Worship of Lord Brahma, Part 3

BY: SUN STAFF

Lord Brahma, Chinch Mandir

Aug 07, CANADA (SUN) — A serial exploration of places of Lord Brahma's worship.

Lord Brahma Worship in Rajasthan

When mention is made of the rare few Lord Brahma temples in India, after Goa and Pushkar, the most often named is usually the temple in Asotra, