Katra, Jammu and Kashmir

Katra or Katra Vaishno Devi, as it is popularly known, is a small town in Reasi district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India, situated in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains, where the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi is located. It is located 42 km from the city of Jammu.

Katra
Temple town
Katra
Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India
Katra
Katra (India)
Coordinates: 32°59′22″N 74°56′0″E
Country India
Union territoryJammu and Kashmir
DistrictReasi
Elevation
875 m (2,871 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total9,008
Language
 • OfficialUrdu[2]
 • OtherDogri, Hindi, Punjabi[2]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationJK
Literacy70%

Geography
The Trikuta Mountains in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, also famous for the Vaishno-Devi temple

Katra is located at 32.98°N 74.95°E / 32.98; 74.95.[3] It has an average elevation of 875 metres (2,474 feet). The Banganga River passes through the village.

There have also been reports of possible oil reserves in the area[4]

Climate
Climate data for Katra (1981–2010, extremes 1980–2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.8
(78.4)		 28.9
(84.0)		 33.1
(91.6)		 39.3
(102.7)		 43.7
(110.7)		 46.2
(115.2)		 39.7
(103.5)		 36.3
(97.3)		 33.4
(92.1)		 33.3
(91.9)		 29.7
(85.5)		 27.6
(81.7)		 46.2
(115.2)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 21.8
(71.2)		 24.3
(75.7)		 29.1
(84.4)		 35.2
(95.4)		 39.2
(102.6)		 40.2
(104.4)		 35.8
(96.4)		 33.1
(91.6)		 32.1
(89.8)		 30.9
(87.6)		 27.3
(81.1)		 23.2
(73.8)		 40.8
(105.4)
Average high °C (°F) 17.1
(62.8)		 19.2
(66.6)		 23.7
(74.7)		 29.6
(85.3)		 34.0
(93.2)		 35.2
(95.4)		 31.2
(88.2)		 29.9
(85.8)		 29.8
(85.6)		 28.0
(82.4)		 23.9
(75.0)		 19.5
(67.1)		 26.7
(80.1)
Average low °C (°F) 6.2
(43.2)		 8.1
(46.6)		 12.0
(53.6)		 16.7
(62.1)		 20.5
(68.9)		 22.2
(72.0)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.3
(70.3)		 19.3
(66.7)		 15.0
(59.0)		 11.0
(51.8)		 7.8
(46.0)		 15.1
(59.2)
Mean minimum °C (°F) 2.7
(36.9)		 4.0
(39.2)		 7.5
(45.5)		 11.1
(52.0)		 14.6
(58.3)		 16.9
(62.4)		 18.2
(64.8)		 18.2
(64.8)		 15.4
(59.7)		 11.9
(53.4)		 7.7
(45.9)		 4.7
(40.5)		 2.3
(36.1)
Record low °C (°F) 0.3
(32.5)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 3.0
(37.4)		 5.5
(41.9)		 10.0
(50.0)		 14.2
(57.6)		 16.2
(61.2)		 10.8
(51.4)		 10.0
(50.0)		 9.0
(48.2)		 4.6
(40.3)		 1.1
(34.0)		 −1.0
(30.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 110.3
(4.34)		 131.2
(5.17)		 141.7
(5.58)		 75.0
(2.95)		 61.3
(2.41)		 137.2
(5.40)		 589.6
(23.21)		 635.1
(25.00)		 199.6
(7.86)		 35.2
(1.39)		 23.4
(0.92)		 58.7
(2.31)		 2,198.3
(86.55)
Average rainy days 4.9 5.7 6.7 4.4 4.4 7.2 17.1 17.3 8.1 2.4 1.6 2.8 82.7
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 69 61 52 40 35 45 75 83 75 63 64 67 61
Source: India Meteorological Department[5][6]

Demographics

As of 2011 Indian Census, Katra had a total population of 9,008, of which 5,106 were males and 3,902 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 1,012. The total number of literates in Katra was 6,841, which constituted 75.9% of the population with male literacy of 79.4% and female literacy of 71.4%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Katra was 85.6%, of which male literacy rate was 89.2% and female literacy rate was 80.8%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 1,925 and 9 respectively. Katra had 1594 households in 2011.[1]

Tourism

Katra serves as the base camp for pilgrims who visit Vaishno Devi. It has a thriving tourism industry that offers plenty of hotels, guest houses, restaurants, dhabas, fast-food joints that fit all kinds of budgets. Free accommodation is provided by some registered trusts in the form of "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. Over the years, a lot has changed, but main attractions include the "bazaar" (market) for buying souvenirs, dryfruits, woolen garments, hosiery, leather jackets, etc. To reach Vaishno Devi, the pilgrims have to register at Katra before starting the trek. By registering, the pilgrims get accident insurance up to 100,000 INR while on the trek of 14 km. There is another trek of 2.5 km from Vaishno Devi temple for Baba Bhaironnath. Electric Vehicles and helicopter services are available for pilgrims. A new ropeway system as 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.

Panoramic view of Katra, seen from Vaishno Devi

Transport
Katra Railway Station, Vaishno Devi.

The town has been connected by roads and state highways for a long time but recently it has also been connected by Indian Railways. Jammu Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Railway Link connects the Katra railway station of Northern Railways to the rest of Indian railways network. It was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi on 4 July 2014.[7]

References
  1. "Census of India: Katra". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  2. "52nd REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN INDIA" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  3. "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Katra, India". www.fallingrain.com. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  4. Naqvi, Jawed (23 February 2008). "Joint search for oil in Kashmir". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  5. "Station: Katra Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 401–402. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  6. "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M76. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  7. "Modi flags off inaugural train from Katra". The Hindu. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2019 – via www.thehindu.com.
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