Muchhal Mahavir temple is a
ÅvetÄmbara
The ÅvetÄmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''ÅvetÄmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...
Jain temple dedicated to Lord
Mahavir
Mahavira (Devanagari: ā¤Žā¤šā¤žā¤ĩāĨā¤°, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: ā¤ĩā¤°āĨā¤§ā¤Žā¤žā¤¨, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...
, at
Ghanerao, in
Pali district
Pali district is a district in Rajasthan, India. The city of Pali is its administrative headquarters.
Pali is also known as the Industrial/Textile City and has been a hub for merchant activities for centuries. It has a rich heritage and culture ...
in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
state in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The place is on the route from
Falna to
Kumbhalgarh. The fair is held here every year on the thirteenth day of the month of
Chaitra
Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar.
In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...
.
Muchhal Mahavir temple along with
Ranakpur,
Narlai,
Nadol and Varkana forms ''"
Gorwad Panch Tirth"''.
Jain legend
According to Jain legends, Rana
Raj Singh I
Maharana Raj Singh I (24 September 1629 â 22 October 1680) was the Maharana of Mewar Kingdom (r. 1652â1680) and eldest son of Maharana Jagat Singh I. He fought against the Mughal Empire and annexed many Mughal territories. He participate ...
of
Mewar
Mewar, also spelled as Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasth ...
once visited this temple to offer prayer. He noticed a white hair while putting saffron to the idol. Upon question about the hair, the temple priest replied that the hair was from the moustaches of Lord Mahavira. Following, this Rana insisted to see moustache. The temple priest fasted for three days and pleased with this the protecting deity showed moustache on the face of the idol. When Rana uprooted the moustache, blood oozed out of the spot. Following this Rana became a staunch devoutee of the Mahavira and the idol was named ''Mucchal Mahavir'', or the Mahavir who had a moustache.
Architecture
The temple is built in
Nagara architecture. The temple is a curviliean superstructure decorated with multiple
turrets and decorated pillars. The entrance of the temple has an intricately carved
torana
A ''torana'' (; '' awr-uh-nuh') is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu architecture, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in Southeast Asi ...
and outside the door of the temple are two large black colored idols of elephant on each side. The temple is famous for detailed cavings. The temple also has a
dharamshala equipped with all modern facilities and
bhojnalaya.
See also
*
Ranakpur Jain temple
*
Dilwara temples
References
Citation
Source
*
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{{Jainism topics
Jain temples in Rajasthan
Tourist attractions in Pali district
10th-century Jain temples