Jvālāmukhī

The Goddess as flame · Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh

At Jvālāmukhī there is no image at all. The Goddess is worshipped as small natural flames that burn from openings in the rock inside the sanctum, fed by natural gas. Devotees honour each flame as a form of the Goddess.

The temple lies in the Kangra valley, which also holds the shrines of Cāmuṇḍā Devī, Brajeśvarī Devī and Cintapūrṇī, and many pilgrims visit them together. Navarātri in spring and autumn brings large fairs. March to June and September to November are pleasant.

Pīṭha tradition says Satī’s tongue fell here, and the Goddess shines forth as fire. A popular story tells how the emperor Akbar tried to put out the flames and failed, and then offered a golden canopy (chatra) at the shrine — a tale told locally as a lesson in humility.

Himachal Pradesh · Natural flames · Navarātri · Kangra valley

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