These are extracts from notes made during my visit to Jammu and Kashmir Last year:18.09.2009
We reached Jammu by Jetlite flight via N.Delhi. Jammu is pretty hot. In the evening we visited the Raghunathji Mandir, a temple dedicated to Lord Sri Rama. The temple is beautiful and has numerous pretty shrines and statuettes of minor Gods and Goddesses. For example, around the main shrine of Shri Ramachandra Murthy, I saw, in small alcoves, idols representing the deitoes of the Four cardinal directions. All are essentially personified by feminine characterizations each mounted on an animal representing the direction. For example, North was on a White Horse, South on a white elephant, West on a Camel and East on a Tiger.
The only downside is the behaviour of the Pandas or preists who disturb pilgrims and devotees by their constant and extortionate demands for Dakshina. It is this atrocious behaviour that gives a wrong signal about Hinduism as compared to other organized religions.
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