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Excursion
Temples
[ Takhteshwar Temple | Gangajalia
Temple | Mata no Madh | Puraneshwar
| Roman Catholic Church | Madresa
Mosque | Jami Masjid | Kalika
Temple | Lakulish Temple | The
Jain Derasar Temple | Kumbhariya | Taranga
| Tarsang | Halvad Temples |
Jami Mosque | The Temple of Girnar
| Tomb of Gosh Muhammad | Sikh
| Mani Mandir | Mahabouddha
| The Ashokan Stupas | Mahavir Swami
Derasar | Machchhendranath Temple | Krishna
Temple | Hiranya Varna Mahavihar | Kumbheshwar
| Jagat Narayan | Kirti Mandir
| Sudama Mandir | Ranakdevi Temple
| Swami Narayan Temple | Goddess
Wagheshwari Temple ]
 Takhteshwar
Temple
Takhetshwar Temple (1893 AD) is located on a hill, on a high plinth,
offering a commanding view of Bhavnagar. The high Shikhara rising
above the pillared rectangular mandapa makes it an important landmark.
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Gangajalia Temple
Gangajalia (1893 AD) is a temple dedicated to Gangadevi. The chhatri,
pavilion and bridge are all made in white marble. It is located
in the middle of a former tank. Sir John Griffith, principal of
Sir J. J. School of Arts, Bombay, designed it.
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Mata no Madh (90 km)
Mata no Madh is an old temple believed to be 1,200 years old. The
temple is dedicated to the family Goddess of Kuchh rulers. The temple
has many unusual features and its treatment of dimensions and of
space is unique.
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 Puraneshwar
A temple tour of Bhuj commences with Punareshwar (35kms from Bhuj)
noted for its 9th century Solanki temple and a palace at Vadimedi
where religious rites are performed. A further 100kms away from
Puraneshwar is an 8th century temple dedicated to the goddess of
the ruling family. A nearby gurudwara is historically significant,
as Guru Nanak is believed to have visited this site while he was
on his way to Mecca. Few of his relics are retained here. Lakhpat,
once a flourishing post, and now deserted, reminds one that in ancient
times, ships sailed to West Asia from Gujarat's West Coast. Time
stands still at Lakhpat, recalling to mind an era long past, through
the many sites in the city, including the Sikh Gurdwara, and the
200-year tomb or Dargah of Ghaus Mohammed Kaba.
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Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church is an old church erected about 200 years ago
and then rebuilt in 1861 AD.
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Madresa Mosque
The Madresa Mosque is believed to be the oldest mosque founded by
Mohammad in 1038 AD. There are two inscriptions in Persian, engraved
on wooden plates, dated 1609 AD. The pillars of the mosque and the
front door of black wood are decorated with beautiful engravings,
some 200 to 300 years old. Adjoining it is a shrine of the famous
saint, Maulana Ishaqu, a man of great learning, who died here in
1660 AD.
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 Jami
Masjid
The Jami Masjid(1513 A.D.), with an exquisitely carved entrance,
a vast and imposing courtyard surrounded by cloistered galleries
speaks of the quality of the artisans who worked at Champaner. The
elevation in the front shows five pointed arches and slim minarets
flanking the central arch, perfectly proportioned. It is an imposing
structure on a high plinth with two tall minarets of 30-meter height,
172 pillars and seven mihrabs, the central dome. The placement of
balconies and carved entrance gates with fine stone jalis and rich
decoration makes the visit a delightful aesthetic experience.
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 Kalika
Temple (10th to 11th)
The most famous of the lot is the Kalika Temple is one of the most
sacred centre of Hindu pilgrimage for devotees of Goddess Kali.
Parts of this temple have been described in a drama written in the
15th century. The distance from the foot of the hill to Kalika Mata's
Temple on its highest peak of Pavagadh hill is about five kms. Every
year about one million people visit the temple. There is a ropeway
to reach the temple.
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 Lakulish
Temple
Another important temple is a Lakulish Temple (10th century) at
Chhashia Talav. It has some beautiful sculptures depicting various
forms of Shiva Dakshinamurti, Ardhanarishvara and Kalayanasundaramurti.
