{"id":98179,"date":"2022-01-13T09:34:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T08:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magikindia.com\/?p=98179"},"modified":"2022-01-14T11:14:16","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T10:14:16","slug":"sarneshwar-mahadev-sirohi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magikindia.com\/en\/sarneshwar-mahadev-sirohi\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarneshwar Mahadev, the temple-fort of Sirohi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sirohi is a small city located in the south of Rajasthan two hours from Udaipur<\/a>, the romantic city of lakes. It was once the capital of the princely state of the same name ruled by the Rajput Deora Chauhan. Within it stands a highly venerated temple, Sarneshwar Mahadev, protected upstream by a hill and surrounded by two long walls – an indication that this sacred place was once the scene of several battles. These battles pitted forces led by Maharao Vijay Chauhan alongside the Rabari community against the ruthless Sultan of Delhi, Alaud-Din Khilji.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The palace-fortress of the royal family of Sirohi (we can’t visit it)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sirohi takes its name from the hill “Siranwa”<\/strong>, on the western slope of which the city stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the inception of Sirohi it was the city of Shivpuri, founded in 1405 by Rao Sobhaji or “Virji”<\/strong>* which stood not far away, on the eastern slope of Siranwa hill which is called Khuba. There, ruins of the old town still stand as does a memorial dedicated to Virji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1425, his son and successor, Sahastramal,<\/strong> erected a fortress on the eastern slope of the same hill which became his capital and the current city of Sirohi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*sixth descendant of Rao Deoraj, the ancestor of the Deora Chauhan clan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The emblem of the Rajput clan Deora Chauhan of Sirohi with the temple of Sarneshwar in the middle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ten minutes north of this palace-fortress,<\/strong> stands the temple of Sarneshwar Mahadev, dedicated to Shiva and Kuldev (tutelary deity) of the royal family of Sirohi. Its watchtowers and immense walls are a vivid reflection of its history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The history <\/strong>of Sarneshwar Mahadev temple of Sirohi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The origin of the Sarneshwar temple is closely linked to that of the fierce Alaud-Din Khilji,<\/strong> Sultan of Delhi from 1296 to 1316.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After strengthening his control over the Indo-Gangetic plains (Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh), he decided, in 1297, to invade <\/strong>Gujarat<\/strong>,<\/a> ruled at that time by King Karna of the Vaghela dynasty, in order to “subdue the infidels and destroy the Hindu idols\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army of Alaud-Din Khilji was able to rapidly seize Gujarat, owing to the lack of preparation and the ineffectiveness of the troops of King Karna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of Gujarat was sacked and the enemy forces. Hindu temples were particularly targeted. This was the case with the temple of Rudra Mahalaya<\/strong> in <\/a>Siddhpur<\/a><\/strong> in northern Gujarat, whose main deity, a Shiva-lingam<\/a>, was removed by the sultan’s troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The remains of the Rudra Mahalaya temple in Siddhpur which was largely destroyed by the armies of the Sultan of Delhi | Photo : kaushal bhatt<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The return journey to Delhi led the Sultan\u2019s army to the kingdom of Sirohi<\/strong>. Its king at the time Maharao Vijay Singh, made it a point of honour to recover the sacred lingam, even at the cost of his own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Sultan’s soldiers approached Sirohi, Rajput troops swooped down on them and emerged victorious from the ensuing battle. They recovered the Shiva-lingam<\/strong> which they placed in a sanctuary at the foot of Siranwa hill where the battle took place. The Maharao gave it the name of “Ksharneshwar” which later became \u201cSarneshwar”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The lingam of the temple which would be the one recovered by the Rajput troops | Photo : sirohishehar.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The story also tells that Alaud-Din Khilji who, offended by the defeat of 1298, returned to Sirohi <\/strong>with his <\/strong>troops but suffered a second defeat. It is also said that he was cured of leprosy by the water in the temple basin. As a result he swore that he would never attack Sirohi again and had the inner wall of the temple built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rabari Raika men in the Sirohi region<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During these two battles thousands of Rabaris<\/a><\/strong>, camel herders and temporary warriors of this war, lost their lives. The second victory came at the time of Bhadrapada Shukla Ekadashi. <\/strong>This day was consecrated as a day in memory of the valiant Rabaris by Maharao Vijay and since that time an annual fair has been organized in the temple complex of Sarneshvara ji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KNOW MORE ABOUT THE RABARIS<\/a><\/strong> +<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sarneshwar Mahadev temple architecture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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We enter the temple grounds through an imposing gate flanked by two watchtowers.<\/strong> From there, you can already see the two long walls surrounding the temple, partly built on the side of Siranwa hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The imposing gate of the temple enclosure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sarneshwar ji is now a few hundred yards away and the first impression upon arrival is awe-inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sanctuary, dressed in white, is guarded by three huge elephants<\/strong>, two at the entrance and one in front, both painted black and ridden by armed men. Overlooking the elephants, two massive watchtowers with loopholes reinforce the protection of the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The entrance to the temple with two elephants and the watchtowers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Detail of one of the elephants<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before entering the temple complex there are two small altars on each side.<\/strong> The left alter dedicated to the monkey-god Hanuman – symbolising devotion and the right, to Ganesha – who is invoked to attract good luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wide wooden entrance door opens to a large courtyard. In its centre lies the main temple, dedicated to Sarneshwar,<\/strong> a form of the god Shiva, symbolised by a Shiva-lingam, the very same lingam that was stolen in Siddhpur by the armies of the Sultan of Delhi (see above).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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