Jwalamukhi Temple ( Kangra, Himachal Pradesh )

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People come with red silken flags (dhwaja) to greet the Mother Goddess, ‘JwalaJi’. The fair is attributed to the worship of that Eternal Flame which is coming out of earth spontaneously and perpetually. One of the 51 Shaktipeeths of India, the temple of Jwalamukhi is in Jwalamukhi town, which is about 70 kilometers from Dharamsala. Jwalamukhi is a famous temple of Goddess Jwalamukhi, the deity of flaming mouth, believed to be the manifestation of the Goddess Sati. The building is modern with a gilt dome and pinnacles, and possesses a beautiful folding door of silver plates. The Devi appears in the form of nine different flames. The principal one is believed to be Mahakali. The other eight flames at different places in the temple represent the following Goddesses Annapurna, Chandi, Hing Laj, Vidhya Vasini, Maha Lakshmi, Maha Sarswati, Ambika and Anjana.

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The legend of the Jwalamukhi Temple relates to Sati, who was born when gods concentrated their individual energy on the ground. These gods were looking for a respite from the atrocities of the demons. This girl was Adishakti or the first shakti (Sati or Parvati).

She was brought up in the house of Prajapati Daksha and married Lord Shiva later. It is believed that Prajapati Daksha once organised a yajna and invited everyone barring Lord Shiva. Sati felt immensely humiliated at this act of her father and immolated herself in the fire of the havankund. On hearing this, Lord Shiva became so furious that he carried Sati’s burnt body and moved around the three world. The gods could foresee a calamity approaching so they assembled before Lord Vishnu and asked him to do something to diffuse the anger of lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu cut apart Sati’s body into several pieces with his Sudharshan Chakra. Wherever on earth the pieces of Sati’s body fell, a shaktipeeth came up. These are the spot that are regarded as the power centre of the goddess.

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The Jwalamukhi temple is the place where the tongue of Sati fell. Here the goddess is manifested as tiny flames that burn through the fissures in the age old rock. The temple is supposed to be first built by a king who, on the complain of a cowherd, tried to find out the place where from where a female emerged and drank the milk of the cow. Since, the king was aware of the legend of Sati, he continued his search for the place and finally succeeded. He constructed a temple there and employed priest to perform pujas. Later, Pandavas came and carried out some renovation work in the temple.

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History of the Temple

In princely times, temple affairs were guided and supervised by the princely state of Nadaun. In 1809, Maharaja Ranjit Singh visited the temple and after dyeing his hand in saffron, stamped an agreement in the temple premises with Raja Sansar Chand-the local ruler. Later after tasting success in the Afghan war, Maharaja Ranjit Singh gilded the roof of the Jwalamukhi temple as a thanksgiving. His son Kharak Singh presented to the temple a pair of silver-plated folding doors.

The Temple Itself

The temple of Jwalamukhi is not an architectural delight. Moreover, there is no idol to worship too. The building has a gilt dome and a silver plated folding doors. Inside, there is a 3 feet square pit with pathway all around. In the centre, there is a hollowed rock over a primary fissure of flame. This one is regarded as the mouth of the Mahakali. Flames emit out from several other point in the pit. They are nine in total and 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.

Sun Temple Modhera ( Gujarat )

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The Sun temple of Gujarat is situated at Modhera. It is akin to the Sun Temple at Konark and is dedicated to the Sun God, Lord Surya. Though the temple has lost its glory of the yore, it is still an architectural and art master piece. The temple serves as the venue for the Dance Festival held in January each year. It was built in 1026 AD by the Solanki King Bhimdev I of Patan. The Solankis were Suryavanshis, the descendents of Sun God and therefore built this temple in the honor of Lord Surya. However, the temple was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni.

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One of the most striking features of the Modhera Sun temple is that the first ray of the sun falls on the deity at the time of the equinoxes. The temple has a unique architecture and consists of a number of other magnificent buildings in the vicinity. The main buildings are the Surya Kund, the Sabha Mandap and the Guda Mandap (Sanctum Sanctorum). Apart from this, there is a beautiful hall in between the Sabha Mandapa and the Sanctum Sanctorum. It has remarkable pillars and arches and shows the different aspects of the Sun God in each month.

