Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth temple is a famous shrine to the goddess Jwalamukhi, considered to be an incarnation of the goddess Adi Parashakti, also known as Durga or Kali. The temple is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. It is located in the “Kalidhar” part of the Kangra Valley in the shadow of the Shivalik range. It is believed that the Pandavas constructed this as their first temple. The Devi Temple Jwala Ji, which honours the “Goddess of Light,” is located in Jawala Mukhi in the Himachal Pradesh district of Kangra.

Sati’s tongue is said to have fallen at the very place where Jwala Devi temple is currently arranged. The Holy Flames, or Jwala, which are always burning, are used as a symbol to represent Sati’s Tongue. The Jwala Devi Temple is unlike any other religious institution. There is no worship of idols or deities. It has a series of normal flares or Jyotis since days of yore accepted to be the image of Goddess.

Story Behind Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth

The goddess of Dakshayani, Sati, Parvati, or Durga—Hinduism’s most important woman and most powerful deity—is called Shakti. Durga Devi, Mahakali, and Gowri are the three main manifestations of Shakti, the power goddess. She is Adi Shakti’s avatar.

Sati was the Prajapati Daksha’s daughter, and she married Lord Shiva despite Her father’s wishes. Prajapati Daksha once put together a massive yagya, but he didn’t call his daughter and son-in-law. Sati was very saddened by Her father’s actions. When she got there, her father ignored the Sati and insulted her. She could not bear the insult of his husband (Lord Shiva) and she jumped into the fire of Yagya and committed suicide. She passed away, but her body didn’t burn. Lord Shiva had taken His Virabhadra Rupa out of rage. Daksha’s head was cut off by him, but in the end, He forgave him by bringing him back to life.

Lord Shiva, devastated, had taken Sati’s body and wandered the universe. Finally, Lord Vishnu used His Chakra to break Sati’s body into pieces. Each body part transformed into Shakti Pitha. The temple had emerged where the body part had fallen to the ground. In order to safeguard the Shakti Pitha, Lord Shiva created 51 Bhairava for each one.

Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of India where Goddess Sati’s tongue is believed to have fallen. According to legends, a cowherd once discovered that one of his cows never produced milk. He then ran after the cow to learn the real reason behind it. He was surprised to see a girl emerge from the dense forest, consume the cow’s milk, and then vanish like a whirlwind. Afterwards, he uncovered the whole story to the king, who was aware of the fact that Sati’s tongue had fallen in the area. However, he was unable to pinpoint the exact location.

The cowherd reported the sight of flames burning in the mountains to the king after a few years. The king finally had darshan and found the right spot to build the temple. He organized additional things and hired priests to regularly worship the Goddess Shakti. It is said that Rajanaka Bhumi Chand was the one who first constructed the temple. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the Pandavas came later and restored the temple.

History of Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth

As per the legend, the Mughal Invader Akbar had a strong belief in this holy shrine. He was surprised about the flame coming out from the Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth temple. Fearing that the fire might destroy the town, Akbar, the former emperor of the Mughal dynasty, once attempted to put out the flames by covering them with an iron disk and even spraying water on them. But the flames blasted after all his efforts. Akbar then introduced a brilliant parasol (chhatri) to the sanctum.

However, the parasol fell suddenly, forming a new metal from the gold that is still unknown to the rest of the world. His confidence in the goddess was even more fortified after this episode. To satisfy their spiritual needs, thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine throughout the year.

The architecture of Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth

The current temple complex comprises a gold-plated vault, various pinnacles and a silver entry entryway. The Dhauladhar mountain range surrounds the temple. Within the sanctum sanctorum, the goddess Jwalamukhi is adored as an eternal flame that rises from a small crack in a rock. There is a huge brass bell in front of the main shrine that was presented by the King of Nepal. It is believed that the shrine is dedicated to the worship of nine flames, which represent the Navadurgas.

The origin of the flames and the time they started are both unknown. According to predictions made by scientists, there is an underground volcano beneath the temple and the natural gas from that volcano burn through the rock as flames.

Maa Chandi, Mahakali, Hing Laj, Annapurna, Mahalakshmi, Vindhya Vasini, Ambika, Saraswati, and Anjana are the nine eternal flames in the temple. The ancient rock has cracks that release the blue flames. There are a few little hallowed places, including Gorakh Dibbi and Chaturbhuj Sanctuary, inside the temple complex.

Facts about Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth

• Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth is one of the highly revered temples in India devoted to divine Shakti. The temple is dedicated to Jwala Devi (a form of goddess) who is presiding in the form of flames.
• Sati’s tongue is accepted to have fallen at the very place where Jwala Devi temple is currently arranged.
• Jawala Ji is a great heritage centre for not only the people of Jawala Mukhi, Kangra or Himachal Pradesh but for the whole world. From March to April and September to October every year colourful fairs are held during the Navaratra celebration.
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh paid a visit to the temple in 1815 and the dome of the temple was gold-plated by him.
• Just a few feet above the Jwalamukhi temple there is a six-feet deep pit with a circumference of about three feet. At the bottom of this pit, there is another small pit about one and a half feet deep with hot water bubbling all the time.
• The history of the temple reveals that the Mughal Invader Akbar once visited this place and tried to douse the fire but did not succeed.
• Several Flames emit at various points inside the temple. There are a total of nine flames which are given various names of different Goddesses.
• At the entrance, there are two lion statues and the temple’s architecture consists of a dome and several pinnacles.

Festivals In Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth

• Durga Puja. (Winter) – Devotees celebrate Navaratri at this temple in the month of Ashwin (Sep-Oct).
• Navaratri. (Summer) – They celebrate other Navaratri in the fortnight of the Chaitra (March-April). Every nine days they worship Navadurga (nine Durgas).
• Diwali – Diwali is one of the most admired and auspicious festivals in the town.
• Mahashivratri– A grand fair is organized at the Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth during the occasion of Maha Shivratri.

How to Reach Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth

Jwala Devi Shaktipeeth is located on a small spur on the Dharamshala-Shimla road at a distance of about 20 km from the Jawalamukhi Road Railway Station and attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year.

By Air: Kangra airport is the nearest airport situated in Gaggal, Himachal Pradesh at a distance of approximately 50 km from the temple. Shimla Airport and Chandigarh Airport are present at about 190 km and 210 km, respectively.

By Railway: Jwalamukhi Road Railway Station is the nearest at around 21 km from the temple. Pathankot is the nearest broad gauge located at a distance of about 112 km.

Nearest Bus Station/Cabs:  State-owned and private bus services are available from all the important cities of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, New Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir. One can also hire a cab or taxi to reach the place.

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