Taking a train ticket to Jammu; leaving for Vaishno Devi Shrine
Friday was the day when i decided to step out to trace a train that would take me to Jammu or Katra. It was a day when sighting an auto was not that difficult and accessing Sarojini Nagar railway reservation centre was easy and eligible. The auto being driven by a man hailing from Jharkhand took no time to reach the reservation centre given the less number of vehicles on road. At the railway reservation centre there were different set of queues definitely less than the number of windows that should have been open to public. In all three windows were in operation against the capacity of six or seven. That was giving a hard time to passengers. The recess time was from 9.45am to 10am. There were some who wished to travel to Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan and there were some who wished to take a ticket for Chandigarh. With a confirmed ticket in hand i left the reservation centre with the hope that travelling would be without any botheration. In the afternoon i visited State Bank of India to carry out some transactions. Later i visited Jammu and Kashmir House in New Delhi and met Mr Bhat who directs me to Deputy Secretary's office for getting the necessary clearance for availing different set of facilities in Vaishno Devi. The staff is cooperative with some suggesting that once darshan in Vaishno Devi has been secured one should descend.
In Safdarjung Enclave met Mr Narendar Singh hailing from Bharatpur who has some difficulty in walking. In the evening a little after 6.45 left for the station. The auto which i could hail and the fare i could pay showed the tendency of some autowallahs to charge exorbitant fares. Took metro from INA metro station with the increased fare pinching a lot of commuters. The increase in metro fare is not justified by any yardstick. The metro coach i boarded was packed to capacity and the ride to New Delhi Metro Station was nothing to write home about. Fortunate enough to get a porter inside the metro station premises. Baggage screening was all that the passengers had to wait for before heading for their respective platforms.
Taking Jammu Rajdhani; Clean Station Premises
It was Jammu Rajdhani which i was supposed to board with the porter kind enough to drop the luggage at the platform. Jammu Rajdhani hadn't pulled in. There were no vacant seats on platform and all that one could sight was a clean station with clean set of platforms. There were announcements for different trains. Delhi-Rishikesh train departs at 7.30pm, Garib Rath from Saharsa running late by 7 hours and 45 minutes, Agra Intercity to depart from Platform 6, Sealdah Duronto to depart from Platform 10. Vaishali Express to Barauni to depart from Platform 8, Magadh Express to Patna to depart from Platform 16, Ahmedabad Rajdhani to depart from Platform 1, the train from Vishakapatnam coming on Platform 11. There were announcements for a slew of EMUs. Came across a couple from Kannur in Kerala working in Army whom i told i watched Manorama News and Asianet News beamed from Kerala.
Jammu Rajdhani leaves at 8.49 (according to my wrist watch). Stops and starts again. I come across a man who is humble enough to declare his son has cleared Indian Engineering Services Exam. Came across a Geoscientist Aatish Thapa who has cleared Combined Geoscientist and Geologist Exam conducted by UPSC ( Union Public Service Commission) in 2015. To sit for this exam one has to complete Msc as against other exams conducted by UPSC where being a graduate was enough. Mr Bassi former Police Commisioner of Delhi serving as member of UPSC was not part of the interview board in 2015 as he joined as a member of UPSC in 2016. Posted in Jaipur Mr Aatish Thapa did his schooling and college from Jammu. Being a Geoscientist Mr Thapa has had to make frequent field trips in the state of Rajasthan. He declares he has one of his acquaintances working in Indian Revenue Service. Mr Thapa had come from Jaipur by bus and as he deboarded at Bikaner House in New Delhi all he could lay his hands on was an auto which was prepared to ferry him for 100 rs; some were willing to ferry him for 200 rs. The actual fare from Bikaner House to New Delhi Railway station would come to 40 to 45 rs if one went by metre.
