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and Sunday,
pilgrims throng to worship the goddess. A little further away,
on a spur opposite the Bahu Fort, overlooking the river Tawi,
stands a temple dedicated to Mahamaya, a Dogra heroine who
lost her life fourteen centuries ago fighting foreign
invaders.
Ranbireshwar Temple
Each has its own legend, its devotees and specific days of
worship. In Ranbireshwar Temple, there are twelve Shiva
‘lingams’ of crystal measuring 12" to 18" and galleries with
thousands of ‘saligrams’ fixed on stone slabs.
Peer Baba Shrine at Satwari
A friend of Guru Gobind Singh, Peer Baba is said to have lived
his entire life on milk alone and lived to the age of five
hundred. On Thursdays, Hindu and Sikh devotees equally visit
this shrine in a large number like the Muslims. Most of the
VIPs make it a point to visit this ‘durgah’ when they come to
Jammu. It is said that if the Bawey Wali Mata is the presiding
deity of Jammu, the ‘durgah’ of Peer Budhan Ali Shah or Peer
Baba as it is known, is the shrine that protects the people of
this city from mishaps and evil spirits.
Shrine of Peer Mitha
Peer Mitha is another famous Muslim shrine in Jammu. Peer
Mitha was a contemporary of Ajaib Dev and Ghareeb Nath - both
saints were famous for their prophecies and miracles. ‘Mitha’
means ‘the sweet one’, for the Peer would accept nothing more
than a pinch of sugar in offering from his devotees.
Vaishno Devi
Vaishno Devi, the famous Hindu shrine is located about 48 kms.
north of Jammu. This shrine attracts various pilgrims every
year. Vaishno Devi is a cave situated at 1700 m and is 30 m
long. This cave is dedicated to three mother goddesses of
Hinduism. To reach the shrine, you have to must reach Katra,
an attractive town situated at the foot of the Trikuta hills.
From here, it is a 12 kms. climb to the cave temple. You can
reach the shrine either on foot or by ponies. According to the
legend, the goddess Vaishno Devi used the cave as a refuge
where she was fleeing from the demon Bhairon who wanted to
marry her. She was not interested with this and so she killed
him. The devotees who visit the shrine of Vaishno Devi also
visit the temple of Bhairon, who absolved for his sins, before
he died.
More....
Shahdra Sharief
The shrine of Shahdra-Sharief in Rajouri district, 177 kms
from Jammu, is one of the most popular Muslim shrines of Jammu
region, visited by thousand of devotees every day. Built in
the 19th century on a beautiful hillock in Thanna Mandi area
and situated about 29 kms from Rajouri town, the Shahdra
Sharief has great historical significance in the context of
the origin of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. According to
historical sources, in 1820 AD, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of
Punjab sent his army general Gulab Singh to defeat an
adversary. Out of the 150 companies of troops taken on this
expedition, only 25 soldiers could stay with the General. At
last he camped at Thanna-Mandi and went to call on a local
recluse named Baba Ghulam Shah ‘Badshah’, who lived in the
nearby locality of Shah-dara and was known as a wise and pious
person. When Gulab Singh approached the saint, he found him
sitting under a tree with an apricot twig in hand and in deep
devotion. (According to some legends it was the saint who had
sent one of his disciples to invite the general). Gulab Singh
climbed the mountain to cast his glance in the direction of
Jammu, Kashmir, Kishtawar and Tibet. He was highly pleased
with the recluse and expressed his intention to grant a
‘jagir’ to him. But the recluse said, "I have a piece of land
granted to me since long, if the Shah-dara locality is added
to it, it will suffice". Consequently, the ‘Sanad’ for both
the land and the locality were issued to him, which continued
to be in the possession of his offspring to this day. Later,
when the saint’s prophesy became true and Gulab Sigh became
maharaja of the Jammu and Kashmir State, he visited Shah-dara
to express his devotion to the saint. But as the saint was not
alive anymore, Gulab Singh built a shrine dedicated to the
saint to pay homage. It is highly inspiring to learn that this
Muslim shrine was built by the Hindu founder of Jammu &
Kashmir. Today, thousands of devotees of all faiths, visit the
shrine every day in deep faith and with great devotion. It is
strongly believed by the multitude of the Baba’s devotees that
their cherished desires are invariably fulfilled.
Interestingly, the pilgrims and visitors to the shrine are
provided free accommodation, food and other facilities by the
shrine management. Now large-scale infrastructure development
carried out by the shrine management as well as the State
Government has made this holy heritage site easily accessible
to everyone and the shrine now attracts large numbers of
pilgrims every year. |
