Raghunath Temple of Jammu and Kashmir is situated in the heart of the city of Jammu, surrounded by a group of other temples. This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. The construction of the temple was started under the rule of Maharaja Gulab Singh who was the founder of the city of Jammu, in 1835 AD. But the work of the temple could not be completed under Maharaja Gulab Singh's supervision. So the temple was completed under the rule of his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1860 AD. The inner walls of the main temple are covered with gold sheet on three sides. There are many galleries with lakhs of 'Saligrams'. The surrounding Temples are dedicated to various Gods and Goddesses connected with the epic Ramayana.
The Raghunath Temple has seven shrines, all with sculptures of Gods in their interiors. The most important shrine houses the Dogra's patron deity, Rama, Vishnu's eighth incarnation. The cluster of temples makes Raghunath Temple complex is the largest temple complex in Northern India. The inner shrines of these temples contain huge, gigantic statues of Gods and Goddesses and numerous 'lingams'. It contains representatives of the entire family of Gods and Goddesses of Hindu Mythology, which makes it a rare sight to see.
The arches and other architectural details of the temple show the amount of Mughal influence. Morning and evening aartis are ritually attended here. There is also a stone lingam in the main temple as well as in the other shrines because this is a center for Shakti worship. Ranbir Singh's portrait has also been put along with a sculpture of Hanuman at the entrance of the temple. The other shrines have images of Vishnu in various incarnations, Siva and Surya. There is also a Snaskrit Library in the temple compound that contains numerous rare manuscripts. The temple is open only from 5 pm.
To visit the temple one just needs to reach Jammu.Jammu has an airport 8 km from the city center. There are flights to Delhi, Srinagar and Leh. There is also a major rail head. Jammu is connected to all parts of the country by the National Highway. By road the distance to Delhi is 586 km, Srinagar is 305 km, Chandigarh is 436 km, Amritsar is 243 km, Katra is 48 km, Manali is 428 km, Patnitop is 112 km and Mansar is 60 km. The main bus station is 0.5 km from the Tourist Reception Centre. For local transport bus, taxi, minibus and auto are available.
On March 30th 2002 militants attacked the Raghunath Temple for the first time. The same year on 24th of November the temple was again attacked. But the damage done at this time was greater than the first. Nine persons were killed and forty-two were injured. In the encounter that followed with the security forces, one militant was gunned down ending the siege. A jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force was also killed. Another terrorist attack was simultaneously launched at the Shivalya Mandir which is also known as Panchbakhar mandir and is only a few hundred meters away from the Raghunath Temple. The militants targeted devotees at the Raghunath Temple as they made their way into the complex by passing the security ring at the gates. They sneaked in much deeper than they had done in March and opened fired indiscriminately.
The Raghunath Temple has seven shrines, all with sculptures of Gods in their interiors. The most important shrine houses the Dogra's patron deity, Rama, Vishnu's eighth incarnation. The cluster of temples makes Raghunath Temple complex is the largest temple complex in Northern India. The inner shrines of these temples contain huge, gigantic statues of Gods and Goddesses and numerous 'lingams'. It contains representatives of the entire family of Gods and Goddesses of Hindu Mythology, which makes it a rare sight to see. The arches and other architectural details of the temple show the amount of Mughal influence. Morning and evening aartis are ritually attended here. There is also a stone lingam in the main temple as well as in the other shrines because this is a center for Shakti worship. Ranbir Singh's portrait has also been put along with a sculpture of Hanuman at the entrance of the temple. The other shrines have images of Vishnu in various incarnations, Siva and Surya. There is also a Snaskrit Library in the temple compound that contains numerous rare manuscripts. The temple is open only from 5 pm.
To visit the temple one just needs to reach Jammu.Jammu has an airport 8 km from the city center. There are flights to Delhi, Srinagar and Leh. There is also a major rail head. Jammu is connected to all parts of the country by the National Highway. By road the distance to Delhi is 586 km, Srinagar is 305 km, Chandigarh is 436 km, Amritsar is 243 km, Katra is 48 km, Manali is 428 km, Patnitop is 112 km and Mansar is 60 km. The main bus station is 0.5 km from the Tourist Reception Centre. For local transport bus, taxi, minibus and auto are available.On March 30th 2002 militants attacked the Raghunath Temple for the first time. The same year on 24th of November the temple was again attacked. But the damage done at this time was greater than the first. Nine persons were killed and forty-two were injured. In the encounter that followed with the security forces, one militant was gunned down ending the siege. A jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force was also killed. Another terrorist attack was simultaneously launched at the Shivalya Mandir which is also known as Panchbakhar mandir and is only a few hundred meters away from the Raghunath Temple. The militants targeted devotees at the Raghunath Temple as they made their way into the complex by passing the security ring at the gates. They sneaked in much deeper than they had done in March and opened fired indiscriminately.
No comments:
Post a Comment