Nagrota Kol Kandoli Temple

By -
Vaishno Devi Yatra stands as one of India's most revered pilgrimages, drawing thousands of devotees year-round. Nestled near Jammu city, the Kol Kandoli Temple serves as the sacred threshold to this spiritual journey. Let us embark on a journey of discovery into this divine abode.

Introduction:

Located approximately 13 kilometers from Jammu city, Nagrota is a quaint locality that cradles the revered Vaishno Devi shrine within its folds. Known as the Kol Kandoli temple, it is hailed as the gateway to the Vaishno Devi Yatra. For many pilgrims, their spiritual odyssey commences with reverence at this hallowed site.

Legend:

According to ancient lore, the Pandavas of the Mahabharata epic were bestowed with the blessings of Vaishno Devi during their exile. It is believed that they were the architects of this sacred temple.

Another captivating legend revolves around the temple's namesake, Kol Kandoli. In this tale, a destitute Brahmin named Sridhar was tasked by Vaishno Devi to feed the villagers. Expressing his inability, the Goddess, appearing as a twelve-year-old girl with a divine bowl, blessed the village with abundant food. Hence, the site was christened "Kol Kandoli," where 'Kol' signifies bowl and 'kandoli' denotes gathering.

An alternate version recounts a playful encounter of young Vaishno Devi, where water miraculously sprung from her divine bowl to quench the thirst of her playmates.

During the temple's construction by the Pandavas, it is said that Bheema, one of the valiant brothers, was parched. Vaishno Devi quenched his thirst with water from her silver bowl. Upon its movement, a revered Shiva Linga emerged, known today as Ghandeshwari Mahadev, still venerated within the temple complex.

Temple Layout:

Main Temple

The sanctum sanctorum houses the sacred 'salt pindi' form of Maa Vaishno Devi. A crimson-hued holy stone now occupies this revered spot, believed to date back 200-300 years.

Adjacent to this shrine lies another, enshrining the eight-armed form of Vaishno Devi.

The sacred tree is found near these two shrines where the red colored relief image of Hanuman and a small marble image of eight armed Vaishno Devi are found.

Ghanteshwari Mahadev Temple

Nearby, the Ghanteshwari Mahadev Shiva Linga resides in a separate sanctum, accompanied by shrines dedicated to Shaneeswara, Bhairava, Kali, Puri Jagannatha, and Navagraha.

Sacred Tree

A sacred peepul tree, witness to many divine acts, stands tall in the temple's heart. Legends speak of Maa appearing here as a young girl, nurturing the villagers under its benevolent shade. 

The sacred well which is believed to have medicinal value is also located in the temple complex. 

New Temple

Dedicated to a myriad of deities, this section hosts a splendid array of marble images:

The list of deities that are found in this section of the temple:
  • Shiva Linga and Nandi facing towards Linga
  • Ram, Sita and Lakshmana
  • Hanuman
  • Tirupati Balaji
  • Nava Kanyas
  • Navagraha
  • Ram Panchayat - Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and a big icon of Hanuman
  • Ranganatha
  • Eight armed Vaishno Devi
  • Durga
  • Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali
  • Puri Jagannath along with Baladev and Subhadra
  • Sai Baba
  • Radha and Krishna
  • Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Kartikeya
Happy travelling.

Location: Jammu

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimishamba temple located in Chennai. Nimishamba is anothe
Read more

A 17th century Dargah with healing power - Mount Road Dargah, Chennai, India

By -
Image
Mount Road or Anna Salai is one of the most happening places in  Chennai . There are two famous Islamic shrines on Mount Road – one is  Thousands Light mosque . The other one is Dargah-e-Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi (Rahmatullah Alaihi), also known as Mount Road Dargah. It is the most popular Dargah across the city. It draws devotees of all faiths and all walks of life. Especially every Thursday, a large number of devotees gather to the Dargah. A lot of city-based celebrities regularly visit the site. This Dargah is the shrine of a Muslim Saint named Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi. He was also known as Rahmatullah Alaihi. Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi arrived from Baghdad in the middle of the 17th Century CE. He made Chennai his home and lived here. It is believed that he had healing powers. During his time, he had so many devotees regularly visiting him. After his demise, his family buried him next to his house, which is the current Dargah. You can easily lo
Read more