| Shamlaji Vishnu Mandir | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The temple from behind | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Aravalli district |
| Deity | Vishnu as Gadadhar Shamlaji |
| Festivals | Annual fair on Kartik Poornima |
| Location | |
| Location | Shamlaji |
| State | Gujarat |
| Country | India |
  Location in Gujarat | |
| Geographic coordinates | 23°41′17″N 73°23′13″E / 23.68806°N 73.38694°E |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 11th century |
Shamlaji, also spelled Shamalaji, is a major Hindu pilgrimage center in Aravalli district of Gujarat state of India. The Shamlaji temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.[1] Several other Hindu temples are located nearby.
The present temple dedicated to Shamlaji, a form of Lord Vishnu was perhaps started in the 11th century in Chaulukya style,[2][3] but the present structure dates from the 15th-16th centuries. The sculpture of Lord Vishnu in the sanctuary is probably seventh-8th century, and the small temple opposite houses a sixth-century sculpture of Lord Shiva.[4] The oldest intact temple is the small ninth-century Harishchandrani Chauri Temple, with a gateway nearby.[4] Several ruins of temples, scattered idols and old brick-works surrounding the place establishes antiquity of the place.[5][4]
A fourth-century Buddhist monastery and stupa at Devnimori is about two kilometres (1.2 mi) away, but is now under by the waters of the Meshvo Reservoir.[6] This site dates to the Mauryan period, and a much older microlith site known as Dhek-Vadlo locally was found near Shamlaji.[7]
Shamlaji was an important Hindu center in the sixth century, probably the home of a sculpture workshop whose creations are found as far away as Mumbai, where the Parel Relief was found. Most of these ancient sculptures found at Shamlaji, in blueish schist, have now been removed to museums, especially to Mumbai and Vadodara.[4]
- ^ "About Shamlaji Temple | Shree Shamlaji Vishnu Mandir Trust". www.shreeshamlajivishnutemple.org. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "Shamlaji Fair". Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha 2015, p. 440-442.
- ^ a b c d Michell, 307
- ^ "Around Shamlaji, Shamlaji Temple, North Gujarat, Tourism Hubs, Gujarat, India". Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ Michell, 307-308
- ^ Malik, S. C. (1966). "The Late Stone Age Industries from Excavated Sites in Gujarat, India". Artibus Asiae. 28 (2/3): 162–174. doi:10.2307/3249352. JSTOR 3249352.