Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 5 Rupees 2012, KM# 429, India, Republic, 25th Anniversary of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
  • 5 Rupees 2012, KM# 429, India, Republic, 25th Anniversary of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
Description

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine is one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in India. Millions of people in and outside our country derive solace and strength from this Holy place.

Vaishno Devi is a manifestation of the Hindu Goddess Mata Adi Shakti. The words "Maa" and "Mata" are commonly used in India for "mother", and thus are often heavily used in connection with Vaishno Devi. The Holy Cave of the Mother is situated at an altitude of 5200 ft. The yatris (pilgrims to holy places in Hinduism) have to undertake a trek of nearly 12 km from the base camp at Katra. At the culmination of their pilgrimage, they are blessed with the Darshans of the Mother Goddess inside the Sanctum Sanctorum (the Holy Cave). These Darshans are in the shape of three natural rocks. Each rock is representative of MahaSaraswati, MahaLakshmi and Mahadevi. This shrine is lovingly called 'Vaishno Devi', where lakhs of devotees throng every year.

Since the year 1986, when the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (commonly called Shrine Board) was formed, the management of the Shrine and regulation of the Yatra has been vested in the Board.

Obverse

Depicts the State Emblem of India with Satyameva Jayate below surrounded by the country name. Denomination below beside the rupee symbol.

The State Emblem of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, preserved in the Sarnath Museum near Varanasi, India. A representation of Lion Capital of Ashoka was officially adopted on 26 January 1950, the day that India became a republic.

The actual Sarnath capital features four Asiatic lions standing back to back, symbolizing power, courage, confidence and pride, mounted on a circular base. At the bottom is a horse and a bull, and at its centre is a wheel (Dharma Chakra). The abacus is girded with a frieze of sculptures in high relief of The Lion of the North, The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South and The Elephant of the East, separated by intervening wheels, over a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration.

"Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit: सत्यमेव जयते satyam-eva jayate; lit. "Truth alone triumphs.") is a part of a mantra from the ancient Indian scripture Mundaka Upanishad. Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto. It is inscribed in script at the base of the Lion Capital of Ashoka and forms an integral part of the national emblem. The emblem and the words "Satyameva Jayate" are inscribed on one side of all Indian currency.

भारत INDIA
सत्यमेव जयते
₹ 5

Reverse

Depicts Mahadevi in the form of Mahishasuramardini Durga on a tiger with various weapons (trident, discus, scimitar, lasso etc.) in her eight hands and surrounded by bilingual inscription. The year is inscribed below the picture. Mintmark (if any) on the bottom.

In Hinduism, Mahadevi or "Great Goddess" is the goddess or Devi that is the sum of all other devis – an all-encompassing female deity as the consort or complement to an all-encompassing male deity (Deva) or the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) in Shaktism.

Durga is a principal and popular form of the Hindu goddess of war, the warrior form of Parvati, whose mythology centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and Dharma the power of good over evil. Durga is also a fierce form of the protective mother goddess, who unleashes her divine wrath against the wicked for the liberation of the oppressed, and entails destruction to empower creation.

श्री माता वैष्णो देवी श्राईन बोर्ड
2012
SILVER JUBILEE
SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI SHRINE BOARD

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Nickel Brass
Weight 6 g
Diameter 23 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Hyderabad Mint (★)
Mumbai Mint (M)
Mumbai Mint (♦)
Noida Mint (●)

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