Eklingji
| Eklingji | |||
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 India
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| State : | Rajasthan | ||
| District : | Rajsamand | ||
| Location : | 24 ° 45 ' N , 73 ° 43' E | ||
| Height : | 661 m | ||
| Residents : | 400 | ||
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Eklingji (sometimes also called Kailashpuri = "City of Kailash ") is a small town in the Indian state of Rajasthan . It is primarily a Hindu temple town with reportedly more than 100 temples. The name of the place means "a lingam" and refers to the main shrine dedicated to the god Shiva .
location
Eklingji is about 20 km (driving distance) north of Udaipur directly on the NH8 in the Aravalli Mountains . The idyllic temple district of Nagda with its two beautiful Hindu temples is only about 2.5 km to the south-west.
history
The traditional history of Eklingji and its temples goes back to the 8th / 9th centuries. Century back. In the 13th century, the temple city was destroyed by Muslim army units from the Sultanate of Delhi under their leader Iltutmish . However, new temples were built from the ruins - which is actually unusual for Hindus - probably because the princes of Mewar had chosen the temple site as their family shrine.
Temple precinct
The temple precinct is enclosed by a high wall; the entrance is on the south side. The area is densely filled with smaller and larger temples that were donated by members of the royal family and by wealthy merchants and traders. The main shrine is a Shiva temple with a four-faced lingam made of polished black marble, always adorned with garlands of flowers, which rises inside a yoni and symbolizes the universality of Shiva (faces = four cardinal points; lingam = world axis). Sometimes the four faces with their white-rimmed pupils are also interpreted as Brahma , Vishnu , Surya and Rudra , which are subordinate to Lord Shiva. Several Nandi bulls - the mounts ( vahanas ) of the god - surround the sanctuary area ( garbhagriha ). The main temple can be recognized from afar by its high Shikhara tower, which is accompanied by small supporting turrets ( urushringas ); The main and accompanying towers are raised by ring-shaped stones ( amalakas ) with vase-like tops ( kalashas ).
opening hours
The temple precinct is not always open to tourists and the opening times are quite arbitrary; Most of the time the facility is open in the afternoon. Shorter waiting times can be bridged by strolling along the many souvenir shops; If you have to wait a long time, we recommend a detour to the temples of Nagda 2.5 km away .
