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Gauri Shankar Mandir Delhi

Temples in Delhi - Saturday, September 18, 2010 10:46:37 AM

Delhi city presents a number of temples in the city The Old Gauri Shankar Temple is one of them. Temple is located next to the Digambar Jain Temple in the main Chandni Chowk road amids. Before reaching to the temple you can smell it, literally, owing to the several flower shops in the vicinity selling flowers to offer to the deity. It is one of the most important temples of Shaivism in the country; it has an 800-year-old brown lingam surrounded by snakes made of silver encased in a marble representation of the feminine. The temple is purely dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are bejeweled statues of Gauri (Goddess Parvati) and Shankar (Lord Shiva), standing beneath the silver canopy, inside the main shrine.

Many legends are associated with this temple this is one of them as Maratha Hindu Soldier, Apa Ganga Dhar who had always worshipped Lord Shiva was badly injured during a battle and the chances of his survival were very bleak. He prayed to his deity and promised to build a temple if he survived. Miraculously he survived against all odds and built this temple. His name is inscribed in Hindi at the lower end of the spire near the main entrance. However, the present building of the temple is new, probably constructed in 1959 by Seth Jaipuria, as the other inscription in Hindi over the windows declares. Marble chair of Bhagat Swaroup Bramachari is the unique attraction of the courtyard is a, a Hindu saint who spent more than 50 years in the temple.

Apart from this inside the temple you will find the idols of Lord Shiva, his consort Parvati (Gauri-Shankar) and their two sons, Ganesh, the elephant headed and Kartik, the god of war. The idols of Lord Shiva and Parvati, wearing real gold jewellery are situated just behind the lingam under the silver canopy. The lingam too has a silver water vessel above it from which droplets of water continuously fall. The other attraction here is the wall behind the idols of Lord Shiva and Parvati, which has beautiful silver paintings depicting the scenes from the life of Lord Shiva.
Monday is the auspicious day to visit the temple as it is considered the day of Lord Shiva. The temple is beautifully decorated during the festival of Shivaratri when thousands of devotees come to seek blessings from their deity.

Location: Next to Digambar Jain Temple on the main Chandni Chowk road.

Famous as: 800-year-old lingam

Time to visit: Open on all days 5.00 am - 10.00 am & 5.00 pm - 10.00 pm.

How to Reach: Tourists can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this sacred monument, or they can hire auto-rickshaws and taxis or metro rail.

Nearest Railway Station: Old Delhi Railway Station

Nearest Metro Station: Delhi Main

Nearest International Airport: Indira Gandhi International Airport

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