In the village of Kailashpuri – only 22km and a short bus ride north of Udaipur – the fascinating Eklingji Temple Complex, with its 108 temples, attracts lots of pilgrims but few tourists. The main temple’s present form dates from the 15th-century rule of Maharana Raimal, although it was originally built in the 8th century, according to legend, by the early Mewar king Bappa Rawal.
Constructed from sandstone and marble, it has an elaborately pillared hall under a large pyramidal roof and features a four-faced, black-marble image of Eklingji, an incarnation of Shiva and the family deity of the Mewar royal family.
Opening hours for the temple change quite regularly, so you might have to wait an hour or two if you arrive at the wrong time. Note that the temple can get very crowded on Monday, an auspicious day for devotees; the current head of Mewar’s ex-ruling family pays a private visit to the temple on Monday evening. Guides are available at the temple; bank on paying around ₹100 to engage their services. Photography is not permitted.
