Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangra

Jwalamukhi Temple, also known as Jwalaji, is situated at a distance of 30 km to the south of the Kangra Valley. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity named Jwalamukhi, known as the deity with a blazing mouth. One of the noted attractions of the place is a copper pipe, out of which natural gas emerges. In all, there are nine similar flames in the chamber of the temple, which are named after different goddesses including Mahakali, Unpurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Bindhya Basni, Maha Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ambika and Anji Devi.

According to folklore, the temple was built over the place where the tongue of Sati, the goddess of wedded contentment and longevity, fell. It is believed that the goddess exists here in the form of tiny flames. Blue flames emerge out of the fissures of the ancient rock situated in the temple. According to a legend, the Mughal Emperor Ashoka also came to pay a visit to the temple to check how genuine it is. On seeing the flames, he is said to have become a devotee of the goddess. He is also said to have presented a gold umbrella to the temple apart from constructing a watercourse in the temple’s premises to snuff out the flames of the temple.