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The Jain Derasar Temple
The Jain Derasar is a typical example of plaster-decorated buildings
of Gujarat, imitating woodcarvings and figurines in plasterwork,
showing the influence of Victorian art. The arcades, with decorated
pillars, the figures with musical instruments, their dressing, headgear
and hairstyle painted in an unconventional manner with bright colours,
make a beautiful composition.
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 Kumbhariya:
(30 km from Danta)
The Kumbhariya group of Jain temples dates back to the Solanki period
(11th to 12th century). The five temples are dedicated to Mahavira,
Shantinath, Parshwanath, Neminath and Sambhavnath. The temples have
main shrine in the centre of a rectangular courtyard, formed by
a series of shrines with shikhars, dedicated to Jain Tirthankaras.
On each side, there is a porch with a balcony, reached by a flight
of steps. The quality of workmanship on the marble is excellent
and reminds one of the Delwada Jain temples at Mt. Abu.
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 Taranga:
(27 km from Danta)
The Ajitnath Temple (1166 AD) is one of the finest and best-preserved
examples of Jain temple architecture from the Solanki period. It
has a shikhara, mandapa, pillars and brackets made out of marble
with excellent carving.
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Tarsang
Tarsang is situated 32 kms away from Danta. It was the previous
capital and contains ruins of temples.
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Halvad Temples
The Bhavani Temple and Bhuteshwar Mahadev at the cremation ground
are at least 500 years old and are protected monuments. Halvad has
six Shiva Temples encircling the town.
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 Jami
Mosque
Jami Mosque was originally a palace of Ranakdevi, converted into
a mosque by Muhammad Begada to commemorate his victory over Junagadh
in 1470 AD. Another interesting artifact from past is 'Nilam' canon;
brought to Diu from Egypt to fight against the Portuguese and it
was manufactured by the order of Suleyman, the magnificent, King
of Turkey.
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 The
Temple of Girnar
Girnar is one of the two hills most sacred to the Jain community
of India. Girnar is an under 4000 feet high hill. It rises to a
height of more than 600 meters, its five peaks crowned by 16 carved
and sculptured marble shrines that adorn this famous hilltop temple
city. The beautiful Jain temples of Neminath and Mallinath are a
strong attraction. There is Hindu temple as well. It is an abode
of Hindu ascetics. Naga Sadhus and Pilgrims from all over India,
attend the Mahashivratri fair dedicated to Hindu Lord Shiva.
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 Tomb
of Gosh Muhammad
Gosh Muhammad was a famous saint revered equally by Hindus and Muslims.
A beautiful tomb was constructed using local hard black stone, after
his death in 1855 AD. It is an octagonal, domed structure with four
entrances. The corner pilasters, foliated arches on each side, doorjambs
and niches are exquisitely carved using floral motifs and the tree
of life. Inner walls are decorated with verse from the Koran using
beautiful calligraphy.
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Sikh
 It
is one of the sacred places associated with life of Guru Nanak Sahib,
the founder of the Sikh religion, as it is believed that he embarked
for Haj to Mecca from Lakhpat. The Gurudwara here was constructed
to commemorate this event, and it is visited by Sikhs throughout
the year. Other interesting structures at Lakhpat are the mosque,
a structure for keeping Tajia (a Muslim religious float) and number
of Hindu temples.
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 Mani
Mandir
Mani Mandir is a temple situated in the courtyard of Wellington
Secretariat. The images of Laxmi Narayan, Mahakali, Ramchandraji,
Radha-Krishna and Shiva are enshrined in this temple. Mani Mandir
is made out of Jaipur stone with excellent workmanship and exquisitely
carved elements - arches, brackets, jails, chhatris and shikhara.
Wellington Secretariat is an excellent example of the application
of principles of Rajput architecture by master artisans.
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 Mahabouddha
A little further from Patan Durbar Square lies this Buddhist temple
made of clay bricks in which thousands of images of the Lord Buddha
are engraved. The Terra-cotta structure is a fourteenth-century
Nepalese architectural masterpiece. An architect named Avay Raj
constructed it.
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 The
Ashokan Stupas
There are four ancient stupas, popularly were built in 250 B. C.
by Emperor Ashoka, at the Four Corners of Patan. The four stupas
are located in Pulchowk, Lagankhel, Ebahi (way to Shankhamul), and
in Teat (way to Sano Gaon) respectively. These stupas give evidence
to the city's ancient religious importance.
