India is a country of spirituality, religion, and faith, where there are many pilgrimage sites. There are many such pilgrimage places in India, where people attain salvation just by visiting them. The mind gets a different peace by visiting pilgrimage places. This is the reason why people decide to go to pilgrimage places for darshan with family. You always see huge crowds of devotees at pilgrimage sites. In such a situation, many people want to take their elders on a pilgrimage to pilgrimage sites but are unable to take them due to the climbing cost. In such a situation, today we are going to tell you about some such pilgrimage places where helicopter facilities are available and the elderly can be taken there. Let us know about these pilgrimage sites...
Vaishno Devi, Jammu and Kashmir
Vaishno Devi is named among the most sacred and famous pilgrimage sites of India. Vaishno Devi is highly revered in the Hindu religion. There is a court of Mata Vaishno Devi in a cave on Trikuta mountain in Katra, Jammu. This is one of the most popular religious places where there is a crowd of devotees throughout the year. But to reach here one has to climb a long climb. The height of the temple is about 5200 feet. In such a situation, one has to travel 12 kilometers on foot from Katra to Bhawan. Although horses, mules, ropeway, and taxi facilities are available on the way, for such a long climb, a helicopter facility is also provided in Vaishno Devi. You can book it from the website or counter of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
There are three self-proclaimed idols of Mata Vaishno Devi in a cave situated on the hills of Trikuta. Goddesses Kali (right), Saraswati (left), and Lakshmi (middle) are enshrined in the cave in the form of Pindi. The combined form of these three Pindis is called Vaishno Devi Mata. This place is called Mata Ka Bhavan. The length of the sacred cave is 98 feet. There is a big platform in this cave. On this platform, there is Mata's seat where Goddess Trikuta sits with her mothers. The building is the place where Mata killed Bhairavnath. Bhairo's body is present in front of the ancient cave and his head flew away to Bhairo Valley, three kilometers away and the body remained here. The place where the head fell is today known as 'Bhaironath Temple'. The trek to Vaishno Devi starts from Katra itself, which is about 13 kilometers to Bhawan and 15 kilometers to Bhairo Temple.
Gangotri, Uttarakhand
Gangotri, one of the four Dhams of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, is also counted among the famous pilgrimage sites of the country. The river Ganga originates from Gomukh located near Gangotri. Due to this many people come to visit Gangotri with the hope of attaining salvation. But the journey to reach Gangotri by road is quite tiring. In such a situation, you can reach Gangotri Dham within minutes by taking a helicopter ride from Dehradun.
This holy place of Mother Ganga, full of natural beauty, is situated at an altitude of 3,048 meters above sea level. Being a Himalayan region, this Dham is open for 6 months in a year. The doors of the temple open on the day of Akshaya Tritiya of Baisakh and close on the auspicious day of Diwali. During the winter season, it is brought for worship at the Mukhyamanath temple in Mukhba village, 20 km below Gangotri. Bhagirathi River flows next to Gangotri River. Bhagirathi river originates from Gomukh Glacier at a distance of 19 km from Gangotri Dham. Bhagirathi river further meets Alaknanda in Devprayag, from where both the rivers become one, from where this river is called Ganga. This temple was built by Gorkha commander Amar Singh Thapa in the 18th century. The present temple was rebuilt by the royal family of Jaipur.
Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
Kedarnath temple is also one of the major pilgrimage sites in the country. Lakhs of pilgrims visit this temple dedicated to Lord Shiva every year. It is considered one of the most difficult pilgrimage treks in India. But now reaching the temple has become a little easier and comfortable, as there are many government and private helicopter services available in Uttarakhand. You can book heli rides in advance to visit Kedarnath.
Kedarnath temple situated at an altitude of 3584 meters above sea level is the temple of Lord Shiva. One of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Kedar or Shiva is in the Kedarnath temple. Kedarnath Dham remains covered with heavy snow for most months of the year. To reach Kedarnath temple one has to trek 16 kilometers. Despite being situated at such a height, a large number of devotees reach Kedarnath temple every year. A little higher than Kedarnath is Chaurabari Lake from where the Mandakini River originates. The distance from Rishikesh to Kedarnath is approximately 227 kilometers.
Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir
If you like to see snow-covered mountains, then you can visit Amarnath. It is believed that Amarnath is the same cave where Lord Shiva explained the secret of eternity of life to Goddess Parvati. This journey is no less than an interesting experience for people across the country. Let us tell you that a helicopter ride is available on this journey, which helpless travelers can visit comfortably, however, the doors of this temple open after a long time, and in such a situation you have to book months in advance.
The main feature of this place is the natural Shivalinga formed from ice in the holy cave. Due to being made of natural ice, it is also called Swayambhu Ice Shivling. This Shivling is made about 10 feet high. Lakhs of people come here for the sacred Himlinga darshan which takes place throughout the month of Sawan, starting from Ashadh Purnima till Rakshabandhan. Along with the waxing and waning of the moon, the size of this ice also keeps increasing and decreasing. It reaches its full size on Shravan Purnima and gradually becomes smaller till Amavasya. Several feet away from the original Amarnath Shivling, there are separate icebergs of Ganesh, Bhairav, and Parvati.
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