Holy Pilgrimage – Temples in Jammu and Kashmir State

Khrew Temple (Jawala Bhagavati) , J&K

Khrew or Khreuh is a town and a notified area committee in Pulwama district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Khrew is located at 34.02°N 74.98°E. It has an average elevation of 1,607 metres (5,272 feet).

Holy places

Khrew is also famous for an important temple of Kashmiri Pandits It is a temple which is dedicated to Jawala Bhagwati - the Goddess of fire. The temple is reached by a flight of stone steps. Mela Jawala Mukhi is held here annually on the 14th day of the bright fortnight of Savan (July–August) when pilgrims visit this shrine from all corners of the country. At bottom of the hillock is a spring where people take a dip before making the ascent.

prings

There are more than seven springs flowing in the Khrew. The water is so crystal pure and clear even a needle can be seen from above five feet in it. You will feel cold water in summer and Luke warm in winter.
We can say the water is God's gift to Khrew but the worry is, it will not longer there because the unlimited cement factories pollution is going to make it stagnant.

Saffron

Khrew is the best producer of saffron. The costly spice of the world. According to survey by agriculture departments Khrew is the fourth cultivator of saffron in India. The estimation given by (The saffron dealer of khrew) "Khrew has a capability to grow miniumum 385KG of saffron in a year" up to 2004 we were dealing up to 248 kg of saffron in a year but the problem occurred by these cement industries have shown great decline in this cultivation. In 2010 we have not done deal of saffron more than 73 kg. Which is showing that the loss of capicity to grow in land by the chemicals and dust.
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Raghunath Temple, Jammu, J&K

Jammu - The City of Temples

Today, the city of Jammu has come to be known as the ‘City of Temples’. Innumerable temples and shrines, with glittering ‘shikhars’ soaring into the sky, dot the city’s skyline, creating the ambience of a holy and peaceful city.
Amongst the temples in Jammu, the Raghunath Temple (Mandir) takes pride of place being situated right in the heart of the city.

Raghunath Temple, with seven shrines each with its own Sikhara, is one of the largest temple complex of north India, and is located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The temple was built during the period 1835-1860 by Maharaja Gulab Singh and his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh. The temple has many gods, but the presiding deity is Rama, an Avatar of Vishnu.

On 30 March 2002 when two suicide bombers attacked the temple. Seven persons including three security forces personnel were killed and 20 were injured. While the Hindus were performing puja in the temple complex on 24 November 2002, fidayeen attack by terrorists took place, when two suicide bombers stormed the temple which resulted in the deaths of 13 devotees and injuries to several devotees.

Sikhara

Śikhara, a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India.Sikhara over the sanctum sanctorum where the presiding deity is enshrined is the most prominent and visible part of a Hindu temple of North India.
In south India, the equivalent term for "Sikhara" is "Vimanam".
These are not to be confused with the elaborate gateway-towers of south Indian temples, called "Gopurams", which are perhaps the most prominent features of those temples.

Bave Wali Mata (Goddess Mahakali), Jammu

The Bahu fort today serves as a religious temple is situated on the left bank of the river Tawi. This is perhaps the oldest fort constructed originally by Raja Bahulochan over 3,000 years ago. The temple inside is dedicated to the Goddess Kali popularly known as Bave wali Mata.

Bave Wali Mata is the presiding deity of Jammu . Tuesday and Sunday are special days for worship for the devotees. Fort is surrounded by a beautiful terraced garden.
The famous temple of Bawey Wali Mata inside the Bahu Fort is also known as the temple of Mahakali Goddess and is considered second only to Mata Vaishno Devi.

Ranbireshwar Temple

Ranbireshwar Temple is the other well known Shiva temple in Jammu. Ranbireshwar Temple has its own legend, its devotees and specific days of worship. This famour temple of Lord Shiva is located opposite Jammu & Kashmr Civil Secretariat, on Shalamar Road in Jammu.
In Ranbireshwar Temple, there are twelve Shiva ‘lingams’ of crystal measuring 12" to 18" and galleries with thousands of ‘saligrams’ fixed on stone slabs.

Panchbakhtar Temple

Panchvaktar (five faces) Mahadev Mandir (temple) occupies a unique place, in Jammu, the city of temples. It is one of the oldest Shivalya in the city. Old tales and oral histories state that Adi Shankryacharya visited this site and stayed there; while some believe that it was discovered much later, during the reign of Raja Mal Dev, in early fourteenth century. The Lingam in this temple is self manifested (Aap Shambu).
This temple was also connected with Shri Amarnath Yatra in past and it was a Padayo (camp) for Sadhus visiting the Holy Cave of Shri Amarnathji.
The temple of such a rare antiquity, heritage and spiritual importance, is situated in the heart of the city at Panch vaktar Road, Jammu.

Peer Kho Cave Temple

The Peer Kho cave temple overlooking the Tawi river is another well known Shiva temple in Jammu. Peer Kho cave is located on the bank of river Tawi and it is widely believed that Ramayan character Jamvant (the bear God) meditated in this cave.

Mahamaya Temple

On the bypass Road, behind Bahu Fort, the city forest surrounds the ancient Mahamaya temple overlooking the river Tawi. A small garden surrounded by acres of woods provides the best view of the city.
Other important temples in Jammu are the Lakshmi Narayan temple, Duda Dhari temple and the Panj Mandir in Gandhi Nagar.

Reaching Jammu

Air Travel: A number of Airlines operate from Jammu Airport to various important destinations like Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar. Helicopter Service is also available from Katra (the base camp of Mata Vaishno Deviji) to Mata Vaishno Deviji Bhawan.

Rail/ Train Travel: Jammu Tawi is an important railhead of the Northern India. Jammu has been very well connected to almost every major town in India and there are very frequent trains to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chenni etc. During the holiday season, additional trains operate to and from various parts of the country.

Road Travel: Jammu is on National Highway 1-A and is connected by the highway network to all parts of the country. Daily bus services of all classes operate to and from Jammu to Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Shimla, Manali etc. Tourists Taxies operate between Jammu - Srinagar and Jammu - Katra ..

Travel distance chart between major tourist destinations in Jammu region of
Jammu & Kashmir, India


Katra	52	40	18	20	97	92	119	109	98	90	81	53	48	42	45	12	0
Charai Muttail	50	48	20	11	88	83	108	100	89	81	72	44	39	30	33	0
Krimchi	67	55	37	27	58	53	74	64	64	56	47	19	14	12	0
Udhampur	64	52	34	24	50	45	77	67	56	48	39	11	6	0
Ladden Kotli	70	58	40	30	55	50	75	66	60	53	46	15	0
Samroli	75	63	45	35	39	34	66	56	45	37	28	0
Kud	103	91	73	63	38	33	38	28	17	9	0
Patnitop	112	100	82	62	47	42	29	19	8	0
Batote	120	108	90	80	55	50	37	27	0
Sanasar	113	119	101	91	66	61	10	0
Sankhpal	141	129	111	101	76	71	0
Sudh Mahadev	112	100	82	72	5	0
Mantalai	117	105	87	77	0
Kali Mata Mandir	48	28	10	0
Jajjar Kotli	30	18	0
Kol Kandoli	12	0
Jammu	0