The Jwalamukhi temple is in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, and is the Jvalamukhi pitha of the Pithanirnaya. By the text Sati’s tongue fell here, and the goddess is Siddhida (Ambika) and the Bhairava Unmatta; the Kangra district government website also says the tongue fell here. There is no image: flames issuing from the rock are worshipped as the goddess.
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- Tradition
- Shakta
- Place
- Jawalamukhi town, Kangra district
- State
- Himachal Pradesh
- Country
- India
- Map
- OpenStreetMap (31.8756, 76.3244)
The flames
According to the Kangra district website the goddess is held to be present here not as an image but as natural flames that burn without end; the flame issuing from a hollow rock in the sanctum is the goddess, and usually nine flames are counted, each a different form of the goddess.
According to Kangra district, fairs are held here every year at the Navratri of March-April and of September-October.
How to reach Jwalamukhi
- According to the Kangra district website: about 30 km from Kangra, about 56 km from Dharamshala, about 140 km from Pathankot and about 46-50 km from Gaggal airport.
Main festivals
Where the sources differ
- Government pages do not agree on the aarti and darshan times (the Kangra district website and the state temples portal differ), so no times are given here.
- The count of pithas depends on the text: the Pithanirnaya lists 51, some Bengali lists 52, the Devi Bhagavata (7.30) gives 108 places with names of the goddess, and the early Tantras name only four (Sircar).
Frequently asked questions
Which limb of Sati fell at Jwalamukhi?
By both the Pithanirnaya and the Kangra district website, the tongue. The goddess is Siddhida (Ambika) and the Bhairava Unmatta.
Why is there no image in the Jwalamukhi temple?
The goddess is worshipped here as the flames issuing from the rock; according to the Kangra district website these are held to be her form.
Where is Jwalamukhi Shakti Peetha?
Jwalamukhi Shakti Peetha is in Jawalamukhi town, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
Which lists of tirthas include Jwalamukhi?
The 51 Shakti Peethas (number 5 of 51 in the list).
How to reach Jwalamukhi?
According to the Kangra district website: about 30 km from Kangra, about 56 km from Dharamshala, about 140 km from Pathankot and about 46-50 km from Gaggal airport.
Sources
- D. C. Sircar, The Śākta Pīṭhas (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal 1948; Motilal Banarsidass, 1973): table of the Pithanirnaya pp. 35-37, note on this pitha p. 44 (archive.org)
- Vachaspatyam (Taranatha Tarkavachaspati), "pitha": the list of pithas quoted from the Tantrachudamani (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries, sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de)
- Kangra district (hpkangra.nic.in): Shri Jawalamukhi Mata Temple; Kangra Pilgrimage
- Wikidata Q124213960 (Jwala Ji Kangra): map coordinates
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