Jammu, the city of temples, they rightly called it. But entire Jammu and Kashmir is home to many religious places. Be it Amarnath cave temple or Vaishno Devi, no other place has so many beautiful religious shrines.
This article would take you to different places where you will find yourself surrounded with many religious wonders in your own state.
Here’s a list of five religious places which you should at least visit once in your life time.
Amarnath cave
The Amarnath cave shrine which is situated at an altitude of around 12,756 feet, around 141 km away from Srinagar, is one of the most revered places for Hindus.
Amarnath cave shrine where ice Shiv Linga takes its form during the harsh winters becomes accessible during the months of July-August. It snows almost every time except for a short period when pilgrims visit the cave during summers. Inside the 40 meter cave, there is Shiv Linga which is formed due to freezing of the water droplets and grows up to take a verticle form. Bhrigu Muni is said to be the first to have discovered the cave of Amarnath.
Amarnath yatra undertaken during is accompanied by more than 6 lakh pilgrims, each year. Devotion of people from across the world could not be deterred despite several threats by terrorists.
Vaishno Devi
Situated in the Trikuta Hills, Katra, Vaishno Devi Mandir is one of the most visited and beautiful religious shrines in India. With over 81 lakh pilgrims visiting every year, Mata Vaishno Devi is considered to be the most revered places across the globe.
It is a 13 km climb from Katra town to Vaishno Devi shrine, with the facility of helicopter booking which can make you reach in a short span. Horses can also make your journey easier as the ascend is too steep. Along with this the whole pathway is dotted with various restaurants and kiosks. Pilgrims love visiting Vaishno Devi Mandir during the Navaratas.
Bawe Wali Mata
It is a fort temple constructed on the banks of Tawi, believed to be constructed by Raja Bahulochan. Bahu Fort is the home of Maa Kali. With beautiful Bagh-e-Bahu around the ambiance becomes serene. It is visited by thousands of pilgrims and locals each Tuesday and Sunday, during Navrataras.
The fort gives a picturesque view of the Jammu town escorted by the view of Tawi. Behind the fort are the hills of Jammu. With Halwa and Puri as ‘prasad’ (sanctified sweet), various small shops through the pathway to the temple is a beautiful view.
Machail Mata
The shrine of Machail Mata in Machail village of Kishtwar is the home to Maa Durga. From Gulabgarh, the actual journey begins on foot which takes around 2 days to reach the destination.
One can go through helicopters that would take around 7-8 minutes but it’s like missing a breath taking view, the mountains, the greenery and the atmosphere makes the journey more beautiful.
Raghunath Temple
The temple also known as the heart of Jammu city was constructed by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1835. The temple consisting of Seven Hindu shrines, but the deity is mainly of Lord Rama. All the walls are adorned with paintings of Lord Ram and Krishna. The paintings are based on the themes collected from the holly books of Ramayan, Bhagwat Geeta and Mahabharata. Along with religious attributes, the place even consists of School and a library.
Many Jammu residents visit the temple weekly and daily. The temple also suffered a terrorist attack in 2002.
With these five religious places we come to the conclusion. Only Amarnath cave shrine is based out of Jammu region while rest all the religious shrines are located in Jammu division.
The article is authored by Minal Puri who is a contributing writer for Jknewsline
