Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple

Getting there

• By air

  The nearest operational airport is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, 93 km south of the town.

• By train

  Vadnagar railway station lies on the Mehsana-Taranga line, which links to the rest of the state through Mehsana Junction. Siddhapur, on the Ahmedabad to New Delhi line, is 42 km away.

• By road

  Mehsana is 47 km and Ahmedabad 111 km by road.

Why devotees come here

Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple stands in Vadnagar, Mehsana district, Gujarat. It is a shrine to Shiva and the family deity of the Nagar Brahmins. Among the many Shiva shrines in the town, it is the most significant.

Hatkeshwar Mahadev is a form of Shiva, and the temple is the family deity of the Nagar Brahmins. Among the numerous Shiva shrines in Vadnagar, it is the most significant. The inner sanctum houses a Shiva linga said to have self-emerged, a swayambhu linga. The same premises also hold an ancient Kashi Vishveshvara Shiva temple, a Swaminarayan temple and two Jain temples.

A massive shikhar, the spire, soars from the roof of the sanctum. The temple faces east and is enclosed by a high wall topped by three circular domes, in the Indo-Saracenic tradition. The outside is decorated with the nine planets, musicians, dancing apsaras and the main gods of the Hindu pantheon. Scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata appear there too, with animal and floral motifs.

Accounts differ on its age, placing the temple in either the 15th or the 17th century. The temple stands just outside the town of Vadnagar. Vadnagar is in Mehsana district, 35 km from Mehsana.

Tips for your visit

• The temple stands just outside the town.
• Local transport in Vadnagar is non-metered auto rickshaws.
• Because the fare is not metered, agree it before you get in.

Questions people ask