The three towering peaks of the Trikuta Hills are a well known, worldwide pilgrimage to Mataa Vaishno Devi’s shrine. The shrine itself is situated in a beautiful setting among pine trees, so we get many thousands of devotees from many miles away, both in and outside of India; who all pay their respects to the Goddess Vaishno Devi, asking for spiritual blessings and for peace and harmony throughout all humanity. The trek to the holy shrine starts at the Banganga river and continues through beautiful areas such as Charan Paduka, Adh Kuwari and Bhairo Ghati until you finally arrive at the sacred shrine in Vaishno Devi Bhawan. As you walk along the trek, you get to see an abundance of stunning flowers that adorn the area within the beautiful hilly landscape that you are walking through.
Holy shrine is celebrated through numerous phases (i.e., Autumn, Winter, etc.) based on their characteristics as they relate to the pilgrim's journey. Autumn is characterised by hues of falling foliage such as Red, Yellow & Pink that are used as decorative mediums, creating a visual expression of the change to this Season. Autumnal decorative elements consist largely of non-flowing leaves on trees (e.g., Silk Cotton Tree, Chinese Tallowtree, Indian Odina, Indian Smoke Bush) & flowering species during fall foliage phase until snow begins to accumulate in the Winter season; but in addition to all deciduous species, non-flowering trees/ shrubs/ vines (e.g., Spermadictyon Suaveolens, Porana Paniculata & Poinsettia Pulcherrima) bloom during this time only, & then later re-decorated with white snow during the Wintertime; especially when they occur in area. Within this area, such spots include places such as Adh Kuwari, Bhairo Ghati & Trikuta Peaks which are scattered throughout with evergreen trees, laurels, monkey face trees, & along with deciduous trees (leafless) and spindle trees (including Diospyros) and horse chestnuts.
Spring season is more attractive of all the seasons and provide a breathtaking view of Trikuta Hills . Indian Jonquil , Narcissus tazetta locally called Heer minjar in Dogri and Yamberjal in Kashmiri is first to bloom to spread its maddening fragrance all along the hilly trek .Further up in and around Bhairo ghati area .golden yellow blooms of Indian Collyrium , Colchicum luteum locally called Surunjaa in Dogri and Virkimposh in Kashmiri , start flowering amidst patches of snow .Down below ,Silk Cotton Trees ,Bombax ceiba (Simbal ) and Indian Coral Tree ,Erythrina indica (Thubb )get laden with deep red flowers to provide feast to the alluring birds like Mynas ,Crows ,Treepies and Drongos . Bhairo Ghati get dressed up in brilliant blooms of Indian Rose Tree , Rhododendron arboretum (Chew , Madhaal ,Buraans). Now, floral basket of nature gets widely opened up and every inch of surroundings gets all possible hues and tints of flowers .Wheat fields around Katra and Charan Paduka are full of decorative blooms like pink coloured Tulips(Maghoone , Magge ), pink Geraniums ,yellow Winter Flax ( Basant , Phiyuli ) , golden Carrot Sage ,Eremostachys superba (Gaajarmoola ) , white Butterfly Buddlejas , Langoor Pear ,Pyrus pashia (Kainth ) ,brilliant blue Eranthemum pulchellum, Wild Musk Rose , Rosa brunonii ( Kareer ) and golden yellow Caesalpinia bonduc ( Dudhrehda ) among plethora of other blooms. Decorative Indian Orchid Tree , Bauhinia variegata locally called Katraid is followed by the attractive blooms of Flame Of The Forest in the backdrop of Trikuta hills to add colour and charm to the surroundings.
Summer season welcomes not only attractive flowers of Palash ,Butea monosperma but also beautiful blooms of Indian Laburnum ,Cassia fistula ( Karangal , Amaltaas ) , Scarlet Flame Bush ( Dhaai ,Dhaataki ) , Gulmohar ,Delonix regia , Jacaranda mimosaefolia , Wendlandia heyneii (Pansar ) , Melia azederach ( Dhraink ) ,Sterculia pallens (Udaal ) and Ehretia serrata ( Pauna ). Rainy season is full of clouds and drizzles and it nurtures many fascinating blooms of various monsoon herbs shrubs , trees and climbers . Leucas capitata ( ,Phumman , Dronpushpi ), Gloriosa superba ( Kalihaari , K ukkadsira ) , Strobilanthes alatus ( Pardaah ) , Mimosa rubicaulis ( Raal ) , Ipomea purpurea ( Kharpowa , Ishaqpecha) , Martynia annua ( Bhiddu ,Kaun ) , Impatiens balsamina ( Teera ,Gulmehndi ) , Rabdosia rugosa ( Salaiee , Peeunmaar ) , Mirabilis jalapa ( Gulbaasi ) , Cestrum nocturnum (Raat ki Raani ) , Lagerstroemia indica ( Panjtaara ) ,Oroxylum indicum ( Taatra , Marinjan ) all present their grand panorama amidst lush green verdant surroundings to attract visitors and pilgrims proceeding on way to holy Vaishno Devi Shrine .
The blooms that can be seen around Vaishno Devi Shrine and the Trikuta Hills are integral to forest ecosystems, providing food sources for countless species of bees, butterflies, birds and other animals found in the region. They form the foundation of future flora as well as providing many essential, multiple ecological, cultural and economic benefits to local communities in and around the shrine area. Goddess Vaishno Devi is happy not only with our worship and reverence, but also with the way we preserve the natural beauty of creation (created by God and Goddesses). Destroying any part of nature or its manifestation will undoubtedly invoke the discontent of our holy places of worship; therefore, we should regard nature with as much respect as we do our places of worship.
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