Jwalamukhi Shakti Peeth (Jwala Ji)

Jawalamukhi, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh

51 Shakti Peeths

Traditions differ: The Jwala Devi temple at Shaktinagar in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, is also believed by its devotees to be the place where the tongue of Devi Sati fell. Both temples are honoured.

About

Jwala Ji, in the town of Jawalamukhi in Kangra district, is one of the best-known Shakti Peeths of North India. There is no murti here: the Devi is worshipped as flames that burn without stopping from cracks in the rock of the sanctum. Nine flames are honoured as nine forms of the Mother, and the main flame, in a square pit of stone, is honoured as Mahakali. By tradition the tongue of Devi Sati fell here; the Devi is called Siddhida (Ambika) and the Bhairav Unmatt. The temple has a gilded dome and a silver-plated folding door, and it looks out towards the Dhauladhar range.

The story

In the Shakti Peeth story, after the sorrowful events at King Daksha's yagya, Shiv ji wandered in grief with Devi Sati's body until Vishnu ji's Sudarshan chakra divided it. Her tongue is believed to have fallen in these hills, where it shines as flame.

A local story says a cowherd once noticed that one of his cows gave no milk. Following her, he saw a young girl come out of the forest, drink the milk and vanish in a flash of light. Some time later he saw a flame burning in the hills. Raja Bhumi Chand Katoch of Kangra, a devotee of the Devi, had the spot traced, saw the flame himself and built a temple there. The best-known legend is of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Hearing of the flames, he tried to put them out with iron covers and a stream of water, but they kept burning. Humbled, he offered a golden chhatra (umbrella), which devotees say turned into another metal. Scientists explain the flames as natural gas escaping from the rock; for devotees they are the Mother's living light.

Visiting

The temple is open all year; March to June is a good time to go, and the Navratri melas bring the biggest crowds. It stands on a low hill, so there is a short climb by steps. Jawalamukhi is about 35 km south of Kangra and about 55 km from Dharamshala. Many pilgrims combine it with Maa Bajreshwari at Kangra and with Chintpurni.

Festivals

Chaitra and Ashwin (Sharad) Navratri melas
Sawan (Shravan) Navratri mela, in July or August

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources