Udaipur is a beautiful place to visit in Rajasthan. Famous for lakes and monuments, Udaipur makes a perfect tourist destination. The city is visited by numbers of travellers every year and thus it keeps a prominent status in Rajasthan tourism. Regal City Palace Complex, serene Saheliyon Ki Bari and mesmerizing Lake Pichola are the chosen gems of Udaipur city. Apart from all these things, temples also play a vital role in attracting the tourists. Temple of Eklingji Mahadev is one of them.
Eklingji Mahadev Temple in Udaipur
The term eklingji is derived by two Hindi words “Ek” which means One and “ling” refers to lingam the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva. Located at a distance of 22 km from main Udaipur city, the temple was constructed by Bappa Rawal the then king of Udaipur. Eklingji is dedicated to benefactor deity of Mewar Clan. The remarkable structure of Eklingji is indeed spectacular and it is boasted with pyramidal style roof and carved tower. Thousands of devotees visit this temple under their Rajasthan tour package.
The History of the Temple
The history of this temple will take us to approx 1300 years back when the foundation of Eklilngji was put in 734 AD by the then King of Udaipur Bappa Rawal. The temple has faced many attacks that tried to destruct the temple during various time. Temple has been through many renovation and restructuring by various king to clean the offcuts of the temple left by the attacks of Muslim rulers.
You can watch and listen many stories related to this majestic temple while staying in the best Udaipur hotels which are available in a huge range.
Architecture of the Temple
The structure of Eklingji temple is magnificent and built in early AD. The huge walls of the temple are elegantly sculpted which includes 108 temples in its premises. The temple stands with two stories along with the pyramidal style roof and elegantly carved tower. The complex of the temple is having a huge Mandap which is covered with huge pyramidal roof. The silver image of Nandi is at the entrance will welcome you to the sanctum sanctorum.
What fascinate the most is the four faced idol of Eklingji which is carved out of black marble. The idol is having four heads which depicts dour forms of Lord Shiva. The face in the east is called Surya, face in west called Brahmma, face in north is called Vishnu and the face in south is called Rudra. The huge silver snake is garlanding around the idol which is a major attraction among the travellers. This idol (Shivlinga) is established in the middle with idol of Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya around him.
There are also shrines which are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Yamuna that are located inside the complex of the temple. In the northern side of the temple there are two water tanks namely Karz Kund and Tulsi Kund. To perform daily rituals and water from these tanks are used for service of Lord Shiva. Shivratri is celebrated with all grandeur and gusto over here when the idol of Lord Shiva is adorn with gold jewelry.
Major Attractions Near Eklingji Temple
Though Udaipur tourism is consists of many places that one can visit, among all, the Eklingji Temple is one. The temple also has many tourist attractions located in its proximity. Nagada Lake is a beautiful place to be visited while being on a tour to Eklingji temple in Udaipur. There are many prominent Jain temples which are situated at Nagada Lake. Devigarh a heritage gateway is also located at Eklingji. Some other temples situated near the Eklingji temple are – Pataleshwar Mahadeo, Vindhyavasini Devi, Rathasan Devi and Arbada Mata temple.
Best Time To Visit
Udaipur is a beautiful city, the city of lakes which is filled with travellers round the year. People are loving coming to this city. If you are also planning to coming to this city and wondering about the best time to visit Udaipur then here are the details.
Months from between March to June in Summer and from between October to March in winter are considered as the best months to enjoy your cultural and heritage walk in India.
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