Shri Nilkanthdham, Poicha

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The Divya Darshan 360 app has 2 videos of Shri Nilkanthdham, Poicha, 1 of them in 360°.

360°Nilkanth Dham 360 TourNilkanth Dham, Gujarat

Why devotees come here

Nilkanth Varni is the name Swaminarayan took as a young ascetic. He left home at the age of 11 and walked across India and Nepal for about seven years before settling in Gujarat. This temple honours that young pilgrim, and his murti stands at its heart.

Shri Nilkanthdham was built by the Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Rajkot Sansthan, a trust founded in Rajkot in 1948. It opened on 28 October 2013. The campus covers more than 100 acres, with the mandir, a gaushala, a Sanskrit gurukul, gardens, an exhibition and a guest house.

The temple is planned as five circles of pradakshina. You walk around the whole temple, then past 108 gaumukhs pouring Narmada water. Next come the 24 avatars of Narayan, from Matsya to Kalki, and then the Nilkanth Sarovar, a 40 lakh litre pool ringed by 108 murtis of saints. The innermost circle is around Shri Nilkanth Varni himself. Shrines to Radha Krishna, Lakshmi Narayan, Hanumanji, Ganesha and Narmadeshwar Mahadev stand nearby.

Getting there

• By air

  Vadodara airport is the nearest, about 66 km away. Taxis run from the airport to Poicha.

• By train

  Vadodara railway station is the nearest, about 62 km away. Go on by bus or taxi via Rajpipla road.

• By road

  Poicha is about 60 to 70 km from Vadodara and about 80 km from Bharuch. The Statue of Unity is about 39 km away.

Rules to know

• Personal photography is welcome, but drone flights and commercial shoots need written permission in advance.
• Darshan is free; the exhibition, boating, swimming pool and guest house have their own tickets.
• Follow the pradakshina path in order, as the temple is designed to be walked from the outer circle inward.

Festivals

• JanmashtamiAugust or September

  Midnight aarti, matki-phod and continuous sankirtan.

• Diwali and AnnakutOctober or November

  The new year starts with a large food offering across the whole mandir.

• ShivaratriFebruary or March

  A night-long Rudrabhishek at Narmadeshwar Mahadev.

• Holi RangotsavMarch

  Holi is played with devotees in the inner courtyard.

Tips for your visit

• Wheelchairs are available for elderly and differently abled visitors, and cool drinking water is free at every shrine.
• Parking is paid, and Tirthalayam, the temple guest house, is on the river bank.
• The full five-circle walk takes time, so arrive in the morning if you also want to see the exhibition.
• Kuber Bhandari temple is about 1.5 km by boat or 18 km by car, and the Statue of Unity is about 39 km away.

Questions people ask

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