Brahma Temple, Pushkar:
Though he may have no other temple
sacred to his memory, Brahama seems to
have take full advantage of the only one
where prayers are offered to him. Not
only did he perform a yagya or ritual
fire ceremony here, he also dropped a
lotus from his hands to create the lake
where people bathe before offering him
prayers. A silver turtle at the entrance
of the marble temple is a symbol of his
means of transport (the gods had various
animals on which they moved along their
heavenly paths).
Pushkar is best known for its Brahma
temple, though it is by no means the
only temple here, with as many as four
hundred temples lining the banks of the
lake. Spires form a skyline that, when
the vesper bells ring, are worthy of the
kingdom of haaven itself. Though it is
visited throughout the year, Pushkar in
November, during the time of its annual
fair, is a colourful mass of people and
celebrations coinciding with the largest
camel fair held in the world.
Eklingji Temple, Udaipur: The
founder of the Mewar dynasty that ruled
from Chittaurgarh, Bappa Rawal had a
miraculous dream in which he prayed
before an image of Shiva which resulted
in the removal of problem that had been
troubling him in his waking hours. He
resolved then to build a temple to
Shiva, and so the complex had its
genesis, 24 km north of Udaipur.
Edlingji, this particular manifestation
of 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.
Eklingji consists of a complex of 108
temples, coinciding with the number of
beads in the rudraksh necklace that
sadhus use for meditation. The temple
dedicated to Eklingji is the tallest of
them all, its black stone idol a
representation of the linga with four
faces that have four images in the
cardinal directions of Surya, Brahma,
Vishnu and Rudra.
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 Shivalings, and
brackets with images of celestial
nymphs.
Govind Devji Temple, Jaipur:
The family temple for the Kachchwahas of
Jaipur, and open to the public, the
idols in the temple, brought here from
Vrindavan, are believed to have been
carved by Vajranath, one of the freatest
sculptors of the time, and grandson of
Krishna. No wonder, the Krishna image
has such a bewitching countenance.
The temple was consecrated as part of
the City palace complex by Sawai Jai
Singh II. A simple temple, with an open
pavilion surrounded by columns, and with
a tiered courtyard, obeisance and ritual
worship at the temple is deemed high on
the scale of merit. Mounted on a silver
throne, and ornamented with gold
jewellery, the idols are particularly
venerated during janamashatmi, the
monsoon celebrations coinciding with
Krishna's birth anniversary.
Shrinathji Temple, Nathdwara:
A Krishna temple with an image carved
from a single block of black marble,
Nathdwara has a history that is only a
few centuries ago. Faced by Aurangzeb's
persecution, Goswami Dev carried this
particular idol from Mathura in a
chariot seeking to bring it to Udaipur.
However, a wheel of the chariot got
stuck in the sand and toil as they
would, the people could not pull it out.
Seeing it as an act of divine will, it
was decided that the image of the lord
would be consecrated on the very spot,
and so the temple of Shrinathji came to
be.
At the temple, glimpses of the idol are
permitted for short intervals at fixed
times of the day, and it is believed
that the faithful see him in different
moods associated with his life. The
curtain cloths behind the idol have also
given rise to one of the better known
are forms of Rajasthan, its famous cloth
paintings or pichwais. The ruling house
of Udaipur has always come to pray at
the temple, and as the head of his clan,
it is not surprising that the maharana
is also popularly known as Shriji among
his people. Nathdwara is 48 km from
Udaipur.
Dilwara Temple, Mt Abu: For
many visitors, this is reason enough to
visit Mt Abu. Located within an ancient
mango grove, the Dilwara temples are
profusely carved, and are open between
noon and six in the evening. During the
morning, the priests perform several
ritual ceremonies that are not open for
public viewing. The Jains house images
of their tirthan-karas (those who impart
knowledge) within the sanctums, and the
two main shrines, those of Adinath and
Neminath, are elaborately carved, from
doorways and lintels to ceilings,
pillars, walls and arches. The
sculptor's art is as much a dedication
to the gods as it is a repository of the
stone-carver's skill, enshrined here
forever. A separate hall, dedicated to
the donors who worked towards the
building of these magnificent temples,
houses their lifesize images including
the delicate tracery of their garments
captured in exquisite detail on marble.
Parsvanath Temple, Nakoda:
Situated in a valley ringed by hills, on
the Jodhpur-Barmer highway, the temple
dedicated to the tirthankara Parsvanath
is carved in black stone. Beside it are
other Jain tem-ples, including
Shantinath with its steep flight of
stairs, as well as some ancient Hindu
temples.
Ranakpur: Since the Jains held
important positions in Rajput courts,
made their money through trading, and
were influential money-lenders to the
royal house, it was hardly surprising
that the Ranas, in turn, were patrons of
the Jains and their quiet religious
ways. In fact, the tract of land on
which the Ranakpur temples have been
laid was a gift of the Ranas to the
Jains in the 15th century. The Chaumukha
is its principal deity in the main
temple with its impressive dimensions:
29 halls spread over 40,000sq ft, and
consisting of 1,444 pillars, not one of
which is alike in its carving. Cupolas
surround the five spires. Three
entrances lead to the temples via
doublestoried portals and pillared
courts. Halls and courtyards radiate
around the main shrine. Also in the
valley are a polygonal sun temple, and
two 14th century Jain temples dedicated
to Neminath and Parsvanath.
Shri Mahavirji Temple: Located
90 km from Ranthambhor, it is believed
that the spot was converted into a
pilgrimage spot following the unearthing
of a statue of Mahavira by a cowherd.
The temple is a vast complex that has
been constructed with white sandstone,
and has cupolas of red sandstone. Its
chhatris and spires are visible from all
around. The walls are painted with
religious scenes, and facing the temple
is a tower where the footsteps of
Mahavira have been consecrated.
Rishabdo Temple, Dhulev: A
temple complex that is beautifully
carved, 64 km from Udaipur, it is
dedicated to Rishabdeo, while images of
several other tirthankaras are carved
into panels on the walls. Built in the
15th century, the temple has stone
elephants at the entrance, and images of
goddesses flanking the main shrine.
Various phases of Rishabdeo's life are
also illustrated through sculptured
panels. Offerings of saffron are made to
the deity, and a rath yatra every year
attracts pilgrims from all over. |
