Eklingji Temple Udaipur

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.