Buddha Amarnath Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Jammu airport is about 280 km away, roughly a 10-hour drive to Mandi.

• By train

  Awantipora station is 153 km away and Jammu Tawi 238 km, both from Mandi village.

• By road

  Mandi village is well connected by road to Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India by the Rajouri Highway.

Why devotees come here

Buddha Amarnath Temple stands at Rajpura Mandi in Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir, about 25 km north-east of Poonch city. The shrine sits in the Pir Panchal range and holds a natural Shivalinga of white stone. Pilgrims bathe in the springs nearby before they pray.

The shrine is known to pilgrims as Swami Budha Amarnath Ji. Inside is a natural Shivalinga made of white stone, called chakmak. The original shrine was built from one big stone. The shrine lies inside the main belt of the Pir Panchal range, at Rajpura Mandi.

The shrine has four doors, on the north, south, east and west sides. The doors show that the shrine is open to all four varnas, the traditional social groups. The springs near the shrine are considered holy, so pilgrims bathe in them before they enter for prayers. Each year the main religious function is held on Raksha Bandhan. On that day the procession reaches Rajpura in the afternoon and is received at the temple gate with a guard of honour from the BSF.

Festivals

• Raksha BandhanMela Swami Budha Amarnath Ji

  The main religious function of the year, held on Raksha Bandhan at the shrine.

• Three days before the melaChhari Mubarak procession

  Havan and pooja at Dashnami Akhara in Poonch, then the procession walks on foot to the shrine with thousands of devotees and sadhus. The first main halt is at Chandak.

Tips for your visit

• Free langar and eatables are provided to yatris during the Chhari Mubarak procession.
• Shri Dashnami Akhara Mandir, in the southern part of Poonch town, holds the Chhari Mubarak havan and pooja.

Questions people ask