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Machail Mata | |
---|---|
Durga Mata/ Chitto Mata/ Machail Mata | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Hinduism |
Deity | Chandi |
Status | Open |
Location | |
Location | Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir |
Country | India |
Geographic coordinates | 33°25′04″N76°20′41″E / 33.41778°N 76.34472°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Hindu architecture |
Style | Pahari |
Machail Chandi Mata Temple, popularly known as Machail Mata, is a shrine of the Hindu goddess Durga in the village Machail of Sub Division Paddar, in Kishtwar District of Jammu region in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is near tributaries of the Chenab River.[ citation needed ] The area is home to a Buddhist community and the Thakur community who are serpent worshipers, and was merged with Kishtwar tehsil, by Maharaja Ranbir Singh.[ citation needed ] Thousands of pilgrims, mainly from Jammu region, visit the shrine every August. [1]
The shrine was visited in 1981 by Thakur Kulveer Singh of Bhaderwah, Jammu region. From 1987 onwards, Thakur Kulveer SIngh started 'Chhadi Yatra' (holy mace)[ further explanation needed ] when thousands of people visit the shrine every year during 'Chhadi Yatra', which starts from Chinote in Bhaderwah to Machail in Paddar. [1]
Machail is a small village at an altitude of 2800m in the Padder Valley of Kishtwar district in Jammu region, 290 km from Jammu city and 66 km from Kishtwar [2] Usually people take 2 days to reach the shrine by foot. On the way there are villages where they can spend the night. [3] The shrine is inaccessible during the winter months of December, January and February.[ citation needed ]
Doda district is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.
Bhaderwah or Bhadarwah is a town, tehsil, sub-division and also additional district in the Doda district of the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is also known as Chota Kashmir for its scenic beauty and for its high literacy rate it is known as Kerala of Jammu and Kashmir.
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The Jammu division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is bordered by the Kashmir division to the north. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most of the land is hilly or mountainous, including the Pir Panjal Range which separates it from the Kashmir Valley and part of the Great Himalayas in the eastern districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Its principal river is the Chenab.
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Sarthal is a region in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, famous for Sarthal Devi Temple.