Eklingji Temple Udaipur

Eklingji Temple Udaipur
Vital Information for Visitors
Address:

Eklingji Temple, NH-8, Kailashpuri, Udaipur, Rajasthan

Open & Close:

Open on all days
4:30 AM – 7:30 PM

Aarti Timings:

5:30 am, 8:15 am, 9:15 am & 11:30 am (Morning)
3:30 pm & 4:30 pm (Afternoon)
5:00 pm & 6:30 pm (Evening)

Entry Fees:

Nil

Duration:

1 - 1 Hours

Significance:

Ancient architecture; Temple of Royal Family

Twenty – two km away in the north from Udaipur is Kailashpuri, the seat of Eklingji, a temple dedicated to the tutelary divinity of the rulers of Mewar. Eklingji Temple is one of the most popular and ancient religious centers of Udaipur. The present building, standing on the site of the original 8th-century edifice is of late 15th century construction. Originally Eklingiji Temple belonged to the Lakulish sect. An inscription dated 917 AD has been found here. The original temple of Eklingji Temple was built in the 8th century by Bappa Rawal. The founder of the Mewar dynasty that ruled from Chittorgarh, Bappa Rawal had a miraculous dream in which he prayed before an image of Lord Shiva which resulted in the removal of a problem that had been troubling him in his waking hours. He resolved then to build a temple dedicated to Shiva, and so the complex had its genesis. Eklingji, this particular manifestation of Lord Shiva, has ever since been regarded as the true ruler of the kingdom in whose name the maharanas governed Mewar, and has been the tutelary deity of the Sisodia clan. But, the original temple and idols were destroyed by the Muslim invaders of Delhi Sultanate. In the 14th century, Rana Hamir Singh of the Sisodia dynasty, rebuilt it and established the oldest extinct idol. Rana Kumbha of Mewar rebuilt the Eklingji Temple. In a 1460 AD article, Rana Kumbha was referred to as "a personal servant of Eklingji". Again, in 15th century, Ghiyath Shah of Malwa Sultanate attacked Mewar and destroyed Eklingji's Temple. Later on, Rana Raimal, the son of Rana Kumbha, defeated the Sultan and captured him. Rana Raimal demanded a ransom for his release. The ransom was utilized to rebuild the Eklingji Temple. Subsequently, the temple came under the control of the Ramanandis in the 16th century.

The temple of Eklingji Mahadev is a structure of unusual design. The most sacred temple in Mewar region of Rajasthan, Eklingji Temple, entirely built of white marble, is one of the major Tourist Attractions in Udaipur . The present Eklingji Temple was built in medieval era. The rituals performed in the temple are unique. Built secretly in typical Mewar style, Eklingji Temple is huge in size. The roof is decorated by many hundreds of circular knobs and the whole is crowned by a lofty tower. In the inner shrine is established a four-faced black marble representation of Lord Shiva. Eklingji Shivalingam is about 50 feet high. The four faces of Eklingji represent the four forms of Lord Shiva. The face towards the east direction is identified as the Sun God, the face towards the west direction represents Lord Brahma, face towards the north direction denotes Lord Vishnu and the face towards the south represents Lord Shiva himself. Out- side is the statue of Nandi, his bull-mount. A statue of Nandi, his bull, is opposite the western face of the deity. There are several other shrines nearby, including the Lakulish Temple. Eklingnathji was looked upon as the real ruler of Mewar. The Maharanas were his devotees - agents.

Just in front of the gate of the sanctum sanctorum of Eklingji Temple is installed a large statue of Nandi. The statue of Nandi, a bull vehicle of Lord Shiva, is built of brass metal. Eklingji consists of a complex of 108 temples, coinciding with the number of beads in the rudraksh necklace that sadhus use for meditation. Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha, Shiva's wife and son respectively, can be seen inside the temple. Idols of Yamuna and Saraswati are also enshrined in the temple. The complex also has a life-size image of Bappa Rawal, and its numerous temples have carved images of Ganesh, Ambamata, Kalika, as well as other Shivalingas, and brackets with images of celestial nymphs. Eklingji is adorned with flowers and gems regularly every day. Generally, the devotees are not allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Entry into the sanctum sanctorum is permitted only by the priests. In that case, special clothes given by the priests need to be worn.

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