The shrine is regarded as a Maha Shakti Peetham. It is believed that Sati Devi's tongue fell here. Shakti Peethas are shrines of Devi, the primordial Mother Goddess. Each Shakti Peetha has a shrine for the Shakti and Bhairava. Siddhida (Ambika)is the Shakti and Unmatta Bhairava is the Kalabhairava. The Daksha yaga and Sati's self immolation had immense significance in shaping the ancient Sanskrit literature and even had impact on the culture of India. It led to the development of the concept of Shakti Peethas and there by strengthening Shaktism. Enormous stories in puranas took the Daksha yaga as the reason for its origin. It is an important incident in Shaivism resulting in the emergence of Shree Parvati in the place of Sati Devi and making Shiva a grihastashrami (house holder),
Jwalamukhi Temple / Flaming Goddess / Jwala Devi Temple in Himachal Pradesh is one amongst the Ashtadasa Shaktipeethas and is considered extremely sacred for the Hindus. Jwalamukhi Temple, dedicated to Goddess Jwalamukhi, is situated 30 km south of Kangra valley in Himachal Pradesh. The unique feature of the temple is there is no idol to worship, natural flames in the temple burn continuously without any fuel and are seen breaking out from a rock-side without any external assistance.
These flames are worshipped as a manifestation of the nine Goddesses – Mahakali, Maha Lakshmi, Saraswati, Unpurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Bindhya Basni, Ambika and Anji Devi. The beautiful temple is set against a cliff. The dome of the temple is aureate is of gold and has pinnacles. It also has a picturesque folding doorway of silver plate which was gifted by Sikh Raja Kharak Singh. The temple has an Indo-Sikh feel to it.As per ancient legends, there was a time when the demons dominated the Himalayas Mountains and insulted the gods. Gods under the leadership of Lord Vishnu decided to destroy them. They concentrated their divine energy that resulted in huge flames from the ground. From that flames appeared a beautiful young girl who was regarded as Adishakti, the ultimate power of the universe.
Puranas says that the great Mughal emperor Akbar visited and tried to extinguish the flame of the temple. However, when he failed, he willingly submitted to the power of the goddess. He presented a golden chhatri (umbrella) for the goddess which turned into copper when he turned to look it before leaving the temple.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh paid a visit to the temple in the year 1809. His son, Kharak Singh gifted a pair of silver plated folding doors to the temple while Ranjit Singh himself gave the gilt roof. Moreover, in the princely era, the work of the temple was managed by the Raja of Naduan. He himself appointed the temple priest. After independence, things changed a lot. The pujaris are now appointed and paid by the government. A part of the money collected by the temple is used to improve the facilities for the visiting pilgrims.