|
 Naathdwara enshrines Shrinathji - a form of Sri Krishna which was originally enshrined at Govardhana in Vrindavan.
According to local tradition, the deity was discovered by Madhavendra Puri in the forests of Govardhan. Krishna had appeared to him in a dream and asked him to install the deity of Shrinathji who had been originally installed by Vajranabha, the great grandson of Krishna Himself.
Followers of Pushtimarg sampradaya (lineage) which now maintains the worship of Shrinathji in Nathdwara, believe that the deity's arm and face first emerged out of the Govardhan Hill, at which time the local inhabitants (Vrajavasis) and others, including the above mentioned Madhavendra Puri, carried out the worship of the deity's upraised arm and later, his face. In the Hindu Samvat year 1549, according to Pushtimarg literature, Shrinathji appeared to Shri Vallabhacharya, guru and founding philosopher of the Pushtimarg (Path of Grace), and requested the Acharya to proceed to the Govardhan Hill to meet him and begin his (Shrinathji's) worship, beginning the Pushtimarg's current spiritual stewardship of Shrinathji.
Shrinathji was brought to Mewar, Rajasthan during the reign of the Moghul Emperor Aurangazeb, for the sake of protection from widespread destruction of Hindu temples. The chariot carrying the image is said to have become stuck in Mewar while traveling, and hence a temple was established with the permission of the then Rana of Mewar at Nathdwara. According to local worshipers, the Srinathji deity is believed to have originally self manifested from stone and emerged from the Govardhan Hill. Shrinathji was originally worshipped in a humble shrine and then moved to a larger temple on top of the Govardhan Hill.
Today the temple is visited by thousands of devotees from all walks of life, just to have a glimpse of the Lord and have their most inner desires fulfilled. This most lovely town of Nathdwara can be reached from the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan.
MARA GHAT MA BIRAJTA
MARA GHAT MAA BIRAJTA,
SRINATHJI YAHMUNAJI MAHAPRABHUJI,
MARU MANDU CHHE GOKUL VANARA VAN,
MARA TAN NA AANGANIYA MA TULSI NA VAN,
MARA PRAAN JIVAN, MARA GHAT MA...
SRINATHJI BOLO, SHRI YAHMUNAJI BOLO,
SHRI KRISHNA JI BOLO, SHRI RADHA JI BOLO
KRISHNA GOVINDA GOVINDA GOPAL NANDALAL
RADHE GOVINDA GOVINDA GOPAL NANDALAL
VALLABHA SHRINATH BHAJO RADHE GOVINDA
DWARKANATH BHAJO RADHE GOVINDA
 |
