The popular Eklingji Temple is located at a distance of 22 km towards north of Udaipur in the state of Rajasthan. This temple is dedicated to the Lord Shiva, the patron deity of the former Mewar rulers. This deity was regarded as the true ruler of the kingdom by the Maharajas of Mewar and the kings considered themselves to be Dewans under Eklingji. This enormous structure encompasses numerous ancient temples made of sandstone and marble. Ek means 'one' while ling means 'lingum or the life giving phallic symbol of Lord Shiva'. It is one of the prime pilgrimage destinations in Rajasthan.
History of Eklingji Temple
This temple is said to have been founded by Acharya Viswaroop, a contemporary of Adi Shankaracharya and is linked with the Sharada Math at Dwaraka, which was also founded by Adi Shankaracharya. It is said that Bappa Rawal, who is said to have received religious discourses here from a sage called Harita Rishi, built the Eklinga Temple. It is believed that the Eklingji temple was built on the site of a 72-roomed Jain temple that had a four-faced idol of Adinathji, the first Jain saint. The present complex dates back to the 15th century AD which is built out of the ruins of a previously ravished structure. The temple was first built in the year 728AD, however, subsequent changes and renovation work was done later as well. The temple had to be repaired thrice, the last time by Rana Raimal who ruled during 1473-1509.
About Eklingji Temple
This awe-inspiring exquisite temple complex is located at the banks of Indersagar Lake. The sculpted temple complex includes 108 temples, made out of marble and granite.
The main temple occupies an area of about 2500 sq. feet and is about 65 feet in height. The temple area is fortified with a strong colossal wall running around it. The main entrance to the temple on the western side leads into a big hall with a number of carved pillars and a flat pyramidal roof with circular knobs. In this hall there is a silver image of Nandi. There are two more Nandi idols in the temple, one made of black stone and the other of brass.
The sanctum sanctorum enshrines the four-faced idol of Eklingji - Lord Shiva which is made out of black marble. The four faces in four directions represent Brahma facing west, Vishnu facing north, Maheshwar facing south and 'Surya' (Sun) facing the east. A shivlinga, encircled by a silver snake, is located at the centre of the images. The flat top of the composite idol is covered with a Yantra, a mystic symbolic drawing standing for the ultimate reality.
Other deities housed in the temple complex include Parvati, Ganesha, Ganga, Kartikeya, Yamuna and Saraswati. The silver doors of the temple have images of Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya. Statues of dancing nymphs can also be seen here. There are also small temples dedicated to Amba Mata, Kalka Mata and Ganesh in the temple complex. There is another temple called Nathon Ka Mandir in the temple complex with inscriptions dating back to the 10th century AD. There are two tanks situated on the northern side of the temple namely the Karz Kund and Tulsi Kund. Water from these tanks is utilized for temple services. The walls of temple are full of inscriptions that dates back to ancient times.
The most significant festival observed in this temple is Maha Shivaratri. This festival is celebrated for two days with great religious fervour. The temple witnesses huge crowds during the festival.
How to reach Eklingji Temple
Nearest airport is the Maharana Pratap airport located at a distance of 24 kms from the city of Udaipur. It is well connected to the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Jodhpur. Nearest railway station is in Udaipur, which is well connected to Delhi, Ahmadabad and most metro cities. The railway station is located at a distance of about 2 km from the city centre. Buses of the Rajasthan Udaipur is well connected by road to neighbouring cities like Jaipur, Agra, Delhi, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Nathdwara, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Bharatpur. From Udaipur one can reach the temple by hiring taxis or taking the RSTC buses which ply between Udaipur and Eklingji temple at regular intervals.