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

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

. 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 States and territories of India, state of Uttarakhand. Pauri is the seat of the Divisional Commissioner of the Garhwal Division. Geography Pauri is located at . It i ...

on the main Pauri-

Kotdwar Kotdwar is a city, municipal corporation in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, India. It is just 101 km from Pauri, the district headquarter. It is the eighth-largest city in Uttarakhand. Its old name was "Kootdwar", 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 ''kuladevata'' (), 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, ...

of Raturi, Thapliyal and Bisht clan.

Festivals

Every year two

Navaratri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and aga ...

s are held,

Chaitra Chaitra () 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 Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...

and Shardiya ones. A fair is also held on

Basant Panchami Vasant Panchami , also rendered Vasanta Panchami and Saraswati Puja in honour of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of Spring (season), spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions i ...

Legend

According to Skandpurana,

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

, 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 (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

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 (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedic scholar, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and his true impact lies in hi ...

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