Jwalamukhi

Jwalamukhi

Jwālāmukhī is one of the 51 Śakti Pīṭhas — where Satī's tongue is said to have fallen. At Kangra, the goddess manifests as eternal natural flames emerging from rock-fissures, worshipped without any iconographic image. The flames have burned continuously, their origin unexplained by geology.

Nine natural flames burn at Jwālāmukhī, emerging from small crevices in the rock. The flames are attributed to each of nine forms of the goddess: Mahākālī, Annapūrṇā, Chaṇḍī, Hinglāj, Vindhyavāsinī, Mahālakṣmī, Sarasvatī, Ambikā, Añjanā Devī. Mughal emperor Akbar (1542–1605) attempted to extinguish the flames with water — they reignited. He then offered a gold chhatra; the chhatra turned to base metal on acceptance, confirming (to the priests) that the goddess rejected Mughal sovereignty. Modern geology cannot fully explain the sustained emission without an identified natural gas source.