Saturday 23 February 2013

Eklingji Temple (Lord Shiva Temple)




Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva, King of Mewar!
Did you know, that the Kings of Udaipur do not call themselves Raja Or Maharaja, because one of their ancestors Hammir, who was a deeply spiritual soul, declared that it is wrong for anyone to call Himself king, because Lord shiva is the king of the world. As His own contribution, He declared that Shivji, is the king of His kingdom and henceforth his whole family and descendants will be the Ranas.This is the great dynasty of Rana sanga (Sangram singh ) and Maharana Pratap,having in their illustrious family, the bravest of the brave,Including the great Ranis Padmini, and later Rani Karnavati, with their Fort at Chittor, the largest in Asia.It was founded by Bappa Raval who was the first ruler and Rishi Harit who made this possible with His diivne blessing. Till today Eklingji is a great great place for Shiva worshippers, because he is formally declared a king there.So Shivji is Maharaj Mewar or Medhpateshwar .The tewmple is decorated with several forms of Tandav dance on the ceiling, a rare treasure of art indeed.
Aum Namah Shivaya!



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Eklingji, the Amazing Temple, near Udaipur, Rajastan.where Lord Shiva is declared to be a King!!



About Eklingji Temple
The temple at Eklingji or Kailashpuri is one of the prime pilgrimage destinations in Rajasthan. Eklingji has been the deity of the royal Mewar family since the time of Bappa Rawal, founder of the Mewar dynasty. Ek means 'one' while ling means 'lingum or the life giving phallic symbol of Lord Shiva'. The patron deity of the Mewar clan is considered the actual ruler of the region while the kings are merely the Dewan (or the Prime Minister) of this God of Mewar.

The Eklingji Temple is located at a distance of around 22 km from Udaipur and is said to be initially built by Bappa Rawal on the side of 72 rooms Jain temple which housed a four faced statue of Adinath, first Jain Saint. The site is also important as it was the place where Bappa Rawal received religious discourse from his guru, Harit Rishi. The temple was first built in the year 728AD, however, subsequent changes and renovation work was done later as well. The temple that stands today is not the original structure but the one built on the site of ancient temple. Infact, as later as in the 15th and 16th century, Maharana Raimal too rebuilt and renovated this temple.

The temple is open for the devotees at a little odd hours - from 4.15-6.45 in the morning; next 10.30 am - 1.30 pm and lastly from 5.15-7.45 pm (timings need to be checked before a visit to conform any changes). Monday is considered immensely auspicious day for devotees as such the crowd on this day can be more than usual.

At a distance of around 1 km from the temple complex is the cave of Bappa. This is a hot picnic spot for visitors.
Inside Eklingji Temple
The temple complex is located at the banks of Indersagar Lake. Within the walls of the Eklingji Temple, there are 108 shrines built of marble and sandstone. The main shrine has a double storeyed covered platform, a hall with a number of pillars and a flat pyramidal roof with circular knobs. In this main shrine is a four faced black marble statue of Lord Eklingji with Brahma facing west, Vishnu facing north, Shiva facing south and Surya facing east.

Outside the temple are the statues of Nandi, Shiva's bull and Bappa Rawal. Bappa Rawal is shown facing Nandi with his hands clasped. There is another statue of Nandi in silver in the hall of the temple.

Though the temple is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva, yet other deities are worshipped here as well. Few of the prominent among these are Parvati, Ganesha, Ganga, Kartikeya, Yamuna and Saraswati. Smaller temples dedicated to Amba Mata and Kalka Mata can also be found in the temple complex.

The temple is the centre of attraction during the festival of Shivratri. The entire complex as well as the deities are decorated to make them appear as beautiful as possible. Devotees in large number throng the temple to offer their prayers to the Lord of universe. - indialine.com

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