Sri Ranbireshwar Temple- Jammu-Kashmir

Address

Sri Ranbireshwar Temple- Shalimar road, Jammu-Kashmir civil secretariat Jammu city- 180001

Diety

Ranbireshwar (Shiva) Amman: Mahakali (Parvati)

Introduction

In Jammu city, the Ranbireshwar Temple is located on Shalimar Road in front of the Jammu-Kashmir civil secretariat. The Ranbireshwar Temple honors Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the city of Jammu’s oldest temples. Maharaja Ranbir Singh constructed it in 1883. The temple is thought to be Lord Shiva’s largest shrine in northern India. One of the city of Jammu’s top attractions is the temple. The temple is separated into two separate halls, each of which is embellished with pictures of Ganesha and Kartikeya. The 8-foot-tall Shiva lingam, which is made of black marble, stands tall in the center of the temple and is its main attraction. Additionally, the Ranbireshwar Temple includes 12 additional crystal-carved lingams.

Puranic Significance

One of the features of the temple is that it is built on first floor and is situated at a big height from the road surface. The devotees have to take stairs to reach to the temple. The main attraction of the temple is the idol and Shivlinga of Lord Shiva. The idol of Lord Shiva is very beautiful and is considered to be unique as it is not present anywhere else. The Shivlinga is 8 feet high and is made from single black stone. It was built by the rulers of Dogra dynasty. There are 12 more Shivlingas in the temple which are made of crystal. These Shivalingas are 18inches high and 12 inches wide. The idol of nandi is made of brass and weighs around 1000 kg. The construction of the temple took two years due to the illness of Maharaja. It is said that despite being unwell, he came to the temple and offered prayers to Lord Shiva before mounting the lingam on the holy vedi.

Special Features

In the temple is enshrined an eight feet long central ‘Lingam’. It also enshrines twelve Shiva ‘Lingams made out of crystal measuring from 15 cms to 38 cms.