Katra, Jammu and Kashmir: Difference between revisions

| name                     = Katra

| native_name             =  

| native_name_lang         =  

| other_name               =  

| settlement_type         = Temple City{{fact|date=May 2023}}

| image_skyline           = Katra town1.JPG

| image_caption           =  

| pushpin_map             = India Jammu and Kashmir#India

| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India

| coordinates             = {{coord|32|59|22|N|74|56|0|E|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type         = [[Country]]

| subdivision_name         = {{flag|India}}

| subdivision_type1       = [[States and union territories of India|Union Territory]]

| subdivision_name1       = {{flagicon image|Government of Jammu and Kashmir.svg}} [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]]

| subdivision_type2       = [[List of districts of Jammu and Kashmir|District]]

| subdivision_name2       = [[Reasi district|Reasi]]

| established_title       = <!-- Established -->

| established_date         =  

| unit_pref               = Metric

| area_total_km2           =  

| elevation_footnotes     =  

| elevation_m             = 875

| population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census2011Gov"/>

| population_total         = 9,008

| population_as_of         = 2011

| population_density_km2   = auto

| demographics_type1       = [[Language]]

| demographics1_title1     = Official

| demographics1_info1     = [[Dogri language|Dogri]], [[Hindi]]<ref name="OfficialLang">{{cite web |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2020/222037.pdf |title=The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020 |publisher=The Gazette of India|date=27 September 2020 |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Parliament passes JK Official Languages Bill, 2020 | work=Rising Kashmir | date=23 September 2020 | url=http://risingkashmir.com/news/parliament-passes-jk-official-languages-bill-2020 | access-date=23 September 2020 | archive-date=24 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924141909/http://risingkashmir.com/news/parliament-passes-jk-official-languages-bill-2020 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

| demographics1_title2     = Other

| demographics1_info2     = [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]

| timezone1               = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]

| utc_offset1             = +5:30

| postal_code_type         = <!-- [[Postal Index Number|PIN]] -->

| postal_code             = 182301

| registration_plate       = [[Vehicle registration plates of India|JK]]

| blank1_name_sec1         = Literacy

| blank1_info_sec1         = 70%

| website                 =  

'''Katra''' is a town in the [[Reasi district]] of the Indian [[States and union territories of India|union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], situated at the foot of the [[Trikuta Mountains]], where the shrine of [[Vaishno Devi Temple|Vaishno Devi]] is located. Katra is located 24 km (15 mi) from the town of [[Reasi]], {{cvt|42|km}} from the [[city]] of [[Jammu]] and around {{cvt|685|km}} north of the national capital [[New Delhi]] and is the base for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple.

[[File:Trikuta Mountains.jpg|thumb|The Trikuta Mountains in [[Katra, Jammu and Kashmir|Katra]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India, also famous for the Vaishno-Devi temple]]

[[File:A view from a top of a building from Katra, Jammu and Kashmir.jpg|thumb|The town of Katra in the night.]]

|color1 = DarkOrange

Katra serves as the base camp for pilgrims who visit [[Vaishno Devi]]. It has hotels, guest houses, restaurants, and dhabas. Free accommodation is also provided by some registered trusts in the form of ''[[sarai (resting place)|sarais]]'' for the poor. The number of pilgrims who visit the shrine every year has increased from 1.4 million in 1986 to 8.2 million in 2009. A bazaar sells  souvenirs, dry fruit, woolen garments, hosiery, and leather jackets. To reach [[Vaishno Devi]], pilgrims register at Katra before starting the trek, and by registering, the pilgrims get accident insurance up to 100,000 [[Indian rupee|INR]] while on the trek of 14&nbsp;km. There is another trek of 2.5&nbsp;km from Vaishno Devi temple to Baba Bhaironnath. Electric vehicles and helicopter services are available for pilgrims. A new ropeway system has just been inaugurated from the Vaishno Devi Bhawan to the Bhairon Baba Mandir, reducing the journey to time to just 3 minutes. The ropeway can carry 800 people every hour.[[File:Katra from Vaishnodevi.jpg|thumb|center|1000px|Panoramic view of Katra, seen from [[Vaishno Devi]]]]

Katra is well-connected by roads with other places in Jammu and Kashmir and India. The [[National Highway 144 (India)|NH 144]] passes through Katra. Presently, it takes around 12 hours to travel from [[New Delhi]] to Katra. The planned [[Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway]] will shorten the duration to 7 hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/economy/article/delhi-to-vaishno-devi-in-less-than-7-hours-delhi-katra-express-road-corridor-to-be-completed-by/669099|title=Delhi to Vaishno Devi in less than 7 hours: Delhi-Katra express road corridor to be completed by 2023|work=Times Now|accessdate=11 July 2021}}</ref>

The nearest airport to Katra is [[Jammu Airport]] located at a distance of 50 kilometres. There are numerous helipads in and around Katra which have service to the [[Vaishno Devi Temple]].