The temple was constructed by Raja Guje Singh of Jammu (1687-1703) and is considered one of the oldest in Jammu. It is linked to the visit of Shankaracharya in the ninth century A.D. The temple, constructed much later, is considered sacred because of the self- originated Shivalinga ( Svayambhuva Shiva linga). One of the most revered Shiva Shrines in the city, the Lord is worshipped here in the Swachananda form having five faces representing the totality of Shiva in His most abstract form. Hence it is known as Panchvaktar. The temple is also popularly known as ‘ Rupay Wala Mandir’ as coins have been embedded in the floor slabs. It seems that there were also inscriptions in Dogri script on the exterior of the surrounding walls. The Temple is situated in a lane off the Residency Road barely a kilometer from the Raghunath Bazar.
During the reign of Raja Biram Dev of Jammu (1454 – 95) a famous mendicant Jogi Guru Garib Nath belonging to the Guru Gorakh Nath order came to Jammu and resided at Peer Kho. Kho means cave in the local dialect. He came to be known as Peer-i-Kho and thus with the passage of time the cave got its name. The cave is also known as the Jamwant Gufa (cave) as the bear hero of Ramayana is believed to have meditated here. A Shivlinga is established inside the cave. Devotees throng the cave on Puranmashi, Amavasya and Ekadashi and during Shivratri. The temple is situated on the Circular Road, 2 kms from Raghunath Bazar.
Amarnath – Shiva, in the form of a lingam, is formed naturally of an ice – stalagmite One of the holy trinity, Shiva is a living god.The most ancient and sacred book of India, the Rig Veda evokes his presence in its hymns. Vedic myths, ritual and even astronomy testify to his existence from the dawn of time.
Shiva is known to have made his home in the Himalayas. He built no house nor shelter, not for himself or his bride. He was an ascetic, and yet married; he could be both for “he was the wild god sporting in the forest or taking his ease on a cloud.”
Legend has it that Shiva recounted to Parvati the secret of creation in the Amarnathji cave. Unknown to them, a pair of mating pigeons eavesdropped on this conversation and having learned the secret, are reborn again and again, and have made the cave their eternal abode.
Pilgrims visit the holy site during the 45-day season around the festival of Shravani Mela in July–August, coinciding with the Hindu holy month of Shraavana. The beginning of the annual pilgrimage, called Amarnath Yatra is marked by ‘pratham pujan’ to invoke the blessings of Shri Amarnathji.
The closest airport to Amarnath is Srinagar, located at a distance of around 95 km from Pahalgam, the base camp for Amarnath Yatra. Srinagar is connected to major cities in India. In olden days the route was via Rawalpindi (Pakistan) but now a direct train is there connecting rest of India to Jammu, the winter capital of the State. The best part of journey is between Guru Purnima and Shravan Purnima. The Government of Jammu and Kashmir makes all arrangements for the comfort of the pilgrims for undertaking the ritualistic journey for visiting the shrine on Shravan Purnama.But the highly unpredictable weather of the mountains should be more obliging before Guru Purnima as rains would not start. There is a bus service from Jammu to Pahalgam (7,500 ft.). At Pahalgam the pilgrims arrange for coolies or ponies to carry gear of food and clothes etc. Everybody remains busy making arrangements for the Yatra. The golden glow of, the sun falls on the turbulent river at Pahalgam. Pahalgam in Kashmiri means the land of shepherds.iT can be also conducted through Sonmarg-Baltal route. Helicopter service has also been started to ferry yatris from pahalgam to pajtarni and from baltal to pajtarni and return.
Kheer Bhawani is a temple dedicated to the worship of the goddess Kheer Bhawani (originally just Bhawani) constructed over a sacred spring of hers in a natural setting. The worship of Kheer Bhawani is universal among the Hindus of Kashmir. The temple is situated at a distance of 14 miles east of Srinagar near the village of Tula Mula. The term kheer refers to the food used to propitiate the goddess, which became part of the name. As is the custom with Hindu deities, she has many names: Maharagya Devi, Ragnya Devi, Rajni, Ragnya Bhagwati, and so on.
It is said that the night during which Mother Goddess came from (Sri) Lanka to Kashmir was named Ragniya Ratri In Kashmir a number of shrines are deciated to Mother Goddess at Tiker, Bhuvaneshvar, Manzgam (Noor-abad) Bheda, Lo-qraer-pur, Mani-gam, Rai-than and Baed-pur, but the Shrine at Tul-Mul is the most famous one and hence the focus of yatris. 360 springs (nagas) are said to have gathered there. Ragniya is a Sattavie form of Mother Goddess, i.e. the form of tranquility and bliss. The mention of Kheer Bhawani is found in Kalhana’s Rajtarangini. Kalhana writes that the sacred spring of Tula Mula is situated in a marshy ground. The name of the spring is Mata Ragini Kund (pond). Maharagini is the form of Durga Bhagvati. The brahmins of Kashmir worship this spring and pilgrims from every comer of the country visit to have the darshan of the place. Around the temple is an area covered with smooth and beautiful stones. In it are large, antique chinar trees beneath which the pilgrims sit or sleep on mats of grass. The colour of the spring changes. While most of the colours do not have any particular significance, the colour black is taken as an indication for inauspicious times for Kashmir. In 1886 Walter Lawrence, the British Settlement Commissioner for land, noted during his visit to the spring that its color was having a violet tinge.
