There are 250 Shiva temples, the place where the pyre used to burn, know the interesting story

There are 250 Shiva temples the place where the pyre used to burn know the interesting story

There are 250 Shiva temples, the place where the pyre used to burn, know the interesting story

There were thousands of Shiva temples at one time on the cremation ground of Vishwamitri river in Sayajibagh of Vadodara. The question is why did people establish so many temples at such a place where pyres were lit. To know the answer to this question, you will have to turn the pages of history.

There are 250 Shiva temples, the place where the pyre used to burn, know the interesting story

Kamnath Temple is located in Sayajibagh of Vadodara in Gujarat. Situated on the banks of river Vishwamitri, this temple is the center of faith of the devotees of Lord Shiva. But most people hardly know that on the land on which this grand temple is situated, there are more than 250 abandoned Shiva temples nearby. According to historians, there was a huge cremation ground here centuries before the Gaekwadi period. By the end of the 1990s, there were about 3,500 small and big Shiva temples near the river bank.

Historian and art curator Chandrashekhar Patil says, 'This place is called the land of temples, there is hardly any place in Gujarat where so many temples are built close to each other. Inside the Kamnath complex we can see Shiva temples of different sizes with Nandi idols.

Why were so many temples built in one place?

The biggest question is, why were so many temples built on the land where the pyre was lit? On this question Chandrashekhar Patil says, 'There is an interesting story behind this. In fact, during the Gaekwadi era, residents of the erstwhile Baroda state used to perform last rites of their family members on this vast land, on the banks of Vishwamitri. According to tradition at that time, if a male member of the family was cremated, a small Shiva temple would have been built at that place. Similarly 'Tulsi Kundos' were established for women members.

Many temples have been ruined

Chandrashekhar says, 'The construction of temples on the cremation ground is indeed a rare event. In the memory of the ancestors, the next generation used to build the temple and worship there. The plaques on 'Tulsi Kund' are still giving testimony of history. However, many of these Shiva temples around the river ghats are now in ruins. Recently the local people have refurbished some Tulsi Kunds. Along with this, the banks of the river have also been cleaned.

There are 250 Shiva temples the place where the pyre used to burn know the interesting story

Encroachment became a curse

It is said that in the 1960s, people from outside started settling here and built houses and shops around these temples. After 1970, people stopped performing cremation at this place after several crematoriums were built in the city. There were more than 1,600 temples and dozens of Tulsi Kunds in this area at that time, but gradually disappeared due to encroachment.

Remembering Lal Bahadur Gurum, a local citizen, says, 'My ancestors had come to live here many decades ago and I was also born here. We are aware of the history of this land and why there are so many temples around us. We try to ensure that the sanctity of these temples is not violated.

There are 250 Shiva temples the place where the pyre used to burn know the interesting story

The Shivling of the Ramnath-Kamnath temples is thousands of years old, while the temple structures were built on the banks of Vishwamitri about 250 years ago. The present structures of both these temples have some rare wall paintings made by Rajasthani artists.