Description of the attraction
Right in the heart of Udaipur, one of the most famous cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan, lies the ancient Hindu temple of Jagdish. It was originally named Jagannath Rai, but over time it became known as Jagdishji. The temple is considered one of the most important and largest cultural, historical and religious monuments of the city and the main "bait" for tourists who specially come to Udaipur to enjoy the beauty and grandeur of Jagdishji.
The Jagdish Temple is dedicated to God Vishnu and is part of the huge City Palace Complex.
The temple was under construction for several years and was completed in 1651. Construction began on the initiative of Maharana Jagat Singh, who ruled Udaipur from 1628-1653. A huge amount of money for those times was spent on its creation - 1.5 million rupees. The two-storey building stands on a high pedestal resembling a terrace, which forms a kind of "additional" floor. Jagdish is made in the Indo-Aryan (northern) architectural style and is famous for its beautiful carved columns and panels, painted walls and ceilings, vast and luxuriously decorated halls. And the spire, or as it is also called shikhar, of the main temple building rises above the entire city and has a height of more than 24 meters. It is decorated with numerous small sculptures of elephants, dancers, musicians and horse riders. At the very entrance to the temple there are huge stone figures of "guards" elephants, behind which there is a long staircase of 32 steps.
The main shrine of the temple is the large hall, where there is an impressive statue of Lord Vishnu, who has four arms, which is carved from a single piece of black stone. This hall is surrounded by four smaller rooms where the figures of Ganesha, the Sun God, Goddess Shakti and God Shiva are located.
