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Raghunath Temple consists of
a complex of seven Hindu shrines, each with its own Shikhara. It is one
of the largest temple complexes of north India. It is located in Jammu
in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The temple was built during
the period 1822–1860 by Maharaja Gulab Singh and his son Maharaja Ranbir
Singh of the Jamwal Rajput clan. The temple has many gods in its complex
of shrines, but the presiding deity is Rama, an Avatar of Vishnu. The
Mughal architectural influence is seen in all the spiral shaped towers
which have gold plated spires, except the tower over the main shrine
which is said to be in Sikh architectural style. The niches in the walls
of the shrines are decorated with 300 well crafted images of deities.
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The paintings in the 15
panels of the main shrine are based on themes from Ramayana,
Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita. The temple was also in the news during
2002 when suicide bombers Fidayeen of the Lashkar-e-Toiba attacked it
twice with grenades and indulged in indiscriminate firing which resulted
in death of many devotees and also in injuries to many people.
During the reign of the rulers of Jammu Shivaliks, after 1765, there was
a spurt in temple building activity in Jammu area, which continued
during the early period of the 19th century. The rulers built spiral
shaped temples with brick and crowned each tower with bright Kalashas in
the shape of shikhara (rising tower). One such temple complex was
started in 1822 by Gulab Singh, the ruler of Jammu and was dedicated to
his guru Baba Prem Das. Its construction was completed in 1860 by his
son Maharaja Ranbir Singh. However, according to an inscription in
Brahmic script (Takri) at the entrance of the temple, Gulab Singh and
his brother Dhyan Singh are credited with building the temple in 1827 in
honour of Mahant Jagannath.
How to
reach
The temple complex is located
at Sui 18 kilometres (11 mi), west of Jammu city in Jammu and Kashmir.
The city is well connected by road, rail and air services. The National
Highway 1 A passes through Jammu and connects with all parts of the
country. The National Highway 1B is entirely within the state.
Jammu city has a railway
station called Jammu Tawi, on the northern railway line, that is well
connected with major cities of India. Express trains operate from this
station to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Amritsar. Jammu Airport
operates flights to many cities in India such as Delhi, Leh and Srinagar.
One can easily reach Raghunath Mandir from the city by taking local Buses,
Rickshaws, Tongas and Taxis.
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