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Eklingji Temple is one of the prime Hindu pilgrimage sites in Rajasthan. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and was built by Bappa Rawal, the then Udaipur king in the 734 A.D.
About the Temple:
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Sri Eklingji was revered by the Maharana or the king of Mewar and hence Maharana Bappa Rawal built it in the 8th century. Eklingji Temple is considered to be the ruler of the Mewar Kingdom and the Maharana ruled under it in a capacity of the dewan(minister). The temple is the spiritual epicenter of the Mewar. There is a huge rush of Lord Shiva devotees in the temple on every Monday. The Mewar royal family itself worships at the Eklingji temple to seek Lord’s blessing. Mahashivratri is celebrated with great zeal in the temple for a period of two days. Thousands of devotes throng the temple during Mahashivratri. The temple is open for devotees from 4.15 am to 6.45 am in the morning, 10.30 am to 1.30 pm in the noon and from 5.15 pm to 7.45 pm in the evening.
How to reach:
The temple is located 22kms north of Udaipur on the national highway 8.One can easily get Public transport or can hire private taxis from Udaipur to get to the temple.
Distance from Jaipur: 390 kms
Nearest Railway Station: Udaipur
Nearest Airport: Udaipur Airport, Dabok
Architecture:
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The architecture of the temple is simply magnificent. The temple is located on the banks of Indersagar lake and is made of marble and sandstones. The temple is 50 ft high and is built on a raised platform. The main shrine is double storied with distinctive pyramidal style roof. The walls are extensively carved.
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Inside the temple, there is a four-faced idol of Eklingji(Lord Shiva) made out of black marble. The four faces depict the four forms of lord Shiva. The north facing face is of Lord Vishnu, the east facing face is of Lord Surya, the south facing is of Lord Rudra and the west facing is of Lord Brahma. On the top of the idol is the Shivlinga with a silver Snake. The main hall has four gates in four directions facing each facet of the idol, which is in the center of the hall. At each gate, there is a Nandi statue facing the idol. Besides the multifaced idol, one can also see the statues of Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikay around the idol. There are statues of Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Yamuna in the temple complex.
The temple also boasts of silver doors and gem-studded door steps. It has two large water tanks named Tulsi Kund and Karz kund.
