Jwalpa Devi Temple is a shrine dedicated to the goddess Jwalpa, a form of goddess

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

. It's situated on the bank of Nawalika River, 34 km from

Pauri Pauri is a town and a municipal board in Pauri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Pauri is the seat of the Divisional Commissioner of the Garhwal Division. Geography Pauri is located at . It is located 1,765 meters above sea ...

on the main Pauri-

Kotdwar Kotdwar is a city, municipal corporation in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, India. It's just 101 km from Pauri town , the district headquarter. It is the eighth-largest city in Uttarakhand. Its old name was "Khohdwar", which means the ga ...

road. The Anthwal family are the traditional priests and caretakers of this temple, as the present temple was constructed by the late Pandit Shri Dutta Ram Anthwal (the Anthwals, originally from village Aneth, being the landlords of the area). Jwalpa Devi is

Kuladevi A kuladevatā (), also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism. Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion (''bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, and child ...

of Thapliyal and Bisht clan.

Festivals

Every year two

Navaratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...

s are held,

Chaitra Chaitra (Hindi: चैत्र) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Cho ...

and Shardiya ones. A fair is also held on

Basant Panchami Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions in different ways depending on the region. ...

Legend

According to Skandpurana,

Shachi Indrani (Sanskrit: इन्द्राणी, IAST: ''Indrāṇī, lit.'' Indra's queen), also known as Shachi (Sanskrit: शची, IAST: ''Śacī''), is the queen of the devas in Hinduism. Described as tantalisingly beautiful, proud and ki ...

, the daughter of Daityaraj Pulom in Satyuga, had penned the austerity of Maa Parvati, the adhyaksh goddess of the Himalayas at Jwalpa Dham along the river Nayar to receive

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

as husband. Mother Parvati rejoices over Shachi's penance and fulfills her wish, appearing as Deept Jwaleswari, and the place was then named Jwalpa. It is also said that

Adi Shankaracharya Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

visited and prayed in this temple, and the goddess appeared to him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jwala Ji Shakti temples Hindu temples in Uttarakhand Buildings and structures in Kangra district