Each year the satsang group of Rajindernagar, Delhi visited famous holy temples in India ? this year they decided to pay ?darshan? at the most famous temples of Gujarat.
Gujarat has a series of historic temples ? Jain and Hindu ? that draw both tourists and pilgrims. All of them are steeped in heritage and worth a visit both for the devout and as well as history lover.
The legendary temple of Somnath
dedicated to Shiva was so famous for its riches that it has been plundered and
razed to the ground several times by invaders, but each time it has been
re-built again. Mahmud of Ghazni is said to have conducted the worst raid,
killing around 50,000 defenders of the temple and carrying away camel loads of
gems and precious stones. Aurangzeb conducted yet another raid after which the
temple was re-built by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar. The present temple however, was
built in 1950. Somnath is on the southern coast of Suarashtra and is considered to be one of the
holiest shrines as it had one of the auspicious 12 jyotirlingas (mentioned as far
back as the Puranas). It attracts thousand of devotees all round the year.
Another legendary temple of Gujarat, Dwarka is supposed to have
been where God Krishna founded a new
city after leaving Mathura.
It is a mix of fact and legend, as indeed remains of a city have been found in
the seabed close to the Dwarka coast. The seven-storeyed Dwarkadish temple that
stands there now, was built in the 16th century. An older temple
from the 12th century, the Rukmini temple stands nearby. The great
saint Mirabai spent her last few days at Dwarka after leaving her home in
Chittorgarh.
MODHERASUNTEMPLE
This astounding work of
architecture was built by the Solanki Kings in 1026. One first arrives at a
large tank or kund that has a boundary of small shrines. From here one walks
through the ruins of the decorative gate or toran towards three intricately
carved buildings the sabha griha (assembly hall), nritya mandap (dance hall) and the
garbha griha (sanctum for the gods. All the buildings are intricately carved
with deities, figurines, and patterns. Modhera is 119 km north-west of
Ahmedabad, or 25 km from Mehsana. An annual dance festival is held there each
January.
PALTANA JAIN TEMPLES
This enormous cluster of 863 Jain temples is
perched on top of the Shatrunjaya hill and is a fascinating sight. These hills
are extremely holy to the Jains who believe the first tirthankara Adinath
visited this place. The marble temples you can see here were built in the 16th
and 17th centuries, while many earlier temples were destroyed by
Muslim invaders. The main temple is dedicated to Adinath. Each and every temple
is profusely carved with decorated walls and ceilings, and pillared corridors
with statues of tirthankaras. They are built in fortified clusters and nine such
clusters survive.
Gujarat Tourist Spots - Gujarat is a state full of history, heritage and culture. The jungles are verdant, lush and green, where lions prowl and flamingoes preen.
Birds of Gujarat Blog - Gujarat is one of Indias most prolific birding areas. It has a variety of habitats including the saline desert wilderness of the Great and Little Rann of Kutch, the arid grasslands and scrub of Banni in Kutch and the Kathiawad Peninsula.
Official Websites
Gujarat Government - Gujarat Government portal covering diverse topics including health, tourism, culture, climate, Tenders and e-Governance.
Gujarat Tourism - Gujarat Tourism Government portal - Official website of Dept. of Tourism covers Places of Interest in Gujarat, Lists of Historical places in Gujarat and Festivals in Gujarat.
Other Useful Links
Directory of official sites - Gujarat Government Web directory of Health, Gujarat Tourism, Education, Finance, Banking, Judiciary and Executive.
Dandiya Zone - Welcome to Dandiya Zone, a site dedicated to the most popular Indian dance festival - Navratri. Find out everything about the Navratri festival.
