Shiv Temple Gararu

Getting there

• By air

  Jabalpur Airport, also called Dumna Airport, is the nearest airport, about 120 km from Narsinghpur.

• By train

  Narsinghpur railway station has the code NU. It is 120 km from Jabalpur junction and 190 km from Itarsi junction.

• By road

  The village is 18 km from Narsinghpur town, reached by a seasonal unpaved road.

Why devotees come here

Shiv Temple Gararu stands on a small hill on the bank of the Narmada, in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Its building looks like an Indo-Persian mausoleum, and the district government calls it important for archaeology.

Gararu is a village on the bank of the Narmada river in Narsinghpur tehsil. The Shiv temple stands on a small hill on the Narmada bank, in the north of the village. From a distance it looks like a mausoleum built in the Indo-Persian style. Inside, a Shivling with its water carrier sits in the square sanctum.

Records say the temple was first built in the late 14th or early 15th century. Local ruler Balwant Singh had it renovated in the 17th century, when octagonal pillars were added at the four corners. The amalaka and kalasha on top seem to be from that period too.

The temple is about 45 by 56 feet and built of brick and lime on a raised platform of 60 by 100 feet. A Dakshina Path runs around the sanctum. The sanctum entrance has arches, and ventilation openings line the path. The district government says the temple is important from an archaeological point of view, and its protection has been proposed.

Tips for your visit

• The Dakshina Path runs around the square sanctum, so you can walk a full circuit around the shrine.
• The sanctum is entered through arches, so you pass the arched entrance before you reach the Shivling.
• Look at the amalaka and kalasha on top, which seem to date from the 17th century renovation.

Questions people ask