chandi Mata temple Jammu and Kashmir

Machail mata Sthan, as the shrine is popularly known, has a landscape of unblemished beauty with hills, glaciers and tributaries of the Chenab River. Paddar valley nearby is famous for its world-famous sapphire mines, and is a cool place for hiking, cannoning, and holy hot springs. The area is home to a Buddhist community and the Thakur community who are serpent worshipers, and was merged with Kishtwar tehsil, by Maharaja Ranbir Singh.[citation needed] Thousands of people visit the shrine every year mainly from Jammu region. The pilgrimage happens in August only, every year. The idols and pindi form of Chandika are famous for shaking their jewellery of their own without any wind force or any shock and also flickering their closed eyes. There are a lot of supernatural happenings that the pilgrims experience and report.
History
The shrine has a beginning of antiquity and no recorded history. The goddess appeared in such remote area in “swayambhu” form. She first appeared in the form of fire flame in village Mindhal, Pangi Valley which is 60 km from Machail) and then in the form of Singhasan Mata (Saraswati) at village Chitto (which is 15 km from Gulabgarh). The fire later transformed into the form of Pindi. The actual shrine at Machail village is also swayambhu which has one pindi and three idols of Mahakali (Mindal), Mahalakshmi (Machail) and Mahasaraswati (Chitto Mata), which are considered to vibrate their jewellery by itself without any air or shock. The idols’ eyes are closed in Dhyan mudra. Many pilgrims have experienced idols opening or flicking their eyes.
The temple’s history is entwined with the conquests of Zorawar Singh Kahluria, who in 1834 sought blessings of Machelmata, before crossing the mountains and Suru River (Indus), with 5000 men for vanquishing an army of local Botis of Ladakh. He became a faithful devotee after the successful mission.
The shrine was visited in 1981 by Thakur Kulveer Singh of Bhaderwah, Jammu region. From 1987 onwards, Thakur Kulveer SIngh started ‘Chhadi Yatra’ (holy mace) that happens every year and thousands of people visit the shrine every year during ‘Chhadi Yatra’, which starts from Chinote in Bhaderwah to Machail in Paddar.