Thousands of devotees would pack the sacred Amarnath Buddha temple in the Poonch border district, located near the Line of Control. Chanting the sacred mantras, devotees from far away come to pay homage to Lord Shiva at this sacred temple which is located in the picturesque jungle setting of the high mountains of the Pir Panjal range, which remains covered in snow most of the year. Located twenty-five kilometers northeast of the town of Poonch, near Mandi, the Amarnath Buddha Temple is an ancient Shiva temple located at the confluence of two gushing streams: the Nallah Gagri and the Pulstaya Nallah. Pulsatya Nallah is also known as Loran Nallah. These two streams make this place more enchanting and present a panorama to the eyes. What is unique about this Shiva Temple is that it is located at the bottom of the hill and not on the top of the hill and it has a white stone Shivling that is not self-made.
Locals believe that Ravan’s grandfather, Pulasta Rishi, performed his tapasya here and had a darshan of Lord Shiva. Therefore, Loran Nullah also derives his name from Rishi Pulsatya’s name. So both places Amarnath in Kashmir Buddha Amarnath in jammu are considered equally holy and sacred by devotees. Few people say that the pilgrimage to Amarnath cave in Kashmir remains incomplete without a visit to this shrine.
In the temple, Lord Shiva manifests in the form of a white rock “Chakmak”, unlike other Shiva temples where Lord Shiva is worshiped in the form of a lingam. Apart from this white Shivlingam, this beautiful temple has the ancient idols collected from a nearby village. . The original temple was built from a large stone with four gates indicating that the gates are open for the four varnas. Local people say that this shrine is older than Amarnathji in Kashmir. Before partition, many people used to visit this shrine from the areas now occupied by Pakistan. Even now this shrine is visited by thousands of people on Raksha Bandhan and Shivratri. On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, a huge festival, known as Buddha Amarnath Ji Mela, is held at the temple, which is a major draw. Although thousands of devotees visit the shrine in Shravan Poornima, a heavy rush is observed throughout the year. At Buddha Amarnath ji, devotees immerse themselves in a spring that flows below the temple for purification and have darshan as the immortal Lord Shiva and makes offerings Lord Shiva is believed to grant wishes to all who make a pilgrimage to Buddha Amarnath.
Previously there were four holy springs near the temple, today the water from three springs has been diverted to the fourth, which is on the south side of the temple. Pilgrims bathe in this sacred spring before entering the temple. Road transport is available to and from Poonch.
Buses, cars, jeeps carrying pilgrims run regularly on the road. On Raksha Bandhan many people visited the shrine. Transportation is regularly available to Poonch district which is 225 km from Jammu.
At Buddha Amarnath ji, devotees immerse themselves in a spring that flows below the temple for purification and then have darshan of the immortal Lord Shiva and make offerings. Lord Shiva is believed to grant wishes to all who make a pilgrimage to Buddha Amarnath.