Devi
Devi, Vaishnodevi is the Divine Mother of Hinduism. Her name means goddess. Some of her other names include Jai Mata Di and Mata Rani.
She is known as the goddess of strength, the female aspect of divinity, usually considered to have an equal role with the male aspect as energy or the driving force (Shakti), without which the male aspect, which represents consciousness or discrimination, is impotent.
Devi is the consort of Shiva, which is the god of generation and destruction.
Vaishnodevi's main temple is situated in Jammu region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Vaishno Devi temple is one of the most popular places of worship in northern India. At an altitude of 5200 feet and a distance of approximately 12 kilometers (7.45 miles) from the town, the temple of Vaishno Devi is frequented every year by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.
The shrine is a holy cave, where the Goddess had to unwillingly kill Bhairon Nath after being chased by him for a long time. The demon's intention was to stop the Goddess from attaining a high level of spirituality, which she was trying to achieve through tapasya, and marry her. Vaishno Devi had to flee to the mountains to continue her quest.
Some other legends associated with this pursuit are that of the Goddess hiding in a cave (Adhkawari or Garbh Joon) for nine months, and of granting divine forgiveness to the demon as he plead mercy before dying. The Goddess granted a boon to the demon, whereby every devotee, in order to ensure completion of the pilgrimage, had to visit Bhairon Nath's temple near the shrine. Meanwhile Vaishno Devi assumed the shape of a rock with three pindis (heads) and immersed herself into meditation forever.
Her main scripture, adored by Hindus, is the Devi Mahatmyam (also known as Chandi Path and Durga Saptashati), in which an allegorical telling of the binding force of Maya and ego is represented through devotional stories about the Divine Mother slaying demons who afflict the world. In Sanskrit grammar, the Devi inflection is named after the word Devi.
Devi's appearance
Unlike most Hindu gods, Vaishnodevi has 8 arms. She holds many items including a sword, bow, shield and conch. She sits on a tiger who is in a passive position. She comes in many aspects. Devi is the mother of all living things.
Her right hand holds joy and pain and her left hand holds life and death. She is a goddess of fertility, rain, health and nature, and holds the entire universe in her uterus. She is also a goddess of death.
All Hindu goddesses may be viewed as different manifestations of Devi. In some forms she is benign and gentle, while in other forms she is dynamic and ferocious, but in all forms she is helpful to her devotees
Shakta
Devi is widely worshipped in Hindu traditions. The most famous festival dedicated to Her is Navratri. There is a separate tradition within Hinduism devoted to her worship called shakta. Hindu Tantra is practically inseparable from Shaktism. She is visualised in three forms as Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.