Kol Kandholi, Katra, Jammu & Kashmir India

Kol Kandholi falls on the itinerary of every devotee seeking a darshan of the Mata Vaishno Devi.  Actually it is said to be the first darshan of the entire Yatra. There is an interesting tale behind the name Kol Kandholi. Kol in the local dialect means bowl and Kandholi means shaking. Legend and local beliefs say that Mata Vaishno Devi had supposedly stayed here for some time. She played like any other girl with the local children of the village. One day as the girls felt thirsty she gave them a bowl. As the girls shook the bowl water gushed out from a dry place. The girls then quenched their thirst. Interestingly the well that was believed to have been formed from the spring never runs dry. Mata also used to play on a swing with local girls. Devotees have put up a symbolic swing on a tree, which is the object of worship in reverence of the mother.