Jwalamukhi Homam
A Flame That Burns Through Crevices Of Rocks
Goddess Jwalamukhi is an aspect of Universal Mother Goddess Shakti. Her temple is a Shakti Peet, a holy place where her tongue fell. In this temple in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, the goddess is worshipped as Ambika and also referred to as Goddess of Light. The flame that burns through the crevices of rocks is eternal and there is no idol as such in the temple.
The Vedic scriptures say that Daksha, the son of Brahma and father of Sati, performed a yagna without inviting his son in law Lord Shiva. He actually wanted to humiliate the Lord who was married to his daughter as he considered him unfit because he was a yogi. He did not invite his daughter even though she went against the wishes of her consort. The lord finally gave in and allowed Sati to go with the ganas (followers) escorting her. She did not receive any respect from her father who also spoke ill of Lord Shiva.
How The Shakti Peetas Came Into Existence
This angered Sati who without a second thought, jumped into the sacrificial fire and killed herself. When the lord heard this, he was furious and along with the ganas destroyed the oblation and killed Daksha.
Lord Shiva carried his consort’s body and danced as if oblivious to what he was doing in mad frenzy. No one could stop the movement of rage. Lord Vishnu came forward and aimed his Sudarshan chakra which tore the body of the sati to pieces which fell at different spots all over the Indian subcontinent. Each body part formed a shakti and there are 52 such peetas or hot seats of the goddess. Of the 52, the tongue fell at Kangra in Himachal Pradesh and came to be the ever burning Jwalamukhi, the goddess with a flaming mouth.
Why Pournami Day Is Very Auspicious For Worship Goddess Jwalamukhi
The Discovery Of Flame Goddess Jwalamukhi
Once, in the 19th century, a king called Raja Bhumi Chand Katoch dreamt of a holy place Jwalamukhi. He asked his men to locate the place and when they traced it, they built a temple. Raja Kharak Singh his descendent contributed gold and silver for the dome and door.
Another account says that a cowherd was surprised to find out that his cow never gave him milk and wondered what the reason was. He followed the cow into the forest and saw a girl drinking the milk and disappearing quickly in the forest. He informed the king. They searched the place and could not find out anything. One day, the cowherd discovered flames coming out of the rocks. The king had a vision of the sacred flames, he located the place and built a temple.
Nine Ceaseless Flames At The Jwalamukhi Temple
Goddess Jwalamukhi has manifested as nine interminable flames called Vindhya, Hinglaj, Chandi, Annapurna, Vasini, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Ambika, Anji Devi and Saraswathi.
Jwalamukhi is a powerful deity and paying obeisance to such a great force on the auspicious day of Pournami is considered supreme. Vedicfolks has lined up superior rituals on November 4th, 2017 to the Devi, the consort of Lord Shiva and Goddess with a Flaming Mouth.
