Hemant Dharmat
Perched high above the pious banks of Devika River in Jammu region, Purmandal an ancient place of pilgrimage is located around 20 km away from Purmandal Morh on Jammu-Pathankot national highway.The river originating at Sudhmahadev, another famous ‘Tirath’ in Jammu is also called Gupt-Ganga.
Mahadev, the supreme Lord of all the eities,slayed Sudhi demon with his trident at this place when the latter cast an evil eye on the female deity. The trident that was partly damaged in the duel is affixed alongside its two to three pieces in Sudh Mahadev temple premises. Since time immemorial Jangams (Shiv Yogis)have been reciting hymns in praise of Lord Shiva and Parvati commemorating their marriage proceedings especially on the auspicious day of Shivratri. As per these hymns, Mata Parvati was born at Chenani town located in District Udhampur of Jammu Province. King Himachal, the ruler of Chenani was her father and Maina her mother.The marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva and Parvati was performed at Mantalai situated on the highland in close proximity of Sudh Mahadev. As millenniums rolled, an attractive pond surfaced at the place where the marriage platform-‘Vedi’ was erected. Beautiful yellow lotus flowers could be seen blooming in the pond. Some distance away, there is Gaurikund, where Mata Parvati used to bathe with her ‘sakhis’.
Kashyap Rishi after consummation of his 12 years long penance prayed before Lord Shiva to bless Jammu region with a river as holy as Ganga to flow through its landscape. But Mahadev couldn’t fulfill his wish as there was no other river of Ganga’s exalted stature. Mata Parvati, therefore, decided to herself come down from her abode and flow through the Jammu hills in the form of Devika. As the river began to flow, Lord Shiva and Kashyap Rishi followed its path. Devika River is seen flowing in Udhampur, Jandrah and Sakona, while disappearing in the stretches in-between.At the places of its emergence Shiv temples were built. It resurfaces four miles short of Purmandal towards its northeasterly direction. Indereshwar Mandir exists at this place. From here it flows uninterrupted up to Purmandal and beyond until it merges with Sangam River at Barh Kshetar. The river flows intermittently to Vijaypur before falling into Basantar River.
Purmandal temple complex consists of Umapati Shiv Mandir with twin gold plated domes besides 108 other small temples with bunch of Shiv lingams installed in each Mandir.The original structure was constructed by Raja Veni Datt of Kashmir some 1400 years ago.In 1838 AD, the ruler of Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his 3-day long sojourn at Purmandal paid his obeisance at the temple and offered pitchers made of pure gold. Both Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh are credited with rebuilding the Umapati Shiv Mandir. Maharaja Gulab Singh constructed 108 Shiv temples in the Mandir precincts.
As per a popular folklore, Raja Veni Datt had a daughter, who by her very birth suffered from persistent head pain. He consulted a saint-astrologer, who gave out that his daughter in her previous birth was a jackal and was killed with an arrow that struck her head. The king all the way travelled to Purmandal with the astrologer and found a skeleton of the jackal with an arrow stuck in the skull.
No sooner the arrow was removed from the skull, his daughter’s pain subsided. Locals later informed that a cow used to secrete all its milk over the Shiv Kund. One day the owner of the cow followed the animal and found it shedding its milk in the Kund, which a jackal licked from outer surface of the Kund. In sheer anger, the owner shot an arrow towards the jackal killing it on the spot. Consequently King Veni Dutt built Umapati Shiv temple at the site and got statue of the jackal installed at a wall, which still exists.Later 115 feet high wall was built along the river bank on one side of the temple complex by a Pant (Pujari) of Basohli after fulfillment of his wish. The total height of the Umapati Shiv Mandir including the wall that enhances beauty of the majestic temple complex is 350 ft. It is said that the founder of Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh had visited Purmandal to pay his obeisance in 1662 AD before leaving for Vaishnodevi. Though there are no references with regard to his pilgrimage at Sudh Mahadev, yet his ‘Murti’ could be found among idols of several deities assembled at a place in Sudh Mahadev temple premises.
There is a Shiv Kund in the sanctum sanctorum of the golden domed Umapati Shiv Mandir at Purmandal besides captivating Murtis of Shiv and Parvati. A small self-manifested stone idol of Nagdev is visible inside the Kund. The water level in the Kund, neither recedes nor does ever overflow, though one could touch its base with hand.On Shivratri, Maggar Chodas and Chetar Chodas, thousands of pilgrims pay obeisance at the temple, which is also known as Chhota Kashi and offer hundreds of tons of water mingled with milk, honey, sesame seeds etc. in the Shiv ‘Kund’, but the level of water within miraculously remains the same.
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