Kheer Bhawani Temple lies near the village of Tul Mul and is a place of belief and faith for the Hindu followers. The temple derives its name from the Kheer which is a rice and milk pudding. The people offer this pudding as a symbol of their worship and faith.The Kheer Bhawani temple was built over a scared spring. A marvellous marble temple with splendid architecture has been built in the premises of the main temple. An annual festival is organised on the eighth day of the full moon in the month of May or June. The people believe that the colour of the water of the lake changes according to the avatars of Goddess Kheer Bhawani. A number of historical relics are related to the origin of the temple. It is believed that Maharagya was happy with the true love and devotion of Ravana. Ravana placed a statue of the Goddess in the temple. But later, she became upset by the atrocities of Ravana. She instructed Hanuman ji to place her idol in the village of Tul Mull. Pilgrims from all parts of the country come to visit this holy shrine and seek the blessings of Goddess.
Every day..
The Martand Sun Temple was a Kashmiri Hindu temple dedicated to Surya (the chief solar deity in Hinduism) and built during the 8th century CE. Martand is another Sanskrit name for the Hindu Sun-god. Now in ruins, the temple is located five miles from Anantnag in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The temple has a colonnaded courtyard, with its primary shrine in its center and surrounded by 84 smaller shrines,stretching to be 220 feet long and 142 feet broad total and incorporating a smaller temple that was previously built.The temple turns out to be the largest example of a peristyle in Kashmir, and is complex due to its various chambers that are proportional in size and aligned with the overall perimeter of the temple. In accordance with Hindu temple architecture, the primary entrance to the temple is situated in the western side of the quadrangle and is the same width as the temple itself, creating grandeur. The entrance is highly reflective of the temple as a whole due to its elaborate decoration and allusion to the deities worshiped inside. The primary shrine is located in a centralized structure (the temple proper) that is thought to have had a pyramidal top – a common feature of the temples in Kashmir. Various wall carvings in the antechamber of the temple proper depict other gods, such as Vishnu, and river goddesses,such as Ganga and Yamuna, in addition to the sun-god Surya
The Martand Sun Temple was built by the third ruler of the Karkota Dynasty, Lalitaditya Muktapida, in the 8th century CE. It is said to have been built during 725-756 CE.[4] The foundation of the temple is said to have been around since 370-500 CE, with some attributing the construction of the temple to have begun with Ranaditya.
The Martand temple was built on top of a plateau from where one can view whole of the Kashmir Valley. From the ruins and related archaeological findings, it can be said it was an excellent specimen of Kashmiri architecture, which had blended the Gandharan, Gupta, Chinese, Roman, Syrian-Byzantine and Greek forms of architecture.
Through out the year.
Sarthal Mata, considered as re-incarnation of Goddess Durga,is the chief deity of Hindus in Kishtwar (Jammu and Kashmir)and adjoining areas. Originally made from the stones by locals under patronage of Raja Agar Dev of Kishtwar, this holy temple was renovated by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1936 from the wood of Dayalwan and Deviyun-van forest.Situated at approximately 6000 feet, this scenic temple is covered with snow during winters.A number of peaks in the Pir Panjal Range are visible from the temple.
According to the local legend, Shri Paul who was the first saint from Kishtwar region, had directed his disciples to worship goddess durga in the form of Mother with 18 Arms. The legend goes on to say that one of the locals was able to invoke goddess in the form of a young girl who pointed towards the eighteen armed idol of goddess. King Agar Dev of Kishtwar is then believed to send his courtiers to make a temple for the idol at an appropriate place. It is said that the Idol became too heavy to be carried beyond its present abode at Sarthal where a Stone Temple was constructed.
Annual pilgrimage (in the month of July) to the temple is an important event in the local calendar when people from nearby villages throng the temple to receive blessings of the goddess. People bring in tridents (trishul) to the temple. The temple boasts of trident collection that is hundreds of years old. During the Dogra Rule, this pilgrimage was known as “Sarkari Yatra” during which there was a 3-day holiday in entire Doda district for celebration of this yatra. It is considered auspicious to have Mundan (First Hair removal of a baby) at the temple. It has a dedicated vehicular road starting from Hasti (Near Kishtwar) that leads unto the base of temple. The temple is situated on the top of a hillock, and has some difficult stairs to be climbed to reach the top.ne of the Reshi has been attracting its devotees from the distant corners of the state all over the year, but the huge rush of his devotees is seen during its urs days which begins from the 16th of Zeth of the local Calendar.
Throughout the year.
Raghunath Temple is a well-known holy shrine of the Hindus. Located in Jammu, Raghunath Mandir is one of the largest temple complexes of the Northern part of India.
Sharika Devitemple is dedicated to Goddess Jagadamba Sharika Bhagwati,an incarnation of Mata Durga/ Shakti. The idol inside the temple has 18 arms and is regarded as the presiding deity of the Srinagar by Hindu followers.
The Shankaragaurishvara Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and located in Patan, near Baramulla, India.The temple was built by Shankaravarman of Kashmir.
Wangath Temple complex is a group of monuments in Wangath, close to Naranag, in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir.
