Raghunath Temple, Jammu - Timings, History, Darshan, Pooja Timings

At a distance of 10 km from Srinagar Railway Station, Raghunath Temple is an ancient Hindu temple located in Jammu City. Situated in the old city area of Jammu, it is believed to be the largest shrine complex in North India and among the popular places to visit in Jammu.

The Raghunath Temple is an extremely popular and revered shrine in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The majestic temple is dedicated to Lord Rama, who is believed to be the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The construction of the temple was started in 1835 AD by Maharaja Gulab Singh, who was the founder of the Kingdom of Jammu & Kashmir and was completed by his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1860 AD. The temple also began to be used as the center of Sanskrit teachings during the reign of Ranbir Singh. Later, the temple was attacked by terrorists in 2002 and was shut down for some time. Finally, the gates of the temple were once again opened for the devotees in the year 2013.

The temple is an amalgamation of both Mughal and Sikh architectural styles. The temple complex consists of seven temples, each of which is topped with lofty spires, called shikaras. A portrait of Maharaja Ranbir Singh sits at the entrance of the temple, along with a portrait of Lord Hanuman. The niches in the walls of the shrines are decorated with 300 well-crafted icons of gods and goddesses, but most are particularly related to the life stories of Rama and Krishna. The paintings in the 15 panels of the main shrine are based on themes from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita.

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Raghunath. Apart from the main shrine, the other shrines encompass various incarnations of Lord Vishnu. There is another remarkable shrine of Lord Surya (Sun God), which houses different forms of the Lord. Other shrines inside the temple house colossal statues of the Hindu gods and goddesses. Also, there is a gallery inside the temple that houses various lingams, or phallic-shaped forms of Lord Shiva, and on top of them, saligrams are placed. Besides, the temple premises include a school and a library that preserves over 6,000 manuscripts in many Indian languages, with a notable collection of Sanskrit manuscripts.

Rama Navami, the birthday of the Lord, is the main festival celebrated in this temple with great enthusiasm that draws people from far and wide to pay their respects to the Lord and seek his blessings.

Timings: 6 AM - 8 PM

Entry: Free