Jwalamukhi Temple is located 2.5 kilometers from the Baripada Bus Stand in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, India. The Temple is approximately 300-400 years old. Jwalamukhi Temple is one of Goddess Shakti’s 51 Shakti peeths dedicated to the “Goddess of Light,” also known as Goddess Jwalamukhi or the Flaming Mouth. A burning blue flame emerges from a rock chamber in this temple, and it is prayed for as a sign of the deity. Jwalamukhi Temple, though one of the most sacred Hindu temples, has a gold dome gifted by Akbar, the Mughal Emperor. The best time for tourists to visit is between the beginning of April and the middle of October, during the Navratri festival.
The Jwalamukhi fair takes place twice a year, during the Chaitra and Aswin Navratris. Devotees make their offerings around the ‘Jwala Kund,’ where the sacred fire burns. Near the Jwala Kund is the ‘Gorakh Tibbi,’ a center of the Gorakhpanthi Naths. Folk dances, songs, dramas, wrestling events, and athletics are only a few of the fair’s highlights. The biggest fair takes place at the Jwalamukhi Temple in Kangra.
