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Shrinathji Temple (Shrinathji ki Haveli)

Nathdwara, Rajsamand district, Rajasthan (on the Banas river, about 50 km from Udaipur)

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Shrinathji Temple (Shrinathji ki Haveli)
Photo: Karmandir, AI illustration

About

Nathdwara, on the banks of the Banas river in Rajsamand district, is the home of Shrinathji. Shrinathji is Shri Krishna as a seven-year-old child, in the form in which he lifted Govardhan hill. The murti is carved from a single black stone, with the left hand raised and the right hand resting at the waist. Shrinathji is the main deity of the Pushtimarg, the path started by Shri Vallabhacharya. Here the Lord is served as the master of a house, so the temple is called a haveli, with its own kitchen, milk room and flower room. The town takes its name from him: Nathdwara means the Lord's door.

The story

Pushtimarg tradition tells that the form of Shri Govardhannathji first appeared on Govardhan hill in Braj. First his raised left arm was seen, and the people of Braj worshipped it for many years; later his face appeared too. A story says a cow named Dhumar would go to one spot every afternoon and let her milk flow into the ground, and there the Lord's face was found. Shri Vallabhacharya came to Govardhan and began his regular seva, and his son Shri Vitthalnathji gave the deity the name Shrinathji.

In the 17th century, to keep the murti safe, its sevaks carried it away from Braj. After a long journey they reached Mewar, where Maharana Raj Singh gave the Lord shelter. At the village of Sihad on the Banas, the wheels of the chariot sank deep into the mud and would not move. The sevaks took this as a sign that the Lord wished to stay, and in 1672 a temple was built on that spot. The town that grew around it came to be called Nathdwara.

Pushtimarg stories also say that Shrinathji used to come to play chaupar with Ajab Kunwari, a princess of Mewar, and promised her that one day he would come to live in Rajasthan.

Visiting

October to March is the best season. Darshan is given in several short sessions called jhanki through the day, so be ready to wait in the queue and then move along quickly. Nathdwara is famous for its pichhwai paintings. Close by are the Dwarkadhish temple at Kankroli and the historic pass of Haldighati.

Festivals

  • Shri Krishna Janmashtami and Nand Mahotsav
  • Annakut (Govardhan Puja), the day after Diwali
  • Diwali
  • Holi
  • Hariyali Amavasya
  • Prabodhini (Dev Uthani) Ekadashi

Devta dhams

Sources