Tanot Mata, Jaisalmer

The border-district Shakti shrine of Tanot Mata at Tanot in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, 130 kilometres from Jaisalmer — a 9-10th century Charan goddess temple on the Pakistan-India border in the Thar desert. The temple is operated by the Border Security Force (BSF) since 1965. The temple gained national fame during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, when the Pakistani army reportedly launched over 3,000 artillery shells at the Tanot area but none of the shells landed within the temple precinct — the goddess is popularly credited with miraculous intervention. The temple preserves over 400 unexploded Pakistani artillery shells on display. The 1971 Battle of Longewala, fought 60 kilometres from Tanot, also figures in temple lore. The annual Dasam Navratri festival in October brings 100,000 pilgrims. The BSF's Longewala War Memorial and the Tanot Mata temple together form a nationalist-devotional complex.