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Mahavir Swami Derasar
There are at least 100 Jain Temples in Patan. The most important
temple one can visit is the Mahavir Swami Derasar in Dhandherwad
with exquisitely carved wooden dome.
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Machchhendranath Temple
The temple of Machchhendranath is another centre of attraction in
Patan. The temple lies in the middle of a wide spacious quadrangle
just at the outer rim of the market place. A fine clay image of
Avalokiteshwar or red Machchhendranath is housed here for six months
every year after which it is taken round the city of Patan in a
colourful chariot festival beginning in April-May and lasting sometimes
for several months.
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 Krishna
Temple
The temple of Lord Krishna holds a commanding position in Patan's
palace complex. Though its style is not wholly native, it is reckoned
one of the perfect specimens of the Nepalese temple-craft. The three-storied
stone temple continues to elicit high praise from lovers of art
and beauty. King Siddhi Narasingha Malla built it in the 16th century
A.D. Most of the important scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana
epics have been carved in bas-relief. The minute details of this
relief work clearly show the high level that the art of stone carving
had attained in the 16th century. The important Hindu temples are
Kalika Mata, Sindhwai Mata, Harihareshwar Mahadev and Brahma Kund.
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 Hiranya
Varna Mahavihar
King Bhaskar Varma built this three-storeyed golden pagoda of Lokeshwar
(Lord Buddha) in the twelfth century AD. Located in the courtyard
of Kwabahal, this temple belongs to a class of its own. A golden
image of Lord Buddha and a big prayer wheel can be seen on the pedestal
of the upper part of the Vihar while intricate decorative patterns,
worked out on its outer walls, add charm to the mellow richness
of the shrine.
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 Kumbheshwar
This is a five-storeyed pagoda-style temple of Lord Shiva. Inside
the courtyard is a natural spring believed to have source in the
famous glacial lake of Gosainkunda. King Jayasthiti Malla built
this temple while the golden finial was added later in 1422 A.D.
He also cleaned the pond near Kumbheshwar and installed various
images of Narayan, Ganesh, Sitala, Basuki, Gauri, Kirtimukh and
Agamadevata around the pond and in the courtyard. Ritual bathing
takes place here every year on the day of Janai Poornima.
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 Jagat
Narayan
The Jagat Narayan temple is a tall Shikhara-style temple of Lord
Vishnu. The temple is built out of the red bricks on the bank of
the Sagmati at Sankharnul. It enshrines many stone images. The fine
metal statue of Garuda placed on a stone monolith is quite eye-catching
along with similarly placed images of Ganesh and Hanuman.
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 Kirti
Mandir
Kirti Mandir is built next to the birthplace of Mahatama Gandhi,
who was born here in 1869 AD. Lakhs of Indian tourists visit the
house of the Mahatama and Kasturba, his wife. Kirti Mandir has a
Gandhian library and a prayer hall.
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 Sudama
Mandir
There is no Indian, who has not heard of the legendary friendship
of king and devotee - Krishna and Sudama - starting from the ashram
of Sandipani Rishi and culminating at the court of Lord Krishna,
in the city of gold, Dwarika. The story comes alive with the sight
of a beautiful temple in the middle of Porbandar town. In whole
of India, this is the only temple dedicated to Sudama. The maze
on the platform in the campus is an interesting feature.
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Ranakdevi Temple
This town is a witness to the famous story of Sati Ranakdevi and
the great solanki ruler Siddhraj Jaisinh, Ranakdevi committed a
ritual of Sati at this place to protect her honor, when Siddhraj
Jaisinh murdered her husband, Ra'Khengar and two sons. It is believed
that her curse to Bhogavo, a, mute witness to this injustice, made
it waterless, forever. A small, beautiful temple of Ranakdevi is
located on the southern edge of Wadhvan, at the cremation ground
along with cenotaphs of Wadhvan rulers and hero stones of warriors.
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Swami Narayan Temple
Wadhvan has a Swami Narayan Temple with a majestic gate and nicely
painted interiors using bright colours, truly in the style of architecture
of the Swami Narayan sect.
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Goddess Wagheshwari Temple
The ancient temple of Goddess Wagheshwari is famous for its Navratri
celebration, in which only men perform Garbis. Wadhvan, a town with
old-world charm and its own serene pace will make it a memorable
experience for any traveler.
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General Information on Temples in Gujarat - India
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