The state of Gujarat is home to countless historical and heritage structures, particularly the richly carved step-wells. Quite popular are temples dedicated to God Shiva and God Krishna. The hilly region of NE part of Aravalli mountains id dotted with countless damaged temples of beauty. Shamlaji temple in the district of Aravalli dedicated to God Vishnu is an important destination for tourists as well as Hindu devotees. It is one of the important Hindu pilgrimage places in this state.
Situated on the banks of the river Meshwo surrounded by wooded hilly places in the northeast of the Arvalli district Shamlaji temple is not only an ancient Hindu temple but also a popular pilgrimage place in Gujarat. This place also used be a famous pilgrimage center in the 6th century CE. It is dedicated to God Vishnu and has astonishing architecture with beautifully stone carved images of exceptional beauty. This temple is commonly referred to as Dholi Dhajawala and this being due to white silk flag fluttering atop the temple.
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| Shamlaji templ, Aravalli dt. GJ eupload.wikimedia.org |
Built probably in 11th century in Chaulukya style in the past it was thought to be a Jaina worship place. Though the present structure dates from the 15th-16th centuries the sculpted image of Vishnu in the garbagriha /sanctum seems to belong to 7th-8th century. This temple is said to have been not renovated in the last 500 years.
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| Shamlaji temple, Aravalli, GJ in.pinterest.com |
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| Shamlaji temple, Aravalli, GJ pinrest.com |
With respect to architecture of this temple that was built with sandstone and brick, it is a good example of artistic excellence and charm of Chalukya style of temple design. This two-story structure surrounded by a wall with a gateway has many ornate pillars and a canopy with arches on each side. The richly carved part in the lower section is overlain by a frieze with an unintelligible pattern and above it lies all around a fringe of stone-carved elephants' heads. Right above it there is a frieze rich in figures in bass-relief, men on horseback with bows, and animals particularly, elephants; It is interesting to note on the outer wall between every two angles, the larger images of semi-rampant elephants stand out in relief, A big size elephant stands on either side of the doorway in front of the entrance. Some episodes from the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana are carved on the walls but they appear to be a bit worn out due to time factor or the impact of seasonal changes. Most of the sculptures were made from bluish schist rocks (of metamorphic origin).
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| Shamlaji temple Aravalli dt.twitter.com |
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| Shamlaji templeGujarat. etemple.com |
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| Shamlaji location map, Gujarat, India. mapsofindia.com |
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| Shamlaji temple, Gujarat, India travel.siliconindia.com/ |
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| Shamlaji temple, Gujarat, India |
Right above the sanctum, the pyramid-shaped tower rises into a spire with flattened sides. There are domes in the front part of the roof and they look as if rising from the flat surface. At the center lies the largest dome. Figures of animals and gargoyles are noticeable outside at all the angles of the roof .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamlaji
https://arvalli.nic.in/tourist-place/shamlaji-temple/