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How
to reach
Banganga
 After
the Police Check Post and Yatra Parchi Check Post, the pilgrims
reach a small bridge under which flows Banganga, the legendary
river associated with the miracles and legends of Mata. There
is water in the river all through the year except when there
is an acute shortfall of rain or snow during the monsoon and
winter respectively. It is considered sacred and as is normal
Hindu tradition, devotees like to bathe in it before proceeding
further. In the changed times, many pilgrims prefer to skip
the traditional bath, but those having the time or those who
are traditionally inclined and wish to follow the legends
and traditions, would like to have a dip before proceeding
further. There are a couple of Ghats built too, for this purpose.
The first one is normally very crowded and the other is comparatively
more spacious.
The name of this river comes from two terms, Ban and Ganga.
Ban means Arrow and Ganga stands for the sacred river Ganges.
It is believed that Mata Vaishno Devi, while on her way to
the Holy Cave, created this water body with an arrow from
her quiver, hence the name Banganga. It is also said that
she had taken a dip in it and had washed her hair here. Thus
some people also prefer to call it Bal Ganga, the term Bal
meaning hair in Hindi.
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