Shiv Khori

Shiva’ means ‘auspicious’ - is one of the Hindu god which makes the supreme Trinity, comprising of Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the Preserver and Shiva or Mahesh, the Destroyer and Re-Producer of life. Lord Shiva is the destroyer of the world, which is responsible for the change.

Lord Shiva is worshipped in many forms. He is conceived in his unborn and invisible form as lingum. The "Shiv-Lingum" symbolizes the power behind the creation. It is believed that at the end of all creation, during the great deluge, all of the different aspects of God find a resting place in the Lingam.

Famous cave shrine of "Shivkhori" situated in District Reasi of J&K state depicts the natural formation of shivlingum. It is one of the most venerated cave shrines of Lord Shiva in the region. The Holy cave is more than 150 mts long & houses 4 feet high Svayambhu Lingum, which constantly baths in a milky lime fluid dripping from the ceiling. The cave is full of natural impression & images of various Hindu Deities & full of divine feelings. That is why Shivkhori is known as "Home of Gods". The route from Jammu to Shiv Khori is full of beautiful & picturesque mountains, waterfalls & lakes.

There are many places of tourist and religious importance around Katra also. The devotees coming for the darshans of the deity can club their pilgrimage with a visit to these places. Specially during the rush time when there is a lot of rush at Katra and Yatries have to wait for some time before being allowed to proceed to Bhawan, they can utilize their time by a visit to these places.

Shivkhori- the Holy Cave abode of Lord Shiva is situated at a distance of 70 Kms from Katra. The cave is a real wonder to be seen and measures nearly half a kilometer in length with a 4 feet high naturally formed Shiv-lingam at the heart of the Sanctum Sanctorum. The cave is in the shape of Lord Shiva's Damroo i.e. wide at the two ends while very congested at the center. The width of the cave is so less at certain place that a person can barely crawl through whereas at places it over a hundred feet wide and quite high too. There are a lots of features which can be observed in the cave, however the best of them is the natural milky water dripping from the top to the Shiv-Ling symbolizing the eternity of the holy river Ganga. The place hosts a major fair on Shivratri. The Shiv-Khori Shrine is well connected to Katra / Jammu by road. The devotees can visit the place by taxi/car. Few bus services from Katra are also available.

How to Reach:

In order to visit the Holy Shrine of Shivkhori one has to reach village Ransoo. The viallge Ransoo is connected via Road with Jammu, the winter capital of the State Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu city is well connected with the rest of Country via Air, Rail & Road.

By Air

The nearest Airport to reach Shivkhori is located at a distance of 140 KMS in the Jammu City, the winter capital of the Jammu and Kashmir State. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Deccan Aviation, Air Sahara and Spicejet operate daily flights for Jammu.

By Train

You can also reach either Jammu or Udhampur by Train. Jammu is well connected to other parts of country through railways. A number of trains all over India are available from Jammu. Railway also runs special Trains during summer and other holidays for comfort of yatries. However the Train is expected to reach Katra by 2007 and hence it will reduce the road distance to be covered by the yatries to reach Shivkhori.

By Road

The village Ransoo is located on the Reasi-Rajouri Road and is well connected with Katra and other cities of Jammu & Kashmir State. Katra is the Nearest Tourist Hub and is famous for the Holy Shrine of Shr Mata Vaishno Devi. Regular Bus Services from all major cities of Northen India are available for Katra and Jammu. Many Volvos buses and other deluxe buses of J&KSRTC as well as other private are available from various parts of Northern India.