Vaishno Devi Entry Fee & Ticket Price 2026

Is there an entry fee for Vaishno Devi?

No. Entry and darshan at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine are completely free. There is no ticket counter for the temple and no charge for Indian or foreign visitors. The only mandatory step is registering for the yatra and collecting an RFID access card, which the Shrine Board also issues free of cost. Everything else on this page is optional and chosen by the pilgrim, from a Rs 100 ropeway hop to a Rs 2,320 helicopter seat.

Vaishno Devi fee table 2026 (every mode, one place)

Use this as your quick reference. The two free items are the ones people most often ask about; the paid rows are all optional.

The Rs 2,320 and Rs 4,640 helicopter fares are the ones the Shrine Board set for the 2025-26 season. News reports from September 2026 say they rise to Rs 2,700 one-way and Rs 5,400 return from 1 November 2026. Prices can change between seasons, so treat this table as a planning guide and confirm the live rate on the official portal when you book.

Yatra Parchi and the RFID card: the real (free) "entry ticket"

This is the part most fee guides skip, and it is the one that actually stops you at the gate if you get it wrong. To walk up to the Bhawan you need two things, and neither costs money.

First, the Yatra Parchi, a registration slip you can generate online at the Shrine Board's registration page. Each login can register a small group at once, so book early during Navratri and summer holidays when the daily quota fills fast.

Second, the RFID access card. You collect this in person at the registration counter in Katra by showing your Yatra Parchi (a copy on your phone is fine) and a photo ID such as Aadhaar, PAN or a driving licence. Pilgrims are allowed to move towards the Bhawan only after they have the RFID card, so plan to pick it up before you start the climb. If you have not registered online, the same counters issue the slip on the spot, free.

Helicopter, ropeway, battery car and pony fares

Helicopter (Katra to Sanjichhat)

The helicopter is the fastest way up. A seat costs Rs 2,320 one-way and Rs 4,640 for the return at the 2025-26 rate, and the flight takes about eight minutes. From 1 November 2026 the fare is reported to go up to Rs 2,700 one-way and Rs 5,400 return, so check the portal for the rate that applies to your date. It drops you at the Sanjichhat helipad, which still leaves roughly 2.5 km to the Bhawan on foot, on a pony or by palki. Book only through the official portal at maavaishnodevi.org; slots sell out days ahead in peak season, so grab one the moment your dates are fixed.

Ropeway (Bhawan to Bhairavnath)

Many pilgrims want to visit the Bhairavnath temple after darshan, and the passenger ropeway turns a steep climb of about 1.5 km into a ride of about three minutes. A ticket is Rs 100 per person for the round trip, children under three ride free, and the cable car runs from about 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, as listed by the Shrine Board. You can buy it at the Bhawan or online.

Battery car

Battery-operated cars run on the gentler new track between Ardhkuwari and the Bhawan, which helps elderly pilgrims and families with young children. They can be booked online on the Shrine Board portal for either direction, and the service is sometimes paused after landslides on this stretch, so check its status before you plan around it. The fare is shown at the counters and on the booking portal, so confirm the current rate on the spot rather than relying on an older figure online.

Pony, palki and pithu

If you would rather not walk, ponies, palki (palanquin) bearers and pithu porters are available along the track. Their rates are fixed by the Shrine Board and printed on signboards near Banganga and Katra. Always agree the amount and the drop point before you set off to avoid a dispute later.

How to book online (step by step)

The whole process is free and takes a few minutes.

1. Open the official Shrine Board portal at maavaishnodevi.org and choose Yatra Registration.

2. Pick your travel date. Log in early for peak dates, when the daily quota fills fast.

3. Enter each pilgrim's name and a photo ID number, then submit to generate your free Yatra Parchi.

4. Save or screenshot the slip. Carry the same photo ID you registered with.

5. In Katra, show the slip at the registration counter and collect your free RFID access card.

6. Add-ons are separate: book the helicopter on the same portal, and buy ropeway or battery-car tickets at their counters or online.

What's new: the Tarakote to Sanjichhat ropeway

The Shrine Board has approved a new passenger ropeway between Tarakote and Sanjichhat, which would let pilgrims skip a large part of the climb. It was approved in 2023, the concession was signed in February 2024 and work started later that year, but the project has faced repeated protests from local pony, palki and trader groups, so it is not running yet. The Board's earlier target was December 2026 and no firm opening date has been announced. Until then the routes above are the only ways up.

What a Vaishno Devi trip actually costs

Because darshan is free, your spend is really the travel to Katra plus the optional rides and your stay. A no-frills pilgrimage on foot can cost very little beyond food and a room in Katra; adding a helicopter seat and a ropeway ticket lifts the per-head figure by a few thousand rupees. If you would rather have the registration, hotels, transfers and a Srinagar or Patnitop extension handled for you, a Vaishno Devi and Kashmir tour package bundles it into one price. For the wider region, start from the Kashmir travel guide.

Planning the journey itself? See our guides on how to reach Vaishno Devi and the Vaishno Devi darshan timings.

Edited by TravelTriangle