Nathdwara

Situated 48 km from Udaipur in the Aravalli hills, Nathdwara, which literally translates into the "gateway to the Lord", is home to a famous 17th century Vaishnavite shrine of Shri Nathji, said to be the second-richest temple in India after Tirupati shrine in Andhra Pradesh. Shri Nathji is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (Krishna) whose devotees are known as Vaishnavites.

Tradition has it that the black-stone Shri Nathji idol which is enshrined in the temple was brought here from Vrindavan in the 17th century to protect it from being vandalized by the sixth Mughal ruler Aurangzeb who is said to have desecrated Hindu temples. As the image was being taken to a safer place, the wheels of the bullock cart carrying the idol sank deep into the ground as it was passing through Nathdwara. No human effort was sufficient to move the cart further. This was interpreted by the accompanying priest as a sign of Krishna's inclination to be installed at this spot. This led to the constructiton of the the Shri Nathji shrine.

Located in the idyllic surroundings on the banks of the Banas River in Rajsamand District of Rajasthan, Shri Nathji is a sacred place attracting devotees in large number, particularly during the festivals of "Janamashtmi", the day of Lord Krishna's birth, Diwali and Holi.

Nathdwara is also famous for its pichwai paintings, the wall hangings created on handspun cloth and depicting scenes from Krishna's life.

How to reach Nathdwara

In order to reach Nathdwara by air, you can take a flight to Maharana Pratap Airport at Dabok, Udaipur which is the nearest airport. The airport is connected by flights with major cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Jodhpur.

Udaipur is also the major railhead nearest to Nathdwara which is a one hour drive from Udaipur.