Considered a City of Temples, Jammu is home to many places of worship. Little wonder, it attracts people from all over India and around the world for its religious significance. Add to that the natural beauty of this place and Jammu has become one of the coveted destinations on any tourists’ mind.

One of the most ancient Shiva temples here is Ranbireshwar. This temple is located in the city of Jammu on Shalimar Road. It lies right opposite Jammu and Kashmir Civil Secretariat.

Jammu is the winter capital of the state and serves as a base centre for visitors to Kashmir and Vaishno Devi. Pilgrims in transit do not miss out on an opportunity to visit Ranbireshwar Temple.

Ranbireshwar Temple is an ancient shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva and is named after Dogra king Maharaja Ranvir Singh. It is considered as the biggest Shiva temple in all of northern India. Inside the temple is a mammoth eight feet high Shivalingam along with a dozen crystal Shivalingams measuring between 12 and 18 inches that symbolize Lord Shiva’s twelve Jyotirlings. The temple’s galleries have thousands of Saligrams fixed atop stone slabs. The temple’s passage is lined with more than a lakh small Shivlings that has been sourced from holy river Narmada.

Legend of Ranbireshwar Temple

This renowned temple was built by Maharaja Ranvir Singh, son of Gulab Singh in 1883 A.D. Local residents believe that he built this temple when Lord Shiva appeared in his dream. Mahabharat mentions a story that says Arjun attained his powers after worshipping Jambu Devi in this area.

Getting There and Around

By Air

The closest airport to the temple is at Jammu. This airport is around 8 km from the city’s centre. Almost all airlines operate regular flights to Jammu from major cities like Delhi, Srinagar and Leh.

By Rail

Jammu Tawi is the major railway station in Jammu and closest one to the temple. There are regular train services from major cities of India like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai , Chennai and Trivandrum.

By Road

Jammu is well connected with an extensive bus and taxi network. Private tourist buses ply to and fro between Jammu and the major Indian cities like Delhi, Manali, Amritsar, Shimla and Ludhiana. The distance between Delhi and Jammu is around 684 km. Taxis can be hired from Jammu to reach the temple.

Accommodation

Best time to Visit

Jammu is fortunate to be blessed with a pleasant and cool climate all through the year. It tends to get hot during the summer months and extremely cold during winters. Winter months are accompanied by snowfall. The ideal time to visit this region is from September to April.

Festivals

All major Hindu festivals are celebrated with much excitement at this temple. It’s a time to rejoice and pray to the almighty. To experience the festivities of this temple, one can visit Ranbireshwar Temple in January (Lohri or Makara Sankranti), March (Ram Navami) and October (Deepavali) when the city’s people regale themselves in celebratory air.