Raghunath Temple

Raghunath Temple
Raghunath Temple complex
Raghunath Temple Location in Jammu Show map of Jammu and Kashmir Raghunath Temple Location in Jammu Show map of India
Name
Proper name	Raghunath Mandir
Geography
Coordinates	32°43′52″N 74°51′50″E / 32.731°N 74.8638°E / 32.731; 74.8638Coordinates: 32°43′52″N 74°51′50″E / 32.731°N 74.8638°E / 32.731; 74.8638
Country	India
State	Jammu and Kashmir
District	Jammu district
Location	Jammu (city)
Culture
Primary deity	Rama
Architecture
Number of temples	7
Number of monuments	7
History and governance
Date built	1835–1860
Creator	Maharaja Gulab Singh and Maharaja Ranbir Singh

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 order of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, while Jammu was under his administration by Maharaja Gulab Singh. 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. 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.

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.