JAIPUR TEMPLES

Galtaji Temple
An ancient pilgrimage spot where the great saint Galav is believed to have spent his life and did his meditation; Galta is situated 10 km from Jaipur on Jaipur-Agra highway near Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh. It is known maily for its temples, pavilions, natural springs and holy 'kunds'. The famous temples of the place include the triple-storied temple of Balaji, which appeals to the aesthetic sense of the visitors and is built in pink stone. Its magnificent structure looks more like a palatial mansion or Haveli. Situated amidst the low hills, is the Temple of Galtaji, which is also in pink stone and has a huge complex. Frequented by a large number of devotees, this beautiful temple boasts of a number of pavilions with rounded roofs, exquisitely carved pillars and painted walls. The temple is surrounded by natural springs and reservoirs that are considered holy and people believe that taking a holy dip in this tanks cleanse one of his sins.

A large number of people take a holy bath in these tanks especially on Makar Sankranti, a religious festival celebrated in the coldest season in mid-January! There are seven tanks in all, the holiest being the Galta Kund, which is believed never to become dry. Gaumukh feeds these tanks, which is a spring originating from a rock shaped like a cow's head, hence, the name. Yet another notable temple that is worth visiting at Galta is the 18th century Surya Temple dedicated to the Sun God, which is situated on top of the highest peak here. It was built b by Diwan Rao Kriparam, a courtier of Sawai Jai Singh II. The temple is so situated that it provides breathtaking views of the surrounding plains and the city of Jaipur. The heavy rains in 1991 heavily damaged the beautiful frescoes of the temple. Besides these temples, the remnants of the old-age havelis in the nearby region are worth seeing for their delicately carved balconies and painted ceilings.

Govind Dev Ji Temple
The royal temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, Govind Deo Ji temple is situated in the City Palace complex. Well preserved by the erstwhile royal family, the image of the chief deity Govind Deo Ji (Lord Krishna) is said to have been brought from Vrindavan and was installed here by Raja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur. Since then, he has been worshipped as the patron deity of the royal family and occupies the sanctum of this spire less temple. 'Aartis' and 'Bhog' are offered to the deity seven times a day, when the idol is unveiled for the benefit of the devotees who come here to pay their homage to the deities. 'Bhog' mostly consists of sweets and is offered in the huge silver wares. Each time, the idols of Lord Krishna and his eternal beloved Radha are unveiled, they are dressed in different styles for the benefit of the devotees who come here to have a glimpse or 'Darshan' of the deities.

The temple was built in 1890 with the money donated by Raja Man Singh, the famous general of great Mughal emperor Akbar and is set between Chandra Mahal and Badal Mahal to allow the sighting of the deities of the temple from the royal palace itself. Thousands of devotees visit the temple, especially during Janamashtmi, to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna. The seven-storied structure was built in the form of Greek cross at an enormous cost of one crore rupees. It is said that Emperor Akbar donated red sandstone meant for building Red Fort at Agra for construction of the temple. The architectural style in which the temple is built is a pleasing amalgamation of Western, Hindu and Muslim architectural traits.

Moti Dungri Temple
Situated almost in the centre of the pink city, Moti Dungri Hill (meaning Pearl Hill) boasts of an exotic palace that belonged to the son of Maharaja Madho Singh and is still a private property of the royal family and visitors are not allowed inside the premises of the palace. Recently, Rajmata Gayatri Devi and his son Jagat Singh used to live there. It is built as a replica of the Scottish castle. However, it is the Ganesh Temple, which is most famous here.

Birla Temple
Situated just below Moti Dungri, the Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple has a huge complex and is built in a contemporary style. The finest quality of white marble is used to build the temple and its beautiful stained glass widows depict scenes from Hindu mythology. The almost-transparent marble idol of Ganesh is a masterpiece while the idols of main deities of the temple, Goddess lakshmi and her consort Lord Vishnu, are carved out from one piece of marble. The temple houses several other Hindu deities along with great historical achievers, philosophers and religious giants such as Socrates, Zarathustra, Christ, Budhda, and Confucius.

The temple was built by Birla family, the famous industrialists of India, and has three domes, which are said to represent three different approaches to religion. Lord Vishnu, also popularly called as Narayan is one of the three main gods of Hindu Trinity while Goddess Lakshmi is said to be the bestower of wealth and good fortune. The beautiful exteriors of the temple are richly carved with beautiful sculptures based on various mythological themes while the interiors have a large marble panel depicting major mythological events. The idols of the main deities occupy the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The temple itself is built on a platform and is surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens.

Kalki Temple
The Kalki Temple at Jaipur is the only temple in India dedicated to the incarnation of God not yet born. According to Hindu mythology, Kalki is the tenth and the last incarnation of the Lord Vishnu who is yet to born. Kalki literally means 'Born of Time'. Lord Kalki is believed to come on a white horse with a shinning sword in his hand and protect the mankind from prevailing chaos and confusion in Kal Yuga.

Raja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur built the temple of Kalki in 1727 AD at the time he was building the city. He was a keen student of Vedic texts and a Hindu revivalist. Jai Singh built the Kalki temple right opposite the eastern entrance to the City Palace. The location of the temple was important but still it was not given a prime position in the street. The temple was built behind the street of impressive buildings. The temple can be entered through a ceremonial archway in two easy slopes through a ramp way rather than a staircase that opens at the street. The temple is built over a 20 ft high plinth. There is a ramp within the temple complex leading up to the temple. A canopied kiosk in one corner contains the fine marble statue of a horse facing the temple, which is supposedly the mount of Kalki. The ramps are probably constructed to facilitate the horse to climb up and down easily. Historians also believe that Jai Singh was the last Hindu ruler to have performed Ashwamedha Yajna, an ancient Vedic rite and the horse was sculpted to commemorate the event.

The temple is constructed of stone in typical style of temple architecture of North India. The only exceptional feature in the temple is that it has two sikhars instead of one. The smaller sikhar at the back is called the Lakshmi Niwas, the abode of Goddess Lakshmi. It was constructed to build the idol of Padmawati Devi. The statue, however, is kept with that of Kalki under the main sikhar.

The temple is close ever since it was built waiting for the birth of the Lord Kalki. A caretaker priest appointed by the state government looks after the cleanliness of the temple and opens it periodically.

Jain Temple, Ranakpur
Ranakpur is located in the mountain ranges of Pali district, 23 kms away from the Phalna railway station. Ranakpur is reached after passing lush green valleys and streams and the heart capturing views drive away any fatigue of the journey. The Ranakpur Jain temples were built during the region of the liberal and gifted monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century.

The entire temple area is enclosed within a wall. The main 'Chamukha' temple is dedicated to the trithankara Rishabdeoji and a four-faced image is enshrined in the inner sanctum, open on all four sides.

An enormous basement cover 48,000 sq. feet are. There are four subsidiary shrines, twenty four pillared halls and eight domes supported by over four hundred columns. The total number of columns is 1,444, all which are intricetrly carved, no two being alike.

A corridor around the shrine has niches for the tirthankara images and each niche has its spire or shikhar. Little bells are festooned atop each shikar and their jingling in the breeze creates celestial music.

A small shrine dedicated to Prashvanath faces the main temple. It has a black image of the tirthankara in the inner sanctum.

There are images of Adinath in the north west, Parshvanath in the north east, Ajitnath in the south-east and Lord Mahavir Swami in the south west. The artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an engrossing sight. In the assembly hall, there are two big bells weighing 108 kgs whose sound enches in the entire complex.