The Shrinathji temple, Nathdwara is dedicated to Lord Krishna. It is located in Nathdwara, approximately 48km to the north of Udaipur. The Nathdwara Shrinathji temple of Rajasthan houses a statue of Lord Krishna, sculpted from a single piece of black marble. The statue has one of its arms raised, giving an impression of Lord Krishna holding the Govardhan Mountain. The other arm seems to be giving a blessing as well as holding a dance posture.
About Shrinathji Temple :
Shri Nathdwara Temple Board welcomes you to Shrinathji. The Holy place of the divinity form of Lord Krishna and is the presiding central deity of the Vaishnava sect known as Pushtimarg. Shri Nathdwara (a pathway to Lord Shri Krishna) literally means the gateway to the Lord ShriNathji. This great Vaishnavite shrine was built in the 17th century on spot exactly identified by the Lord himself. The legends have it that the idol of the Lord Krishna was being transferred to safer place from Vrindaban to protect it from the destructive wrath of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. When the idol reached this spot, the wheels of bullock cart it was traveling in, sank axle deep in mud and refused to move further, at all. The accompanying priest realized that this was Lord’s chosen spot and the Lord did not want to travel any further. Accordingly a Temple was built here. This is a temple and place of pilgrimage amongst its believers.
History :
The deity enshrined in the temple is the form of Lord Krishna as he lifted the Govardhana with his bare hands to protect cow herds from rain sent down by an angry Indra. According to history or rather legend, this image was actually brought down to the then Mewar kingdom from Mathura to protect it from the Mogul monarch, Aurangzeb who was destroying Hindu temples at that time.
Architecture and Design of the Nathdwara Temple:
The ‘Shrinathji’ idol is carved from a single block of black marble and is clad with embroidered silk cloth and attractive jewels to look overwhelming. The idol holds an amazing piece of jewel – a diamond stud on the chin. This is a major attraction. Among the people who visit the temple on a regular basis are the royalty of Udaipur. The temple vicinity is crowd-free apart from during the darshan timings. People utilize these times to capture the stunning architectural beauty of a bygone era.
The places worth seeing in the temple are:
- Moti Mahal
- Sudarshan Chakraraj
- Dhwajaji
- Kamal Chowk
- Ratan Chowk
- Mani Kotha
- Temples of Shri Navnit Priyaji
- Shri Krishna storehouse (having silver and golden mills)
Festivals :
The major festivals celebrated here are religious festivals such as Janmashtami, Phooldol, Holi and Diwali.
Visiting Time – The deity can be visited for 8 short periods in a day. These short periods are known as Ashtaya and include Mangala, Shrungar, Gwal, Rajbhog, Uthhapan, Bhog, Sandhaya Aarti and Shayan.
How to reach Nathdwara :
Nathdwara is only 48 kms from Udaipur, which well connected to all major cities through buses, trains and flights.
By Air : Indian Airlines and Jet Airways connects Udaipur with Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Mumbai. Dabok Airport is 52 km.
By Rail : Western Railways connects Mavli Junction on the meter gauge with direct trains from Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur and Khandwa. Mavli Junction is 38 km. and Chittorgarh is 110 Km.
By Road: State Government and Deluxe buses connects Nathdwara with all major tourist station of Rajasthan. City Bus station is 1.5 km.
Distance from major cities :
Udaipur-New Delhi597 Kms
Udaipur-Mumbai1051 Kms
Udaipur-Jaipur336 Kms
Udaipur-Jodhpur260 Kms
Udaipur-Jaisalmer285 Kms
Location: 48 kms in the north east of Udaipur
Built in: In 17th century
Dedicated to: Shrinathji (Lord Krishna)
Highlights: Rich carvings on pure white marble
