BUDHA AMARNATH, Rajpura Mandi
33.800000,74.266700
Description
A popular sacred »rock shelter« (or a true cave used as a shelter?) modified into a temple cave called Budha Amarnath (old [mate's] Amarnath) and dedicated to Shiva, reports GANHAR (s.a. = circa 1973: 44-45) from Rajpura Mandi (i.e. market of the king's town), a spot about 100 m above the Loren stream and about 2 km (south?) of Mandi, a village in »Poonch« (Ponch, also: Poonj, Punch, Punj) district: »The temple itself lies at the head of a massive chakmak rock [note 1] … The sacred image is in fact a part of this white rock [note 2]. There is a spring near the shrine … held in high esteem by Hindus and Muslims alike.« CULTURAL HISTORY: Loren Maharani Chandrika (note 3) is said to have "opened" this sacred site —read: discovered; literally: established as a visitable site by subduing resident demons.
NOTE 1: What is "chakmak"? Calcareous tufa? Travertine?NOTE 2: The accompanying illustration 21, a poor photography in cheap print, shows an irregular lump of rock, perhaps one to two metres in diameter and encircled by a low wall and resting in room with a window, of which the lower part is rectangular. NOTE 3: The connection with Maharani Chandrika (Great Queen Moon Mother) makes this cult spot suspected to echo that it once was dedicated to a local (tribal, tutelary) mother goddess and later taken over by men venerating the Hindu "lingam" (the male chauvinist principle). The sacred image may consist of a stalagmite (speleothem) —but this is mere guesswork and needs to be checked.
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.2 | SHAHPUR CAVERNS (Caverns around) | ||
| 10.8 | MANMA DEVI GUPHA | ||
| 29.6 | PIR PANJAL PASS (Cave on) | ||
| 32.8 | NILANAG SPRING | ||
| 37.9 | AA (PERRIN 2009) PA 34 | ||
| 38.4 | AA (PERRIN 2009) PA 33 | ||
| 38.5 | AA (PERRIN 2009) PA 35 | ||
| 48.0 | BEERWA, Badgam (Cave at) | ||
| 59.0 | BRARI MEAJ TEMPLE (Cave at) |