| Jwala Ji Temple | |
|---|---|
جُوالا جی مَندَر | |
.jpg) Jwala Ji Mandir | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Pulwama |
| Deity | Jwala Ji |
| Festival | Jwala Mukhi Mela |
| Location | |
| Location | Khrew |
| State | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Country | India |
  Location in Jammu and Kashmir | |
| Coordinates | 34°01′18.2″N74°59′41.6″E / 34.021722°N 74.994889°E /34.021722; 74.994889[1] |
| Elevation | 1,607 m (5,272 ft)[2] |
Jwala Ji Temple (Kashmiri:جُوالا جی مَندَر) orJwalamukhi Temple (Kashmiri:جُوالامُکھی مَندَر) is Hindu shrine in the town ofKhrew in thePulwama district ofJammu and Kashmir, India.[3][4]
The temple is dedicated to the deityJwala Ji, theKul Devi of manyKashmiri Hindu families.[2]
Every year in the month ofAshadha, the Jwalamukhi Fair is held at the mandir; it exemplifies communal harmony common to the tradition ofKashmiriyat, with bothKashmiri Hindus andKashmiri Muslim celebrating the festival.[5]
The historianKalhana refers to the village "Khrew" in theRajatarangini as "Khaduvi" and writes of three hundred and sixty freshwater springs being present there.[2] According to Kalhana, at the hillside to the east of the village, a mystical diagram was drawn on a rock.[2]
The construction of the Jwal Ji temple dates back to the twentieth century, commissioned by Raja Daya Krishna Kaul. Legend has it that before the temple was built, the divine presence of Jwala Devi appeared as a radiant light (Jyoti) at this sacred site. The story goes that the gods were on a quest to seize Kubera's treasure, but the demons tried to stop them. Upon the deities' request, Jwala Devi intervened and halted the gods' journey at this location. In response to the plea of the deities, Jwala Devi decided to reside permanently at this place, leading to the establishment of the revered Jwal Ji temple.[6]
At the base of the hill, the shrine has aholy spring locally calledBod Nag,Aneek Nag,Anu Nag, orNagabal.[2] It is customary for pilgrims to performablutions with the water of the holy spring before entering the temple.[2][7]
Towards N. 65° E. of Jwalamukhi temple at Khrew ( 34°01': 75°00'; 43 J / 16 ) also, there are outcrops of limestone with CaO, 49 per cent.
An important festival is Jwalamukhi fair which is held in village Khrew near Pulwama. The temple is situated on top of a small hillock and is known as Jwalamukhi. The festival falls on or about 16th July and is celebrated by Hindus as well as Muslims. About 250 to 300 stalls are set up by Muslim peasants for the sale of different kinds of commodities. Confectionary shops and such other stalls in which earthen trays with ghee and a cotton wick are available for sale are run by Hindu shopkeepers.
Jwala Mukhi Shrine at Khrew. The Shrine is situated 16 miles south - east of Srinagar with a spring where people bathe, and a temple on a hillock.
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