Jawalamukhi

This article is about the town in Himachal Pradesh. For the constituency, see Jawalamukhi Assembly constituency. For similar uses, see Jwalamukhi.

This article is about the temple town in Himachal Pradesh. For the similarly named temple in Uttar Pradesh, see Jwala Devi Temple (Uttar Pradesh).

Jawalamukhi
Town
Sri Jwalamukhi Devi Temple
Nickname:  Jawalaji
Jawalamukhi Location in Himachal Pradesh, India Show map of Himachal Pradesh Jawalamukhi Jawalamukhi (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 31°52′32″N76°19′28″E / 31.8756100°N 76.3243500°E / 31.8756100; 76.3243500
Country	India
State	Himachal Pradesh
District	Kangra
Elevation	557.66 m (1,829.59 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	5,361
Languages
• Official	Hindi Pahari
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	HP 83

Jawalamukhi, or Jwalamukhi also Jawalaji, or Jwala Temple or Jwala Devi Shakti Pitha ^[1] is a temple town and a nagar parishad in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh has 5 Shakti Pithas ^[2] - Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi Temple, Bajreshwari Mata Temple, Shri Chamunda Devi Mandir and Naina Devi Temple.

The legend behind the Shakti Pitha ^[3] is part of the Shaktism tradition which tells the story of the self-immolation of the goddess Sati. Vishnu had to cut her body into 51 body parts, which fell on Earth and became these sacred sites.

Its believed that goddess Sati's tongue ^[4] fell here and hence the goddess is represented by a naturally burning flame emanating from a rock fissure. Eternal flame is seen as the manifestation of Goddess Jwala. ^[5]

The Jwalamukhi Temple, one of the revered Shakti Peethas, is known for its natural gas flames that emanate continuously from rock fissures within the sanctum. According to local tradition, Mughal emperor Akbar ^[6] once attempted to douse these flames during his visit, but failed. As a gesture of reverence, he reportedly offered a golden canopy to the deity. During the Mughal period, temple rituals were kept discreet by the priests to avoid drawing attention, yet the sacred flames were preserved, and the spiritual significance of the site remained intact.

Out of the 51 Shakta pithas Jwalamukhi Temple is one of the 18 Astadasha Maha Shakta pithas or Maha Shakta pithas. ^[7]

Geography

Jawalamukhi is located at 31°52′32″N76°19′28″E / 31.87561°N 76.32435°E / 31.87561; 76.32435 . ^[8] It has an average elevation of 610 metres (2,001 feet).

Demographics

At the 2001 India census, ^[9] Jawalamukhi had a population of 4931. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%.

Census statistics

As of 2001 ^[update] India census, ^[9]

• Number of Households - 1,012
• Average Household Size (per Household) - 5.0
• Population-Total - 4,931
• Population-Urban - 4,931
• Proportion of Urban Population (%) - 100
• Population-Rural - 0
• Sex Ratio - 906
• Population (0-6 Years) - 608
• Sex Ratio (0-6 Year) - 961
• SC Population - 812
• Sex Ratio (SC) - 961
• Proportion of SC (%) - 16.0
• ST Population - 0
• Sex Ratio (ST) - 0
• Proportion of ST (%) - 0
• Literates - 3,777
• Illiterates - 1,154
• Literacy Rate (%)

Jwalamukhi Devi Temple

The temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. ^[10]

Genealogy registers

Hindu genealogy registers at Jawalamukhi are genealogy registers of pilgrims maintained there by pandas. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

References

1. "51 Shakti Peeth List: Names, Locations & Body Parts" . Retrieved 22 June 2025.
2. "Shakti Peeth In Himachal Pradesh". 28 February 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
3. "51 Shakti Peeth List: Names, Locations & Body Parts" . Retrieved 22 June 2025.
4. "All about 18 Astadasha Shakti Peethas— holy abodes of Shakti". The Times of India. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 22 June 2025.
5. "Mata Jawala Ji Temple Shaktipeeth (Tongue), Jwalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh - Sannidhi The Presence". sannidhi.net. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
6. "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
7. "All about 18 Astadasha Shakti Peethas— holy abodes of Shakti". The Times of India. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 22 June 2025.
8. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Jawalamukhi
9. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
10. www.durga-puja.org/jwalamukhi-temple.html
11. Tracing your Asian roots Archived 26 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine www.overseasindian.in.
12. Hindu Pilgrimage Marriage Records www.movinghere.org.uk.
13. 10 Places Across The World That Help You Trace Your Ancestors, India Times, 29 Jan 2016.