Information of Sundarnarayan Temple, Nashik, Maharashtra

The temple of Sundarnarayan is one of the most religious places in the history of Maharashtra. The temple can be witnessed along the bridge of Ahillyabai Holkar. The bridge is located in the delightful city of Nasik of Maharashtra. Gangadhar Yaswant Chandrachud should be acknowledged for establishing this superior monument in the centre of the city of Nasik. The idol of Lord Vishnu is worshipped in this temple.

Sundarnarayan Temple Religious Significance

The Sundarnarayan Temple is a noted temple for Hindus for worshipping Lord Vishnu and gets blessings from him. People from different parts of the country and also of the world came here for this reason. Noted celebrities and ministers visit here frequently for blessings from the Lord. The most significant day observed in this temple is the 21st of March. On that day it is believed and witnessed that the sunrays falls directly over the several deities present inside the temple.

Sundarnarayan Temple Mythology & History

The temple of Sundarnarayan depicts an interesting story about itself. According to legendary sources it tells us about a wicked and cruel demon named Jalandar and his wife Vrinda Devi. She was a devoted and faithful follower of Lord Shiva. After praying for several periods Jalandar finally impressed Lord Shiva by his worship and his wife's chasisity. He got a boon from Lord Shiva, which makes him eternal. That means he will never be killed. Hence, the evil powers of Jalandar became more powerful and he became a serious threat for not only the residents of earth but also for the gods residing in heaven. Furious with his destruction all over the universe gods had decided to destroy him. However, it was not possible as Jalandar was immortal by the boon given to him by Lord Shiva. The only way to win over his cruel kingdom was to figure out the chasisity of Jalandar's wife Vrinda Devi. So, to sort out this problem Lord Vishnu himself took the form of Jalandar and went to Vrinda Devi's home to live with her. As planned by Lord Vishnu Vrinda Devi's chasisity was suspected due to which the boon given to Jalandar was taken back from him. As a result of this the cruel evil Jalandar was badly defeated by the gods.

However, the trick was not hidden for a long time from Vrinda Devi. Upon hearing this trick she got furious and cursed Lord Vishnu for his deeds with her husband. The curse resulted in turning the attractive colour of Lord Vishnu's body into black. To get rid of this curse he took a holy dip into the Godavari River and got back his eye-catching complexion. This is reason why Sundarnarayan is the other name of Lord Vishnu given by his devotees. The temple is also placed near the banks of the river Godavari.

Sundarnarayan Temple Architectural Significance

The Sundarnarayan temple was built way back in 1756 by Gangadhar Yaswant Chandrachud. It is a well crafted structure established in the Mughal style of architecture. The reason is that during Mughal era they destroyed several such monuments and rebuilt them in their own style. Inside the temple the prime idol is that of Lord Vishnu. It is placed with the beautiful deities of Laxmi and Saraswati on left and right sides respectively. Other that that several inscribed paintings and structures of gods is designed on the inner walls of the temple. At present with the donations and offerings of devotees the ruined portions of the temple are being implemented.