Khedia Hanuman Temple
Kheda is known for the Khedia Hanuman Temple, the oldest temple of the district
at the Hanuman Tekro, which literally means Hanuman Hill. This temple dedicated
to the Monkey God is said to have been in existence since Samvat 713 (A.D.657)
and is believed to be built by King Mayurdhwaj of Kheda.
Shri Kheda Tirth
Shri Kheda Tirth is a Jain temple located in the Patel locality of Kheda on
the Ahmedabad-Bombay highway. The temple houses an astonishing white coloured
idol of Bhagawan Bhidbhanajan Parshvanath which has a height and width of 64
cms and 21 inches respectively. Belonging to the period of King Samprati, this
idol in the Padmasana posture was found from the ground under a banyan tree.
It is believed that the sight and worship of the Jain’s idol, can remove the
difficulties of the devotee. Besides Shri Kheda Tirth, Kheda district has eight
more Jain temples.
The temple of Maldi
Mata in Kheda is visited by thousands of devotees especially during
the annual fair which is held on 13th, 14th, and 15th of February.
Nadiad
Also referred as Nandgam, Nadiad is the administrative center of Kheda located
at a distance of 18 km away from the city. It is the largest town of the district
and one of the major trade centers of Gujarat. The temples namely Santaram Mandir
and Shri Mai Mandir, which are famous for its carvings and the centuries old
Methodist Church and Methodist Mission hospital are some of the places of interest
in Nadiad. There are many hospitals and educational institutions. The Kidney
Hospital, Dharmsinh Desai Institute of Technology and the Ayurvedic College
are well known throughout. The near by small town of Lasundra on the banks of
river Luni is famous for its hot and cold springs which is said to have medicinal
properties for curing skin diseases.
Dakor
One of the pilgrim centers in Gujarat, Dakor is situated on the banks of Shedhi
River. Originally known as Dankpur, this ancient temple town sacred to Lord
Krishna is located at a distance of 18 km from Nadiad and 30 km from Anand.
There are many temples in Dakor and the well known among them is the temple
of Ranchhodraiji which is being visited every year by lakhs of devotees.
Ranchhodraiji
Temple
Built by Shri Gopalrao Jagannath Tambwekar in 1772 A.D, Ranchhodraiji Temple
dedicated to Lord Krishna is situated in Dakor town. Constructed with brick
walls and stones pillars, the temple is a combination of Hindu and Muslim style
of architecture. It is raised on a high plinth of 168 feet by 151 feet with
twelve stone steps on each side and surrounded by a spacious courtyard. It has
eight domes and twenty four turrets, the highest of them being 90 feet making
it the tallest temple in the district.
The idol of the deity of the temple Lord Ranchhodraiji, a manifestation of
Lord Krishna, was said to have been brought here by a devotee from Dwarka. The
idol is in the form of Lord Vishnu with four arms holding the conch, lotus,
discus and the mace in his hands. It is placed under a canopied pavilion in
the inner sanctum of the temple which is raised on a marble platform and three
doors lead to it. The pillars of the pavilion are covered with gold and the
elaborately carved door and windows are covered in silver.
The temple is located within a huge square shaped complex with four gates on
the outer walls. The main gate overlooks the Gomati river and the other three
gates opens to the courtyard which leads to the main audience chamber. The walls
of the chamber are adorned with murals from the life of Lord Krishna. In the
courtyard, there are two multi-storied structure which are used to lit thousands
of lamps during the festive season. A small shrine of the original temple is
also encased in this large temple complex.
The temple is opened from 6.AM to 12 noon and from 4.00PM to 7.00PM. The main
festivals of the temple are held on the Kartik, Falgun, Chaitra and Ashwin Purnimas
(full-moon days).
Other religious centers in Dakor are Satyanarayan temple, Laxmi temple and
Galteshwar Shiva temple known for its beautiful sculptures.
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