Saturated tracks; giving breathing space
When Mr Thapa raised the issue of fewer connectivity between Jaipur and Jammu i told him about saturated tracks and the need to give them a breathing space. Perhaps in the entire country old tracks should be replaced by new tracks to make travelling by train more safe. There should be a moratorium on launching of new trains and new routes for the next five to seven years and efforts should be made to strengthen the existing tracks across length and breadth of the country. From three tier i was upgraded to two tier (from coach B7 to A5) which the TTE who is very humble informs me. A passenger travelling with his family wanted the A5 seat and finally i had to settle for A1 43. Here i come across a family hailing from Varanasi settled in Delhi. I am told the city of Varanasi is getting a makeover with majority of residents quite alert and aware about cleanliness and doing their bit. The train reached Ludhiana a little after 12 am. Bari Brahman came at 6.05 and Jammu Tawi at 6.15 am. I came across Mr Uppal who told me about connectivity from Jammu to Katra. On Platform 1 there was CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) Sahitya booth. Mr Ajay Sharma was the porter who took the luggage from platform to the bus stand.
There are a slew of buses like Katra - Reasi, Pouni; i take one which has Chalo Chale Shri Amarnathji sticker. I get down from this bus as no passengers are getting in this one and take the one headed towards Katra. The bus starts at 6.40am, Nagrota bye pass comes at 7.10 and from here Katra is 35km, Udhampur 60km and Srinagar 241km. There are three tunnels between 7.15 and 7.30. The third is the largest one. At 7.37 we go past Babu Caferia. A little after eight we are in Katra.
Queries about Vaishno Devi
I check in Hotel New Regal near Rama Sweet Shop Main Bazar. A cooperative staff but a steep tariff. The best thing to do is to search on your own the places in Katra offering accommodation for limited hours as there would be a number of hotels not charging steep tariff. I take masala dosa from Hotel Harikrishna where i come across Mr R Shukla from Faizabad or Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh working in Sambalpur in Orissa. Mr Shukla has just returned from Vaishno Devi. He entered at 5 in the morning and just under 10 minutes he came out of shrine. I am anxious to know about accommodation centres in Vaishno Devi and the queue that goes all the way to sanctum sanctorum. Would i be able to stay in Vaishno Devi during night?; would there be opportunities to get darshan more than once? We are in agreement that there is no point in staying in Katra if one has come for Vaishno Devi Shrine. Here in this restaurant i come across two boys having oil laced parathas. Perhaps the people of this area and those coming from other places have a propensity to consume oil laced parathas. These parathas are doing no good to anyone.
I come across Mr P R Sharma of Ganpati Vaishno Dhaba who is kind enough to dish out two sets of black tea. There is another Mr Gaurav Sharma. Queries at the Niharika Complex too are on accommodation and other facilities in Vaishno Devi Shrine which is also referred to as Bhawan. As i tell them i am a blogger from Delhi, some suggest being a responsible person you should descend the moment the darshan is complete.
Leaving for Vaishno Devi shrine
After getting ready in the hotel i recite Sunderkand in the most convenient environs and set out for ascending to Vaishno Devi Shrine. I hail an auto which charges 100rs to reach Ban Ganga. More attempt should be made to ply autos having share rides from Katra bus stand to Ban Ganga as some devotees would find this fare to be steep considering the distance is around two kms. At Ban Ganga Screening of baggage serves no purpose as the security man who is supposed to watch the screen is reading papers with no thoughts on what luggage is passing through and what all it entails. I begin to ascend at 1.45pm with no pithoos and ponies in sight. There is Mr Vijay Sharma at a vegetable shop hailing from Akhnoor, Kuldeep a boy working in Kohli Cold drinks. I come across a man from Bangalore who is descending. On the way there are a slew of shops, bhojanalayas, convenient points (toilets) and regular announcements on cleanliness. After over two kms of walking i get hold of one pony and seeing me in a difficult situation his rates soar like anything. From the place where i hail this pony to Ardhkuwari he charges Rs 1000. If i didn't have heavy luggage i would have walked all the way from Ban Ganga. There should be ponies and pithoos (men carrying luggage) at Ban Ganga itself for convenience of devotees who are carrying luggage.
The track is clean and clear. At different intervals we come across Shrimata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SVDSB) hoarding saying a word or two on cleanliness and safe walking. We reach Ardhkuwari at 3.45 pm and from here Vaishno Devi Shrine via Himkoti Marg is 5.5 kms and Vaishno Devi Shrine via Hathi Matha Marg is 6.5 kms.
