Eklingji Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Maharana Pratap Airport is a small domestic airport about 20 km from Udaipur.

• By train

  Udaipur City and Rana Pratap Nagar stations have direct broad gauge trains to most major cities in Rajasthan and India.

• By road

  The temple is about 25 km from Udaipur, in Kailashpuri village, near Nagda.

Rules to know

• Pets and weapons are prohibited inside the temple.
• Photography inside the temple has always been prohibited.

Why devotees come here

Eklingji Temple stands in Kailashpuri village, near Nagda, the former capital of Mewar. It is about 25 km from Udaipur. The temple is believed to be the kula devata, the ruling deity, of the Mewar princely state, and it is one of Rajasthan's most important Hindu pilgrimage sites.

Eklingji is believed to be the kula devata, the ruling deity, of the Mewar princely state. According to the 15th-century text Ekalinga Mahatmya, the original temple was built by Bappa Rawal, an 8th-century ruler.

The original temple and its idol were destroyed during invasions by Delhi Sultanate rulers. Hamir Singh installed the earliest surviving idol in the 14th century and renovated the main temple. Rana Kumbha rebuilt the temple in the 15th century. Later, Ghiyath Shah of Malwa attacked Mewar and devastated the temple. Rana Raimal defeated him, took a ransom, and used it to rebuild the complex and install the present idol. In the 16th century the temple came under the control of the Ramanandis.

The shikhar, the tower over the sanctum, rises 50 feet and has a circumference of 60 feet. The sanctum holds a black stone Shiva lingam with five faces. Originally the temple likely belonged to the Pashupata sect, and later it was in the custody of the Nath sect.

Tips for your visit

• Each of the four entrances to the sanctum has a Nandi statue facing the deity.
• The sanctum has four doors, one facing each of the four directions.

Questions people ask