Jwalamukhi Temple - Kangra,Himachal Pradesh

Jwalamukhi Temple in Himachal Pradesh is one amongst the 51 Shaktipeetha of the country which is considered extremely sacred for the Hindus. It is located around 30 kms to the south of the Kangra valley in the lap of Shivalik range.

Legends :

Once Prajapati Daksha organized a yajna and invited al the gods and goddesses to it barring Lord Shiva. Sati wanted to partake in this grand affair so she reached the place of the Yajna uninvited. All her sisters were welcomed by her father there except her. Daksha did not even dedicate the sacred portion of the Yajna Prasad to Lord Shiva. This made Sati feel immensely humiliated. Therefore, she immolated herself in the fire of the Yajna.

Sati's end disturbed the Lord Shiva immensely. He sliced Daksha's head. On his reparation, the Lord affixed the head of a male goat to him. Unable to restore his mental peace even then, He roamed in the entire universe carrying Sati's burnt body. Foreseeing a calamity approaching, the gods requested Lord Vishnu to diffuse the anger of Shiva. At this, Lord Vishnu cut apart Sati's body into several pieces with his Sudharshan Chakra. Wherever those pieces of sati's body fell on earth, a shaktipeetha or the power centre of the goddess came up.

The Jwalamukhi temple is the place where Sati's tongue fell. The goddess therefore is manifested as tiny flames here that burn through the fissures in an age old rock. There are nine flames at the temple that have been burning here without any oil or cotton since ages.

Significance of the temple

The temple of Jwalamukhi does not have an idol to worship too. The building of the temple has a gilt dome and silver plated folding doors. Inside the Jwalamukhi Temple there is a 3 feet square pit with pathway all around and in the centre, there is a hollowed rock over a primary fissure of flame. This one is regarded as the mouth of the Mahakali. The Flames emit out from several other point in the pit. They are nine in total which represent the different form of the goddess - Saraswati, Annapurna, Chandi, Hing Laj, Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali, Ambika and Anjana. There are two lions in front of the temple. The Jwalamukhi temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Light. The temple is made up of a dome and peak like pinnacles. The flame is believed to represent the Goddess. Rituals : In Jwalamukhi Temple during the whole day, there are about five aartis conducted in the temple. The first aarti is performed early at 5am in the morning called as the Mangal aarti. The next aarti is done at the time of sunrise called Panjupchaar Pujan. At around midnoon, it is time for yet another aarti which is named as the Bhog Ki Aarti. The evening aarti at around 7 pm is simply called aarti while the last one at around 10 pm is known as the Shaiyan ki aarti. The last aarti of the day in the Jwalamukhi Temple is very much unique since it is only here that such an aarti is conducted. During the aarti, the bed of the Maa Jwala goddess is decorated with beautiful dresses and jewellery. The aarti is performed in two parts firstly the one is in the main temple while the second one is performed in the sejabhavan. Slokas from 'Sondarya Lahri' by Shri Shakracharya are through the day recited throughout the aarti for the auspicious and scared shrine of Maa Jwalamukhi. Havan is also performed once a day and parts of Durga Saptarshi are recited during it. Offerings made before the goddess in puja include bhog of rabri or thickened milk, misri or candy, seasonal fruits and milk. The deity is offered Bhog of Rabri or thickened milk, Misri or candy, seasonal fruits, milk and arti is done. Devotees coming to the Jwalamukhi temple can either buy prashad from any of the nearby shops of the temple or bring in their own prasad from home. Usually, the prasad that is offered to the deity include pan, supari, dhawaza, narela, loung and elaichi. Temple Timings : 5 am - 10 pm Time to Visit :  The Jwalamukhi Devi Temple fair is held twice in the year during the Navratri of Chaitra and Aswin. The devotees go round the 'Jwala Kund' in which is considered as the sacred fire making their offerings. The 'Gorakh Tibbi' is the centre of the Gorakhpanthi Naths which is placed near the Jwala Kund. All kinds of entertainments along with Folk-dances, songs, plays, wrestling matches and athletics are the attractions of the fair. month April and later October is the best time to visit the Jwalamukhi Temple. Travel Info : Air : Kangra airport is 7-km away and has got straight flights from Delhi. Rail : Nearest broad-gauge railhead at Pathankot is 86-km away and one is situated at Mukarian is 30-km. Kangra Valley express is a narrow gauge train, starting from Pathankot and continues to Bajinath. Road : Kangra is well connected by road with Dharamsala, which is 18-km away.