Mamal Temple or Mamaleshwar Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

, located in

Pahalgam Pahalgam () or Pahalgom () is a town in Anantnag district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located on the banks of Lidder River at an altitude of in the Vale of Kashmir. Pahalgam is the headquarters of the Pahalga ...

town in

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

. It is situated on the banks of

Lidder River The Lidder or Liddar ( Kashmiri: لیٔدٕر, IPA: /lʲədɨr/, ) is a river situated in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It originates from the Kolahoi Glacier and feeds the Jhelum River in Mirgund Khanabal, at an altitu ...

at an elevation of . According to legend, this is the temple where

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

was placed as door keeper by

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, ...

, not allowing anyone to enter the premises without her permission. This is the place where

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

cut the head of

and gave him an elephant head. There are 2 idols inside the temple. One is a Shiva Linga at the center of the temple and a small two face idol of Nandi on the right corner. Mam Mal means ''don't go'', and thus it is also known as Mammal temple.

History

This temple was constructed around 400 AD (1,600 years ago) and was reconstructed and opened for worship in the medieval period. The

Rajatarangini ''Rājataraṅgiṇī'' (Sanskrit: Devanagari, राजतरङ्गिणी, IAST, romanized: ''rājataraṅgiṇī'', International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɑː.d͡ʑɐ.t̪ɐˈɾɐŋ.ɡi.ɳiː ) is a metrical legend ...

refers to a temple called Mammesvara and recorded its decoration with a golden kalasa at its top by king Jayasimha.

Legend

According to legend, this is the temple where Ganesha was placed as door keeper by

, not allowing anyone to enter the premises without her permission. This is the place where

cut the head of

and gave him elephant head. Mam Mal means ''don't go'', and thus it is also known as Mammal temple.

References

5th-century Hindu temples Hindu temples in Jammu and Kashmir {{Hindu Temples in Jammu and Kashmir