Jwala of Kashmir in
Khrew,
Jammu and Kashmir, India
Jwalamukhi Temple is a
Kashmiri Hindu mandir (temple) located in
Khrew. On 16 July, the Jwalamukhi Fair is hosted annually and is celebrated by both
Hindus and
Muslims (cf.
Kashmiriyat).
Jwala Kangra The most well-known Jwala shrine is located in the town of
Jawalamukhi, in the lower
Himalayan area of the
Kangra district, in the state of
Himachal Pradesh of
India. The shrine is from the larger town of
Dharamshala. The temple style is similar to other Jwala shrines with four corners, a small dome on the top and a square central pit of hollowed stone inside where the main flame burns continuously. A fair is held in the environs of the temple annually in July or August, during
Navratras. The temple previously had a library of associated ancient Hindu texts, many of which were translated from Sanskrit into Persian at the orders of
Firuz Shah Tughlaq when the
Delhi Sultanate overran the Kangra area. According to legend, when
Sati's body was divided into 51 parts, her tongue fell in the area of Jawalamukhi, where it continues to be represented by the flames. Along with her tongue, the flames of Sati's yogic power also fell nearby. Some legends state that Sati's clothes also fell there. Near this area, eternal flames continue to burn in a natural cave.
Jwala Devi of Shaktinagar Jwala Devi Temple is located in
Shaktinagar township of
Sonbhadra district,
Uttar Pradesh. It is an ancient Ashtagrih temple of Jwala Devi and one of the 51 Shaktipeethas of India. The temple is believed to be 1000 years old and constructed by Raja Udit Narayan Singh of
Gaharwal. This is where the tongue of Parvati is worshipped. The idol of the main deity is located in the Sanctum Sanatorium (central place of the temple). The black stone idol in the temple has been installed with other deities surrounding the main idol. This
Jwala Devi Temple is believed to have been blessed with the presence of
Shakti due to the falling of the front tongue of
Sati while
Shiva carried her and wandered through
Āryāvarta in sorrow. Visitors offer gold/silver tongues as offerings after their wishes are fulfilled.
Jwala Mai of Muktinath The flame at the Jwala shrine in the village of
Muktinath is located at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the
Thorong La mountain pass in the
Mustang district of
Nepal. A small amount of natural gas is present in the Himalayan spring that emerges near the shrine, giving it the appearance of fire burning on the water itself. This shrine is usually called the Jwala Mai (
Jwala Mother) temple, and is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.
Atashgah of Baku The
Baku Atashgah is a temple in
Surakhani, a suburb of
Baku in
Azerbaijan. Historically, some Hindu pilgrims have referred to it as the
Baku Jwala. Given that fire is considered highly sacred in both
Hinduism and
Zoroastrianism (as
Agni and
Atar respectively), and the two faiths share similar elements (such as
Yajna and
Yasna) from a common
proto-Indo-Iranian precursor religion, there has been debate on whether the Atashgah was originally a Hindu site or a Zoroastrian one. Many scholars and officials have concluded that this is a Jwala temple due to the presence of several Hindu inscriptions in Sanskrit and Punjabi (as opposed to only one in
Persian) as well as assessments of its Hindu-character by Parsi
dasturs. ==Beyond the Indian subcontinent and Hinduism==