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Rajasthan Shrinathji Temple Nathdwara
Location | |
Country: | India |
State: | Rajasthan |
Location: | Nathdwara |
Architecture and culture | |
Primary deity: | Shrinathji (form of Krishna) |
History | |
Date built: | 1672 |
Creator: | Goswami priests |
Website: | http://www.nathdwaratemple.org/ |
The Hindu temple devoted to Shrinathji is located in Nathdwara in Rajasthan and is referred as Shrinathji Temple. The Vaishnavs community majorly worships this temple as their sacred pilgrim.
The Shrinathji is other form of Lord Krishna and is related to the incident when Lord Krishna elevated the Govardhan hill with his index finger. The idol of the Lord Krishna has been carved from the large black marble where the idol is depicted as both the hands raised and the mitt placed on the waist, and under the lips a large diamond is placed. The idol has few other images in carved on it like the images of cows, lion, and serpent, peacock and parrot along with the images of three saints placed near to the idol.
The idol of Lord Krishan is ornate with heavy jewelry that displays the rich pre-Mughal era. The clothes worn by the idol have been made with the woven shaneels and silk those are decorated with the embroidery thread work. The handicraft is the rich Zari work.
The devotees of Lord Krishna celebrate his birthday and the day is marked as Janmasthami as the major festival in the temple. The few other festivals like Holi and Diwali are also celebrated in the temple. The idol of the God is considered as a living legend and thus is treated for the daily chorus of a living human like making the idol bathe, change the clothes, offered regular meals also called the Prasad, sleeping time. The special attention of the Lord is taken since the idol is worshipped in the form of his childhood. The priests who offer their services to the god in the temple belong to the community of Vallabhacharya who are also considered as the originator of the idol if Lord Shrinathji.
The idol of the Lord Shrinathji is daily decorated with new clothes and heavy jewelry and this process is done seven times a day regularly. The dresses are designed for the comfort of their day and night time like heavy clothes and jewelry in daytime while light clothes in nights.
History
Shrinathji idol is considered to be self-evinced. The history of the idol can be linked to the history when the idol of Lord Krishna was being relocated from its current location in Vrindavan to protect it from the anti-Hindu groups and protect it from revolutionary and brutal devastation by the priest Goswami in the year 1669 that belonged to the Aurangzeb of the Mughal reign. While the movement of the idol was in progress the cart in which it was taken the wheel of that cart got stuck at the village Sihad and the cart got too deep in the mud that it became impossible for its further movement and then the priest Goswami took the decisiom of building the temple at that particular spot. It was under the rule of Maharaja Raj Singh of Mewar that the temple was constructed. The other name with which the temple is temple is commonly known as is “Haveli of Shrinathji”. The construction of the temple was done in the year 1672.
In the current times the temple of Shrinathji is deified by the Vallabhacharya community in all the Haveli that belonged to them all over the world.
Architecture
The architecture of the temple is based on the similar patterns as of the temples built by Maharaj Nanda who belonged to Vrindavan. So this temple is also known as Nanda Bhavan or Nandalaya.
The highest point in the temple is adorned with the kalasha that is placed on the shikhara that have seven flags mounted on it and the Sudarshana Chakra. The seven different colored flags can be linked to the seven sakhis of Lord Krishna.
The name Haveli to the temple is given because it has a look of any normal haveli’s of Rajasthan. The regular Haveli of Rajasthan is adored by a chariot that is used for moving, there are different storage rooms for milk, betel, sugar, flowers, a kitchen, a room for jewelry, treasure room, the horse stables, a room for the visitors sitting, a wheat grinding wheel made of gold and silver.
The other altars worshipped are devoted to Madan Mohan and NaveetPriya.
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