Eklingji, Rajasthan

We visited the Eklingji temple, the main deity of Mewar state. This temple dates back to the 8th century, credited to Bappa Rawal. Remember the movie “Padmaavat”? That’s where you might’ve seen it. The famous king, Rana Kumbha, referred to himself as an agent of Eklingji. To this day, the temple belongs to the Mewar ruling family.

This temple faced challenges. It was attacked multiple times and destroyed twice: once by the Delhi Sultanate and once by the Malwa Sultanate. After each setback, it was rebuilt.

Because of its ties to the Mewar royal family and the bravery of past Mewar rulers, many link the deity to Kshatriya dharma.