Machail Mata Mandir

The Machail Mata Mandir is a famous shrine dedicated to Goddess Durga (referred by the locals as Machail Mata). It is located in the village Machail in the Kishtwar District of the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India.

The shrine holds immense religious significance and is visited by several thousand people every year in the annual Machail Mata Yatra.

Given its remote location in the hills, the Mandir is inaccessible to the pilgrims in the winter months of December to February.

Where is the Shine located?

• The Shrine is located in the naturally beautiful and scenically diverse Paddar Valley.
• It is reached after a 30-km amongst the scenic mountains.
• The Paddar valley is also famous for its sapphire mines.
• It along with Shrine of Vaishno Devi are major sources of revenue for the Jammu region of the state and provide employment to several thousand locals.

Why is it in the news?

Given the prevailing security conditions in the state, the government has suspended the annual Machail Mata Yatra and asked all pilgrims to return to their homes immediately.?

While the district of Kishtwar was declared terror activities after years of Indian Army Operations, it has recently been rocked by the murders of senior right-wing functionaries.