Eklingi Temple, Udaipur
24 kms north of Udaipur is the temple of Eklingji, the tutelary
deity of the rulers of Mewar. It is a complex of 108 temples
enclosed by high walls with bathing terraces leading down to the
water.
The atmosphere excludes the fragrance of incense material such as
dhoop, deep and sandalwood. The fifty feet high Eklingji temple
has a multi- faced image of Lord Shiva made of black stone.
The various faces of Shiva can be seen in the four directions -
the sun is east, Brahma in the west, Vishnu in the north and the
Rudra in the south. In the centre of three images is the
Shivlinga which is encircled by a silver snake. In this temple,
Shiva is depicted with his family, Parvati and the elephant god
Ganesh.
Images of Yamuna and Saraswati are also present. Specially
attractive are the doors of silver which show Lord Ganesh and
Kartikya. Near the temple, as we move up are the temples of
Ambamata, Ganeshji and Kalika. The trunk of Ganeshji is towards
the right although generally it is found to be facing the left.
The brackets show nymphs in erotic dance postures, while the life
size image of Bapparawal is a piece of art.
One of the legends relating to Ekilngil is that after killing
Vrakshasur, Indra had meditated and prayed toeklingji in
repentance and to be free of the curse.According to another
legend, Bapparawa had seen the Shivlinga in his dream when he was
in trouble and when the problem was solved, he constructed the
tample and later build Mewar. The ruler of Mewar regards Eklangji
as the real kingdom. There are around a hundred more temples, big
and small, around the Eklagji temple.
Shrinathji Temple, Nathwara
The temple
of shrinathji or Lord Krishna, belonging to the Vaishnav religion
is located at Nathdwara, 48 kms. north of Udaipur. As thousands
of tourists and pilgrims from all parts of the world pass the
lofty mountains and serene lakes of Udaipur, it is impossible for
them to resist visiting this important pilgrim centre.
In the temple, enshrined is a unique image of Lord Krishna, which
has been sculptured from a single piece of black marble.
It is believed that during the reign of the Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb. Lord Krishna's image was brought to Mewar from Mathura
by Goswami Daoji and enshrined with complete vedic rites and
tradition at Shrinathji by the ruler of Mewar.
One of the arms of the life size image is raised in a manner so
as to give an impression of holding the Govardhan mountain. The
other arm rests at the waist which seems not only a dance posture
but also as if God is blessing the devotees.
In Shrinathji temple, worship (puja) is replaced by servitude
(seva). The temple priests change the vestments and ornaments of
Shrinathji daily with love and reverence. It is believed that he
appears to his devotees in many forms: the divine child inspiring
parental love, the flute playing good in the forests of Vrindavan
luring maidens with the melody of his flute.
Places worth seeing in the temple include the Moti Mahal.
Sudarshan Chakraraj, Dhwajaji, Kamal Chowk, Ratan Chowk, Mani
Kotha and the temples of Shri Navnit Priyaji. The Shri Krishna
storehouse has silver and golden mills.
Apart from that, the Shakghar milkboth and the outlets having
roses, betel leaf, sweets and clothes as well as the gardens are
worth a visit. The temple has three entrances. The first is
through the red door at Chaupati from where the Govardhan worship
place can be reached.
Surajpol is an entrance excludively for women and leads to Kamal
Chowk through Singhpol. Various religious festivals are
celebrated at the temple like Janmashtmi, Phooldol and Diwali.
The annakootritual is famous worldwide where cooked rice is
hurled at the devotees after the ceremony and is 'looted' by
them. This important pilgrim centre is well connected by rail and
road.
