Amazing Himachal: Shaktipeeth Jwalamukhi Temple : Jwalamukhi Town

Jwalamukhi Temple also know as Jwala Ji Temple

Jwalamukhi is a small town situated in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh,about 35 kilometers from Kangra-town and about 55 kilometers from Dharamsala. The town is named after the Jwalamukhi Temple.

Shaiyya bhavan (resting place) in the Temple campus..

Shaiyya bhavan (resting place)

Jwalamukhi Temple is famous Shaktipeeth where the tongue of Pauranik Sati Parvati is stated to have fallen. The devi (goddess) is worshipped in form of a flame.....(A legend says that after Goddess Sati sacrificed herself in the honor of Lord Shiva in her Fathers Yagya. Shiva took her body on his shoulder and started Tandav . In order to stop him from destroying the world Lord Vishnu divided the body of Sati into 51 parts with his Chakra. The tongue of Sati fell at this spot, thus making it a Shakti Peeth. )

Hanuman Ji and Shani Dev idols in Jwalamukhi Temple

Jwalamukhi Temple was first constructed by Raja Bhumi Chand who had a dream about this sacred place where he decided to go and search for.After discovering this place,he decided to built a temple at this very place which came to be known as ‘Jwalamukhi’.

In 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. The Jwala Devi 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.

Gold chhatri (umbrella) presented by Mughal emperor Akbar

According to legend, the great Mughal emperor Akbar visited Jawala Ji temple and tried to douse of the flame of the temple. However, when he was unsuccessful, he willingly submitted to the power of the goddess. He presented a gold chhatri (umbrella) for the goddess which is said to have turned into copper when he turned around to have a look at it before leaving.

gilt roof presented by Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Maharaja Ranjit Singh paid a visit to the temple in the year 1809. His son, Kharak Singh gifted a pair of silver plated folding doors to the temple while Ranjit Singh himself gave the gilt roof. Temple houses, a huge brass bell presented by the King of Nepal.

Bell presented by King of Nepal

In 1809 for nearly a month a discussion went on at Jwalamukhi between Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab and Raja Sanar Chand of Kangra. When Raja Sansar Chand's terms were accepted, Maharaja Ranjit Singh with his hand over the sacred flame, took an oath to do him no harm.

A sacred flame from this 3000 year old temple in Himachal Pradesh has been brought to Singapore to be placed newly-built sanctum of a local temple. The Jwala Ji shrine flame placed at Lakshminarayan Temple in Singapor's "Little India" shopping precinct, it was first time that flame travelled outside India. The flame was brought to Singapore on a 6 hours flight in a vessel similar to the lamp used to transport Olympic flame, it took 6 months to prepare the flame's journey. Singapore has thousand of Hindus from India, who always wanted to have Jwalaji flame there.