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Surya Kund :

It is a huge rectangular tank flanked by a series of steps and is said to be once filled with pure water. The devotees bathed in the tank before entering the temple to worship the Lord. There are 108 small shrines surrounding the tank.

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Sabha Mandap :

It is a huge hall, where once religious meetings used to be held. It is open on all sides and contains around 52 pillars, all of them being intricately carved. The carvings depict scenes from the Hindu epics of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishna Lila (i.e. story of lord Krishna).

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Sanctum Sanctorum :

Sanctum Sanctorum is the main chamber of the temple. It rests on a lotus shaped platform and contains the bejeweled idol of Lord Surya. The chamber was plundered by Mahmud Gazni.

Jakhu Temple (Himachal pradesh)

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The Jakhu Temple in Shimla is situated on the top of Jakhu Hill, at an altitude of 2.5 kms. The temple in Shimla is dedicated to lord Hanuman, and is said to be existing from the times of Ramayana and is said to be formed when lord Hanuman visited Jakhu hill. As per legends, Hanuman visited this place during the famous Rama – Ravana fight. Lakshman, the younger brother of Rama, was critically injured during the fight and the only medicinal herb which could have saved his life was available in the Himalayan range. Hanuman came to Himalayas, but got confused, so as to which was the particular herb. Out of desperation, he dug out the whole mountain, which contained the herbs and flew to Lanka, where injured Lakshman and his doctor were waiting for him. On his way back, Hanuman rested on the Jakhu hills, and the top of the mountain got flat by his and mountain’s weight. The temple of Jakhu has since been highly revered by the locals. The shrine of the temple is the foot prints of Hanuman. In most of the Hanuman temples in India, one can come across numerous monkeys and Jakhu is no exception. There are hundreds of monkeys in and around the temple. Though mostly very peaceful, they can attack a person, if provocated. Pilgrims offer them eatables, which they readily accept.

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The Jakhu Temple in Shimla is situated at an altitude of 2455 Mts. The temple is dedicated to lord Hanuman, the monkey god in Indian mythology. Hanuman was the most faithful aide of lord Rama (India’s most revered mythological hero). The temple of Hanuman is in the thick forests of Jakhu hills, and is on top the Jakhu Hill. Jakhu is derived from Hindi word Yakhsa. Yakshas are the mythological character in Hindu mythology, who are a link between human and gods.

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The original dates of temple is not known, but it is believed to be existing from the times of Ramayana, a pre historic event as per ancient Hindu texts. The Jakhu hill is the highest peak around Shimla, and is famous for its trekking options. The Jakhu hill offers excellent views of sunrise, sunset, mountains and town. The hill is full of narrow paths and roads which are an enjoyable walks.

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According to Hindu mythology, Lord Hanuman relaxed on this very spot when he was transporting ‘Sanjeevani’ the medicinal herb from the Himalayas to Lord Lakshman. The herb saved Lord Lakshman’s life. The place was named after the learned sage Yaaku-who meditated here. There are many monkeys around Jakhu Temple, but they do not attack visitors. Some pilgrims to Jakhu Temple offer the monkeys edible eatables, which they accept with alacrity. The approach to the temple is through a dense forest of deodars. Jakhu Temple is easily accessible from Shimla city. The temple is a 45 minute walk from Shimla Ridge. You can also take a pony to visit Jakhu Temple. Jakhu Temple offers a superb vantage point for witnessing the ethereal Himalayan skyline during sunrise or sunset. Jakhu Temple is situated at a height of around 2 Km from the base of Jakhu hill. To reach the temple, a trek of 2 kms, through dense pine forests is required. The trek is very tiring. One can also hire ponies from the base of hills, to take a to and fro ride to temple. Walking sticks are also available at the shops on the base of Jakhu hill.