Ardhkuwari Cave

Ardhkuwari Cave is a sacred cave shrine located midway on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage track, about 6 km from Katra in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir. It is believed to be the place where Goddess Vaishno Devi meditated for nine months in the Garbha Joon cave. The site includes a temple complex and the narrow natural cave, and is a mandatory halt for pilgrims undertaking the yatra to the main Bhawan.

Visitors can expect a temple complex located on the steep Vaishno Devi trekking route with a small natural cave known as Garbha Joon. The cave entrance is narrow and low, requiring visitors to crawl through a short passage. Outside the cave there are darshan halls, shops, food stalls and resting areas. The site is crowded during pilgrimage season and darshan inside the cave is regulated by a token system with waiting areas.

According to tradition, Goddess Vaishno Devi took shelter in this cave while being pursued by Bhairavnath and meditated inside the Garbha Joon for nine months before proceeding to the holy cave at Bhawan. The cave has been a revered stop on the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage for centuries.

Ardhkuwari is considered a highly sacred stop for Vaishno Devi pilgrims. Darshan of the Garbha Joon is believed to symbolize rebirth and absolve sins, as devotees crawl through the narrow cave. Most pilgrims halt here for darshan before continuing to the main Bhawan shrine.