Jwalamukhi Temple, Pragpur, Himachal Pradesh India

This Popular place of pilgrimage is accessible from kangra (35 Km) as well as Dharamsala (56 Km). The ancient temple, built against a wooded spur, has a dome that was glided by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Pilgrims consider an eternally burning flame emanating from a hollow rock in the sanctum to be a manifestation of goddess Devi. The temple comes alive with Nawaratra celebrations and colourful fairs during March-April and Sept-Oct every year. The famous Jwalamukhi Temple is about 56 km from Dharamsala in the Valley of Beas. It is one of the Shaktipeeths. The goddess is manifest here as tiny blue flames and worshiped as such. There is a musical fountain here which is a pleasure to watch during nights.

Jwalamukhi Temple, KangraThe Jwalamukhi Temple in Kangra District of Himachal is considered extremely sacred for the Hindus. It is located around 35 km south of the Kangra valley in the lap of Shivalik range and is dedicated to Goddess Jwalamukhi, the deity of Flaming Mouth. The legend of the Jwalamukhi Temple relates to Sati.  Jwalamukhi temple is the place where the tongue of Sati fell. Here the goddess is manifested as tiny flames that burn through the fissures in the age old rock. The temple of Jwalamukhi is not an architectural delight. Moreover, there is no idol to worship too. Unlike any other temple, this one doesn't have a statue or an image, but a constantly burning blue flame that seems to come from the rocks. Jwalamukhi Temple is a temple of the Goddess of Light. Jwalamukhi is also known as the Flaming Goddess or She of the Flaming Mouth. The building has a gilt dome and a silver plated folding doors. Inside, there is a 3 feet square pit with pathway all around. In the centre, there is a hollowed rock over a primary fissure of flame. This one is regarded as the mouth of the Mahakali. Flames emit out from several other point in the pit. They are nine in total and represent the different form of the goddess - Saraswati, Annapurna, Chandi, Hing Laj, Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali, Ambika and Anjana. There are two lions in front of the temple.

Devotees at Jwalaji TempleFirst built by the Sikh Raja Kharak Singh, the temple is ornate and heavily embellished with a gilt dome, lots of gold and decorated pinnacles. The doors to the temple are of pure silver and of such beauty that Lord Harding is said to have had a copy made for himself. A canal channels the spring waters which come from a different source around the back of the temple and another local story states that the Emperor Akbar built this canal in an attempt to put out the flames in the temple. When it didn't work, he became an ardent devotee himself. In fact one of the local women's songs has lyrics that describe how Akbar came to the temple and placed his gold crown near the flames. The Goddess turned the gold to copper.

The temple dedicated to Goddess Jwalamukhi, the deity of blazing mouth, believed to be the appearance of Goddess Sati is famed for being one of the Shaktipithas of India. The Devi is presented in the form of nine different flames, and the temple has no idols. Each flame represents one Goddess, with the main one assumed as Goddess Kali. The other eight flames at different places in the temple symbolize Goddesses Saraswathi, Annapurna, Hinglaj, Chandi, Vidhya Vasini, Ambika, Lakshmi and Anjana. This temple is 25 km from Pragpur.

The Jwalamukhi Temple is among the most popular religious sites of Pragpur and is situated at a distance of 21 km from the city. This is also one of the most significant Shakti Peeths of India and is dedicated to Goddess Jwalamukhi. Goddess Jwalamukhi is the deity with a blazing mouth and is said to be one of the Avatars of Goddess Sati. The main attraction of this temple is a shining blue flame that emanates from a rock sanctum. At this temple there are no idols of god and this flame itself is worshipped as the manifestation of the goddess. Like these there are nine flames in this temple, each of them representing one goddess with the main one representing Goddess Kali. The other 8 flames symbolize goddesses like Saraswathi, Annapurna, Ambika, Lakshmi, Hinglaj, Chandi, Vidhya Vasini, and Anjana. These flames are famous as they have been burning for a long time without any cotton or oil. The temple also has a golden umbrella, which is said to have been offered here by Emperor Akbar. It also has a huge brass bell that was offered by the King of Nepal. Its most popular festival is the Navaratris that is celebrated here between March-April and September-October. A musical fountain is also situated near this temple.