Shiva is worshipped as Eklingji in the famous Eklingji
Temple in Udaipur District of Rajasthan. In this form, Shiva is the Parabrahma –
one without a second. He is the ruler of the Mewad region and Sisodia Ranas
rule the region as his ministers.
Shiva as Eklingji is creator, preserver and destroyer. The
Mother Goddess Shakti is worshipped here as Mata Ratneshwari. The worship and
stories of the deity and the temple are closely associated with the history of
the Mewad kingdom.
The shivling worshipped as Eklingji is four-faced. Eklingaji's
four faces symbolize Lord Brahma in the west, Lord Vishnu in the north,
Maheshwara (Shiva) in the South, and Surya in the east.
People believe that Mewad can never be conquered as it has
the blessing of Eklingji.
In 734 AD, Mewad Ruler Bappa Rawal, on the advice of his
spiritual guru, Harit Rishi, established and declared Eklingji as the deity to
be worshipped by his successors. Acharya Vishwaroop, the contemporary
of Adi Shankaracharya, helped Bappa Rawal in installing the deity and constructing the temple.
of Adi Shankaracharya, helped Bappa Rawal in installing the deity and constructing the temple.
Eklingji Temple is located in a huge complex protected by
high walls. Apart from the Eklingji Temple, there are 1 08 temples dedicated to
important Hindu gods and goddesses.