SSC
The 'Machail Mata' shrine in the Kishtwar district of Jammu is dedicated to:
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Answer: Option A — Goddess Durga
Detailed Solution
The Machail Mata shrine, in the Paddar area of the Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir, is dedicated to Goddess Durga, worshipped there as "Chandi Mata" (Machail Mata).
About the Machail Mata shrine:
- It is located in the village of Machail, at a height of about 3,000 metres, in the Paddar valley of the Himalayas.
- It is about 290 km from Jammu.
- The annual "Machail Yatra" (pilgrimage) is held from late July to early September; tens of thousands of pilgrims visit.
- Pilgrims travel by road through Gulabgarh towards Chasoti village and then trek to Machail; helicopter services are also available.
- The shrine is considered very sacred by devotees of the Jammu region, and the goddess is believed to fulfil wishes.
- The modern yatra became popular from 1981, when a devotee began a holy procession ("chhadi yatra") from Jammu to Machail.
- In August 2025, a cloudburst hit Chasoti village, on the route of the yatra, causing many deaths, and the yatra was suspended.
About the Paddar valley:
It is famous for its sapphire mines, which produce some of the finest blue sapphires in the world (the "Kashmir sapphire"). They were discovered in 1881 after a landslide.
It lies on the route to the Zanskar region of Ladakh.
About Kishtwar:
- It is known as the "Land of Sapphire and Saffron".
- It has the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park.
- It has several hydroelectric projects on the Chenab river, such as Dul Hasti, Pakal Dul and Ratle.
Other famous shrines of Jammu and Kashmir:
- Vaishno Devi (Trikuta hills, Reasi district): one of the most visited Hindu shrines in India; dedicated to Goddess Vaishno Devi, a form of Durga.
- Amarnath Cave (Anantnag district): an ice Shiva lingam.
- Kheer Bhawani Temple (Tulmulla, Ganderbal): dedicated to Goddess Ragnya Devi; important for Kashmiri Pandits.
- Shankaracharya Temple (Srinagar).
- Raghunath Temple (Jammu).
- Hazratbal Shrine (Srinagar): a Muslim shrine that holds a relic of the Prophet Muhammad.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Lord Shiva is worshipped at the Amarnath Cave and other shrines.
- ✗Goddess Saraswati is worshipped at Sharada Peeth.
- ✗Lord Hanuman is not the deity of Machail.
Quick tip
Remember: Machail Mata = Goddess Durga (Chandi), Paddar valley, Kishtwar, J&K (yatra late July-September; trek from Gulabgarh); Kishtwar = "Land of Sapphire and Saffron"; Vaishno Devi = Reasi; Amarnath = ice lingam.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.