Raghunath Temple | An Enchanting Fountainhead of Devotion

The mere mention of Jammu conjures up resonant images of temples which led to the derivation of Jammu’s nomenclature, "City of temples". The focal point of Jammu positions the prominent and illustrious Raghunath Temple. It is believed that a devotee who enters this place with a wish, never leaves without his wishes and prayers left unanswered. It is a pious place and the air around is usually drowned in prayers and incantation of hymns. This place has an obscure mysticism which gives a gushing wave of positivism and one can feel the castle of problems on fire.  Raghunath temple is the fountainhead of devotion. The roots of these temples can be traced back by 175 years when Maharaja Gulab Singh ji laid the foundation stone in 1835 and his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh ji took his endeavor to its final destination in 1860. Every one who enters Raghunath temple becomes a prey to the pleasures and enchantment of nature provided by the lush green surroundings.  Raghunath temple has four doors (dwaras), one in each direction but the main entrance is from east to west which leads to the idol of Shri Raghunath ji. A beautifully adorned idol of Seeta ji and the idol of Lakshman ji lie in the vicinity of the idol of Ram ji. The black color of Ram ji’s idol demarcates this temple from others because you would never spot an idol of Ram ji in black. Rajinder Shastri, who is the priest of Raghunath temple, read out a shlok from shastra which provides evidence that Ram ji’s color was black (that is why he was also called as Shyama). Another element of distinction is the position of Shri Hanuman ji’s idol in front of the idol of Raghunath ji because usually Hanuman ji’s idol is placed besides or next to the idol of Raghunath ji which defies shastras. In addition to this, the temple is an abode of eight rooms where 12,25,000 shaligrams (formless lord Vishnu) are stowed.  The eight rooms house: Krishna’s family. Vishnu ji’s 24 avatars. Chaar(four) dhaam. Satya Narayan. Badri Narayan. Shiv Puri. Dharam Raj. Surya Narayan. There are 14 sub temples inside the Raghunath temple which includes temple of Vishnu ji, Ganesha ji, Bharat ji, Shatrugan ji, Narsingh ji, Radha Krishna ji, Varah ji, Brahman ji, Navdurga ji, Matasya ji, Kashyap ji, Virat ji, Shiv ji and Lakshmi Narayan ji.  After the culmination of Dev Pujan one moves to the east corner where the splendid and behemothic idol of Lord Karaneshwar Natraj ji is placed. The central part of Raghunath temple is an abode of world’s biggest crystal shivling(safatik) which approximates a gigantic jewel. As one moves from east to west, one can spot these five temples: Samarak Maharaj Amar Singh ji. Samarak Maharaj Gulab Singh ji. Shri Hanuman ji. Temple of Shri Gayatri mata ji and Vedas. Samarak Maharaja Ranbir Singh ji.  Approximately 365 idols dwell in the eminent Raghunath temple where people from all parts of the globe flock together to spend some worthy divine moments. Tranquil air that envelopes the Raghunath temple uplifts and lightens the spirit of the devotees. Our land of Jammu is rich in traditions and culture and belonging to such a place is ecstatic. No malls and big restaurants can ever replace the bliss one feels after visiting these holy places. Raghunath temple is the pride of Jammu city and a simple visit to this temple infuses energy into the impoverished lives and provides solace to the parched souls.