Machail Mata

Machail Chandi Mata Temple, popularly known as Machail Mata, is a shrine of the Hindu goddess Durga in the village Machail of Sub Division Paddar, in Kishtwar District of Jammu region in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is near tributaries of the Chenab River. 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. Thousands of pilgrims, mainly from Jammu region, visit the shrine every August.

History
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) when thousands of people visit the shrine every year during 'Chhadi Yatra', which starts from Chinote in Bhaderwah to Machail in Paddar.

Location and how to Reach
Machail is a small village at an altitude of 2800m in the Padder Valley of Kishtwar district in Jammu region, 290 km from Jammu city and 66 km from Kishtwar Usually people take 2 days to reach the shrine by foot. On the way there are villages where they can spend the night. The shrine is inaccessible during the winter months of December, January and February.