Jammu -Top of the India

Amongst the temples in Jammu, the Raghunath Mandir takes pride of place being situated right in the heart of the city.

The Temple skyline of Jammu city

It consists of a cluster of temples and is the largest temple complex in northern India. Its inner sanctums contain gigantic statues of deities and numerous ‘lingams’. It contains representatives of almost the entire Hindu pantheon, which make it a rare site to behold.

Bawey Wali Mata Temple

The famous temple of Bawey Wali Mata is inside the Bahu Fort where, every Tuesday 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.

The Peer Kho cave temple overlooking the Tawi river, the Panchbakhtar temple and the Ranbireshwar temple are the other well known Shiva temples in Jammu.

Ranbireshwar Temple

Lingam in Ranbireshwar Temple

Located on Shalimar Road near the New Secretariat and built by Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1883 AD, this historic temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It has one central 'lingam' measuring seven-and-a-half ft in height, twelve Shiva 'lingams' of crystal measuring from 15" to 38" and galleries with thousands of others carved on stone slabs.

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. Other important temples in Jammu are the Lakshmi Narayan temple, Duda Dhari temple and the Panj Mandir in Gandhi Nagar.

Peer Khoh

Peer Khoh is a cave shrine located on the Circular Road, 3.5 kms from the heart of the town. There is a naturally formed Shiva lingam in the cave which is quite mysterious as neither its antiquity nor its cause are known. Legend has it that the cave leads underground to many other cave shrines and even out of the country.

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.

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 vastly outnumber their Muslim brethren at this shrine; such is the faith of the people in Peer Baba. Most VIPs make it a point to visit this ‘durgah’ when they come to Jammu.

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.

Amongst the temples in the city, the Raghunath Mandir takes the pride of place, being situated right in the heart of Jammu. It consists of a cluster of temples, which makes it the largest temple complex in Northern India. The inner sanctums of the temples contain gigantic statues of Gods and Goddesses and numerous 'Lingams'. It contains representatives of almost the entire Hindu Pantheon, which makes it a rare sight to see.

The famous temple of "Bawey Wali Mata' is inside the Bahu Fort, where every Tuesday and Sunday, pilgrims throng and jostle one another to worship the Goddess. A little further away, on a hilltop opposite the Bhu Fort, is a lovely spot overlooking the river Tawi, where a temple dedicated to Mahamaya has been constructed.

It is said that if Bawey Wali Mata is the presiding deity of Jammu, the Dargah o Peer Budhan Ali Shah (Peer Baba) is the other shrine that protects its people from mishaps and evil spirits. A friend of Guru Gobind Singh, Peer Baba lived all his life on milk alone and was 500 years old when he died. On Thursdays, you can find Hindu and Sikh devotees vastly out-numbering their Muslim brethren at this shrine; such is the faith that people have in the Peer baba. Most VIPs make it a point to visit this Dargah when they come Jammu.

The Peer Kho Cave Temple, overlooking the Tawi river, the Panchbakhtar Temple and the Ranbireshwar Temple are the other well known Shiva temples in Jammu. Each has its own legend, its devotees and specific days of worship. In Ranbireshwar Temple, there are 12 Shiva "Lingams" of crystal measuring12" to 18" and galleries with thousands of "Saligrams" fixed on stone slabs. Peer Mitha is another famous shrine in Jammu.

Peer Mitha was a contemporary of Ajaib Deva nd Ghareeb Nath. Both saints were famous for their prophecies and miracles. Mitha means the sweet one for this Peer would accept nothing more than a pinch of sugar from his devotees. Other significant temples are the Laxmi Narayan Temple and Panj Mandir in the posh Gandhi Nagar locality of Jammu.

OTHER PLACES OF WORSHIP

Garrison Church, Satwari. St. Paul's Church Wazarat Road. St. Peter's Church, Christian Colony.

Sikh

Sunder Singh Gurudwara, Gurudwara Road. Tali Sahib Gurudwara, Talab Tillo. Maharani Chand Kaur Gurudwara, below Gumat. Gurudwara Singh Sabha, Nanak Nagar. Kalgidhar Gurudwara, Rehari. Singh Sabha Gurudwara, Raghunath Bazaar.

Muslim

Jamia Masjid, talab Khatikan Jamia Masjid, Ustab Mohalla Jami Masjid, Gole Market Ibrahim Masjid , Wazarat road.