Friday was the day when i decided to step out to trace a train that would take me to Jammu or Katra. It was a day when sighting an auto was not that difficult and accessing Sarojini Nagar railway reservation centre was easy and eligible. The auto being driven by a man hailing from Jharkhand took no time to reach the reservation centre given the less number of vehicles on road. At the railway reservation centre there were different set of queues definitely less than the number of windows that should have been open to public. In all three windows were in operation against the capacity of six or seven. That was giving a hard time to passengers. The recess time was from 9.45am to 10am. There were some who wished to travel to Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan and there were some who wished to take a ticket for Chandigarh. With a confirmed ticket in hand i left the reservation centre with the hope that travelling would be without any botheration. In the afternoon i visited State Bank of India to carry out some transactions. Later i visited Jammu and Kashmir House in New Delhi and met Mr Bhat who directs me to Deputy Secretary's office for getting the necessary clearance for availing different set of facilities in Vaishno Devi. The staff is cooperative with some suggesting that once darshan in Vaishno Devi has been secured one should descend.
In Safdarjung Enclave met Mr Narendar Singh hailing from Bharatpur who has some difficulty in walking. In the evening a little after 6.45 left for the station. The auto which i could hail and the fare i could pay showed the tendency of some autowallahs to charge exorbitant fares. Took metro from INA metro station with the increased fare pinching a lot of commuters. The increase in metro fare is not justified by any yardstick. The metro coach i boarded was packed to capacity and the ride to New Delhi Metro Station was nothing to write home about. Fortunate enough to get a porter inside the metro station premises. Baggage screening was all that the passengers had to wait for before heading for their respective platforms.
Taking Jammu Rajdhani; Clean Station Premises
It was Jammu Rajdhani which i was supposed to board with the porter kind enough to drop the luggage at the platform. Jammu Rajdhani hadn't pulled in. There were no vacant seats on platform and all that one could sight was a clean station with clean set of platforms. There were announcements for different trains. Delhi-Rishikesh train departs at 7.30pm, Garib Rath from Saharsa running late by 7 hours and 45 minutes, Agra Intercity to depart from Platform 6, Sealdah Duronto to depart from Platform 10. Vaishali Express to Barauni to depart from Platform 8, Magadh Express to Patna to depart from Platform 16, Ahmedabad Rajdhani to depart from Platform 1, the train from Vishakapatnam coming on Platform 11. There were announcements for a slew of EMUs. Came across a couple from Kannur in Kerala working in Army whom i told i watched Manorama News and Asianet News beamed from Kerala.
Jammu Rajdhani leaves at 8.49 (according to my wrist watch). Stops and starts again. I come across a man who is humble enough to declare his son has cleared Indian Engineering Services Exam. Came across a Geoscientist Aatish Thapa who has cleared Combined Geoscientist and Geologist Exam conducted by UPSC ( Union Public Service Commission) in 2015. To sit for this exam one has to complete Msc as against other exams conducted by UPSC where being a graduate was enough. Mr Bassi former Police Commisioner of Delhi serving as member of UPSC was not part of the interview board in 2015 as he joined as a member of UPSC in 2016. Posted in Jaipur Mr Aatish Thapa did his schooling and college from Jammu. Being a Geoscientist Mr Thapa has had to make frequent field trips in the state of Rajasthan. He declares he has one of his acquaintances working in Indian Revenue Service. Mr Thapa had come from Jaipur by bus and as he deboarded at Bikaner House in New Delhi all he could lay his hands on was an auto which was prepared to ferry him for 100 rs; some were willing to ferry him for 200 rs. The actual fare from Bikaner House to New Delhi Railway station would come to 40 to 45 rs if one went by metre.
