Nau Devi Cave Temple

Nau Devi Cave Temple is a natural cave shrine located near Nau Devian village, about 3-4 km from Katra town in Reasi District, Jammu and Kashmir. Dedicated to the nine forms of Goddess Durga (Nav Durga), the temple is housed inside a small natural cave with naturally formed rock pindis. It is a popular pilgrimage stop for devotees visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and is known for its cave passage and hillside setting.

Visitors can expect a small hillside cave temple accessed by a short walk and steps from the roadside. The main shrine is inside a narrow natural cave where devotees crawl or bend to enter to see rock formations worshipped as the nine goddesses. Outside the cave there is a small temple courtyard, idols and a view of the surrounding hills and Katra valley. The site is compact and typically visited as a short stop en route to or from Katra.

The temple is believed to be an ancient natural cave shrine where the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped as self-manifested rock formations. Local tradition associates it with the legend of Mata Vaishno Devi and it has long been visited by pilgrims on the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage circuit.

The temple is culturally significant as a Nav Durga shrine representing the nine manifestations of Goddess Durga. It holds religious importance for Hindu devotees, especially during Navratri, when special prayers are offered and pilgrims combine a visit here with the Vaishno Devi yatra.