TEMPLES IN JAMMU

Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir is famous for its ancient and modern Hindu temples. There are a large number of shrines in the division, so much that it is known as the city of temples.The holy place are a centre of worship and many important pilgrimages for the Hindus. Innumerable place of worship with dazzling tops that soar into the sky adore the city. Many important and historicshrines are presentthroughout the province. Among the most important holy place include:

RAGUNATH TEMPLE

Ragunath is the biggest holy place complex of the Jammu city comprising of 17 marvellous holy places. The shrines have idols of Gods and Goddesses. The complex was constructed over a period of 6 years from 1851 to 1857. The construction began in the rule of Maharaja Gulabsingh with his orders and it was completed during the reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh.

MATA VAISHNO DEVI TEMPLE

Mata vaishno Devi is the world famous holy place of Jammu located on the Mata Vaishno hills. The Place is an important pilgrimage centre for the Hindus and numerous pilgrims from all over India come to this shrine to geta darshanand pay homage to the Goddess Vaishno Devi, to whom the it is dedicated.It is located near Katra town of Reasi district of Jammu division. This temple is the most precious procession of the Reasi district. Over five million people visit the shrine annually. It is actually a 100 feet long cave with a narrow opening. The water from the Holy Ganges washes the lotus feet of the holy goddesses ‘Pindian’. There are three natural Pindies of MahaSaraswati, Maha Lakshmi and Mahakali which are symbolic of the creative, preservative and destructive aspects of the Divine power. The shrine is ancient and finds mention in the vedas and many other religious scriptures of the Hindus.

BAHU TEMPLE

This holy place is dedicated to the Goddess Kali, the reigning deity of the region of Jammu. Bahu temple is situated inside the Bahu Fort, the oldest fort of the city. Situated at a distance of mere 5 km from the city, the holy place is popularly known as BaveWali and is located on a rock face on the left side of the Tawi River. The fort was originally built by Raja Bahulochan, brother of Raja Jambulochan who was the founder of Jammu city. The holy placereceives a huge number of devotees and pilgrims consistently, who come to seek the blessings of the deity. The shrine witnesses a rush of people particularly on Sundays and Tuesdays.

SHIVKHORI TEMPLE

Shivkhori is situated in Reasi district and is one of the most venerated cave shrines of Jammu region dedicated to Lord Shiva. The shive lingam forms naturally in the cave and thousands of devotees and tourists visit the cave shrine annually. The cave is 200 metres long and a metre wide and has a four feet high shiv lingam which is believed to be never ending. This cave is known as the Home of Gods due to a number of images of Hindu deities and divine feelings.