Shrinathji Temple, Nathdwara Nathdwara
About Shrinathji Temple, Nathdwara
Shrinathji Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shrinathji in Nathdwara. It is considered an important pilgrimage centre by Vaishnavs. Shrinathji is a form of Hindu god Krishna.
The divine form of Shrinathji is said to be self-manifested. The idol of the Lord Krishna was being transferred to a safer place to protect it from the anti-Hindu, iconoclastic and barbarian destruction of the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb . When they were travelling, the wheels got stuck in mud and wouldn’t budge. The priests thought of it as Lord’s own chosen place and accordingly, a temple was built there .
It is believed that Shrinathji travelled to Mewar many a times to play dice with a Princess by the name of Ajab Kauri. The princess expressed her feelings about how sad she felt when Shrinathji used to return home from Mewar. She wished that he would stay there itself and now, the palace is the current temple of Shrinathji.
Economy and livelihoods in Nathdwara town revolve around the Haveli i.e the temple where the Mewar rulers lived. Shrinathji was quite popular with other medieval devotees, as well, as there were preachers who founded Shrinathji temples in present-day Pakistan, Russia and other places on the Central Asian trade routes. Tradition holds that Shrinathji would return to Govardhan.
Devotees throng to the shrine in large numbers during occasions of Janmashtami and other festivals, like Holi and Diwali. The deity is bathed, dressed, offered meals and the resting times in regular intervals. All this care is taken because the idol is believed to be of infant Krishna.
The main attractions are dressing and beautifying of the idol of Shrinathji which is changed seven times daily and the proper clothing pertaining to the different timings of the day are worn. The intricately woven shaneels and silk clothe have original zari and embroidery work on them, along with large quantities of real precious jewellery. Diya, incense sticks, flowers, fruit and other offerings, with local instruments and devotional songs of the Shrinathji are seen as per the timings. One can view the idol after the curtain is removed and the idol is made available for view.
By Air: Rajasthan is easily accessible by air. Jaipur, the capital of the state, has the only international airport of the state. The other nearest international airport from Rajasthan is Delhi, at a distance of 260 km. There are a number of domestic airports in Rajasthan at Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Jaisalmer. However, Rajasthan has only three International flights landing at Jaipur from Dubai, Muscat, and Sharjah. But, the connectivity within the state through flights is well established.
By Rail: India has a well established rail network running through the country, making the remote parts of the various states accessible and Rajasthan is no exception to this, with well connected networks of rail. In addition, it happens to be one of the cheapest means to reach Rajasthan. Most of the cities of Rajasthan, say Jaipur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur, and Jodhpur being the principal stations of the state, are connected by daily services from major states and cities of India like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. An individual has sufficient options to choose and travel through economy class, AC chair car, 1st or 2nd class sleeper etc.
By Road: The state of Rajasthan can boast of a well connected road network considering the connectivity of the state through several state highways and national highways. About 1,50,876 km of road network runs across the state of Rajasthan. The national highways link Rajasthan with the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Thus, one can easily hit the road to Rajasthan and enjoy traveling in a taxi, private car, or via frequently available and cheapest, interstate bus services.
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