Saturated tracks; giving breathing space
When Mr Thapa raised the issue of fewer connectivity between Jaipur and Jammu i told him about saturated tracks and the need to give them a breathing space. Perhaps in the entire country old tracks should be replaced by new tracks to make travelling by train more safe. There should be a moratorium on launching of new trains and new routes for the next five to seven years and efforts should be made to strengthen the existing tracks across length and breadth of the country. From three tier i was upgraded to two tier (from coach B7 to A5) which the TTE who is very humble informs me. A passenger travelling with his family wanted the A5 seat and finally i had to settle for A1 43. Here i come across a family hailing from Varanasi settled in Delhi. I am told the city of Varanasi is getting a makeover with majority of residents quite alert and aware about cleanliness and doing their bit. The train reached Ludhiana a little after 12 am. Bari Brahman came at 6.05 and Jammu Tawi at 6.15 am. I came across Mr Uppal who told me about connectivity from Jammu to Katra. On Platform 1 there was CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) Sahitya booth. Mr Ajay Sharma was the porter who took the luggage from platform to the bus stand.
There are a slew of buses like Katra - Reasi, Pouni; i take one which has Chalo Chale Shri Amarnathji sticker. I get down from this bus as no passengers are getting in this one and take the one headed towards Katra. The bus starts at 6.40am, Nagrota bye pass comes at 7.10 and from here Katra is 35km, Udhampur 60km and Srinagar 241km. There are three tunnels between 7.15 and 7.30. The third is the largest one. At 7.37 we go past Babu Caferia. A little after eight we are in Katra.
Queries about Vaishno Devi
I check in Hotel New Regal near Rama Sweet Shop Main Bazar. A cooperative staff but a steep tariff. The best thing to do is to search on your own the places in Katra offering accommodation for limited hours as there would be a number of hotels not charging steep tariff. I take masala dosa from Hotel Harikrishna where i come across Mr R Shukla from Faizabad or Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh working in Sambalpur in Orissa. Mr Shukla has just returned from Vaishno Devi. He entered at 5 in the morning and just under 10 minutes he came out of shrine. I am anxious to know about accommodation centres in Vaishno Devi and the queue that goes all the way to sanctum sanctorum. Would i be able to stay in Vaishno Devi during night?; would there be opportunities to get darshan more than once? We are in agreement that there is no point in staying in Katra if one has come for Vaishno Devi Shrine. Here in this restaurant i come across two boys having oil laced parathas. Perhaps the people of this area and those coming from other places have a propensity to consume oil laced parathas. These parathas are doing no good to anyone.
I come across Mr P R Sharma of Ganpati Vaishno Dhaba who is kind enough to dish out two sets of black tea. There is another Mr Gaurav Sharma. Queries at the Niharika Complex too are on accommodation and other facilities in Vaishno Devi Shrine which is also referred to as Bhawan. As i tell them i am a blogger from Delhi, some suggest being a responsible person you should descend the moment the darshan is complete.
Leaving for Vaishno Devi shrine
After getting ready in the hotel i recite Sunderkand in the most convenient environs and set out for ascending to Vaishno Devi Shrine. I hail an auto which charges 100rs to reach Ban Ganga. More attempt should be made to ply autos having share rides from Katra bus stand to Ban Ganga as some devotees would find this fare to be steep considering the distance is around two kms. At Ban Ganga Screening of baggage serves no purpose as the security man who is supposed to watch the screen is reading papers with no thoughts on what luggage is passing through and what all it entails. I begin to ascend at 1.45pm with no pithoos and ponies in sight. There is Mr Vijay Sharma at a vegetable shop hailing from Akhnoor, Kuldeep a boy working in Kohli Cold drinks. I come across a man from Bangalore who is descending. On the way there are a slew of shops, bhojanalayas, convenient points (toilets) and regular announcements on cleanliness. After over two kms of walking i get hold of one pony and seeing me in a difficult situation his rates soar like anything. From the place where i hail this pony to Ardhkuwari he charges Rs 1000. If i didn't have heavy luggage i would have walked all the way from Ban Ganga. There should be ponies and pithoos (men carrying luggage) at Ban Ganga itself for convenience of devotees who are carrying luggage.
The track is clean and clear. At different intervals we come across Shrimata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SVDSB) hoarding saying a word or two on cleanliness and safe walking. We reach Ardhkuwari at 3.45 pm and from here Vaishno Devi Shrine via Himkoti Marg is 5.5 kms and Vaishno Devi Shrine via Hathi Matha Marg is 6.5 kms.
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