Ranchodraiji Temple – When Indian temples shine
Posted On November 16, 2011
Come to the land of Dakor which was earlier a small area called Dankapur. Today it has changed into a major religious centre and a hub of commercial activity. There is a small temple here which is ensconced in a temple complex. This has grown around it. Today this is one of the Indian temples with a complex in a square format. There are four gates which come through the walls at basic points of cardinal directions. There are many storerooms and offices which are found around the temple area. The main temple is on a platform which is built in the style of medieval temples. Lord Ranchodraiji is another form of Lord Vishnu. The deity is found to have four arms. He is shown to have a lotus, conch, discus and also the mace in all hands. The Lord here is a famous and most worshipped lord. He is more worshipped than the Dwarkadhish deity – Krishna. He is believed to be a younger and more free version of the Dwarka Lord. His right hand has a flute which is an instrument very favourite to God. There is a mace on the right h and the discus and the conch are found in his other two left hands.
This place gets along with activity during festivals and the entire place is lit up with celebration. The hands are ensconced with gems and jewellery during festivals.
Shri Gopalrao Jagannath Tambwekar built this temple in the 17th century. In those times, the temple cost only 1lakh rupees. Brick walls and stone pillars made up the temple and the entire temple lies on a plinth at a height of around 168 feet by 151 feet. There are stone steps around 12 of them which are found on either side and there is a huge courtyard in the temple. Eight domes and around 24 turrets are a part of the temple and there is a huge one measuring around 90 feet making this Ranchodraiji temple the highest amongst Indian temples. The temple lies on the banks of the River Gomati. The main gate goes into a courtyard and drummers drum during the festivals. The entire city or the Nagarkhana resounds with the sound of these drums. These drums are played during festival times, during Aarti and other occasions. Once inside the courtyard, there are two tall structures which have housed a lot of lamps which are lit during the festive time and these are found on either side of the temple.
The entire architecture of the temple is very much in the style of Gujarati temples and the marble stairs that lead up to the main temple area endorse this form of constructions. The entire place seems to exude the Glory of Ranchodraiji and the entrances are huge and allow all the devotees to enjoy the charm and the power of this esteemed Lord. Shri Krishna’s ras lila was depicted on the dome till recent times. Today we find a lovely work or mirrors here which depict a lot of flowers with designs embedded and also a trellis in typical Rajput style gardens. Murals and great facilities for men and women make this one of the favourite Indian temples of many pilgrims in this part of the world.
