Shamlaji Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Ahmedabad airport, 125 km away, is the nearest airport.

• By train

  Himmatnagar railway station, on the Ahmedabad to New Delhi line, is 56.4 km away.

• By road

  The temple is off National Highway 8, and state transport buses run from Himmatnagar and Ahmedabad.

Why devotees come here

Shamlaji is a major Hindu pilgrimage centre in Aravalli district of Gujarat. The temple honours Vishnu as Shamlaji and stands on the banks of the Meshwo river, with legends that reach back to Brahma and Vishwakarma.

For Vaishnavites, Shamlaji is one of the one hundred and fifty four most important pilgrimage places in India. Legend says Brahma did penance here for a thousand years, and that Vishnu appeared as Shamlaji at the start of Shiva's yajna. Another legend says Vishwakarma, the architect of the gods, built the temple in one night, but could not carry it away by morning. Legend also says an Adivasi farmer found the idol while ploughing his land. A Vaishnava merchant then built the temple and installed the idol.

The temple is also called Dholi Dhajawala, after the white silk flag on its top. The present structure dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Shamlaji was already an important Hindu centre in the sixth century, and it probably had a sculpture workshop. The Idar rulers later beautified the temple. It is built of white sandstone and bricks, with two storeys on rows of pillars. Episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata are carved on the outer walls. Domed ceilings and a traditional north Indian spire stand over the main shrine.

Festivals

• Kartik Sud 15th (October)Shamlaji fair

  A large annual fair, and devotees come in big numbers to bathe in the river.

Tips for your visit

• Devni Mori, 2 km away, has remains of a Buddhist monastery from the third and fourth centuries.
• The nearby Old Shamlaji temple is said to have been the original temple.

Questions people ask