed by what has now become an annual ritual for me, a visit to Vaishno Devi shrine. Followed so closely by the Hyderabad trip, that I headed straight from the Airport to the railway station to catch the train.

Keeping me Company were the usual suspects, Deepak, Himanshu and Pandey. The rush there was maddening. Locals told us that the rush is unprecedented for the shrine. And there was a queue for everything, from hotels to food to the darshan tickets.

People were stuck for more than 24 hrs, struggling to get the opportunity to get the darshan, the rush had all the makings of a potential stampede, but somehow things worked out well. With Mata’s grace we did not face too much of a problem, had a good darshan and were back. Though one exception this time round. We missed out on our customary visit to ardhkunwari.

I guess that is left for the next time. Until then….

Jai Mata Di!