| Ancient Shiva Temple, Purmandal | | | K K Kemmu
Jammu, often called the City of Temples, is famous for its diverse temples, from Raghunath Mandir to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra. However, there are also some ancient temples that are not as well remembered or simply forgotten. This article is about one such temple. 40 Kilometres southeast of Jammu city lies an ancient Shiva temple, a revered pilgrimage site, but unfortunately, it is not well-maintained. The temple is more than 1,500 years old, according to the local Panditji. The locals also refer to this place as ‘Choti Kashi’, but it seems to have been neglected by the authorities for a long time. What should have been a grand temple and a place of religious, spiritual and tourist attraction is sadly in poor condition. Jammu, known as a city of temples, has scope to be developed as a place of spiritual/religious tourism like the Kashi corridor or Ayodhya temple complex. It becomes essential that such ancient temples be maintained well and upgraded. The Shiva temple being referred to is the ‘Umapati Shiv temple’ at Purmandal on the banks of the Devika River.
This temple is unique in many respects. In addition to the attractive idols of Shiva and Parvati in the sanctum sanctorum of the golden-domed temple, there is a Shiva Kund. A small, naturally-made stone idol of Nagdev is seen inside the Kund, in which the water level neither decreases nor increases. Followers offer water mixed with milk, honey, sesame seeds, etc. in the Kund, but miraculously, the water level remains the same, which increases the reverence of the people. This stone idol of Nagdev is the ‘Aap Shambhu’ 0r “Svayambhu Lingam” (self-manifested Shiva Lingam). A hooded stone serpent jutting out of a cistern in the rock in the central shrine is an object of religious attraction as it is believed to be the only manifestation of Lord Shiva of that kind anywhere in the country. Another attractive and unique feature of the temple is the 1421 Shiva Lingams. Most of these are arranged in groups of 11 at each of the smaller temples within the temple complex, as well as some lingams kept individually. Devika River, which flows alongside the temple, is also known here as the ‘Gupt Ganga’ because it flows underground. People scratch the sand with their fingers and get enough water to take the holy bath. It is believed that Lord Shiva himself manifested as Shiv Lingam at several places on the banks of Devika, of which Sudhmaha Dev, Udhampur, Purra-Mandal and Uttarbehani are well known, so a great importance is attached to bathing in its water on special sacred days, for the purpose of obtaining moral cleansing. The Devika originating from Gouri Kund of Sudh Maha Dev (Man Talai) flows through Udhampur, Purmandal and Utterbehni and finally meets the Ugh River. The Devika is believed to have appeared on Phalguna or Phaguna chaudash i.e. Shivratri at the end of Dwapur Yug.
Another important aspect of Purmandal is that people here immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the Devika River, a practice usually reserved for the Ganges at Haridwar or Varanasi. This reinforces Purmandal’s stature as “Small Kashi.” Devotees believe that performing last rites here ensures the salvation of departed souls. Local folklore and religious texts describe Purmandal as Shivdham. On the day of Mahashivratri, a huge crowd of devotees gathers here. Special pujas, Homas, and Abhishekams are performed to the deity on the day.
According to some sources, the original construction of the main Umapati Shiv temple is attributed to King Avanti Varman who is believed to have ruled Kashmir between 855 and 883 AD. Some other sources claim that the temple was built by Raja Veni Dutt about 2500 years ago. According to folklore, his daughter, believed to be the reincarnation of a jackal that had died near the lingam, suffered from chronic headaches. Her condition was cured only after removing an arrow from the skeleton of the jackal at Purmandal. After this Raja Veni Dutt got the Umapati Shiva temple constructed at that place and installed an idol of Gidri on a wall, which is present even today.
The rest of the temples and the infrastructure was built by Maharaja Gulab Singh about 250 years ago and this includes the golden dome over the main temple. Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of the Dogra dynasty, took significant steps to restore and enhance the Purra-Mandal Shiv temple complex. He donated golden ewers to Lord Shiva and established a Sanskrit Vidyalaya on the banks of the Devika River. His successor, Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1857-1885), further contributed by constructing the Bhairav Temple, Kartikeya Temple, and Ganesh Temple within the complex. These temples remain prominent places of worship today.
Maharaja Ranbir Singh was so impressed by the glory of Lord Shiva that he wanted to make Purmandal like Kashi, but for some reason he could not fulfil his resolution. Maharaja Gulab Singh, built 108 Shiva temples in the temple complex with 11 Shivalingams installed in each of these temples. In all, there are 1421 Sivalingas in this complex. |
|
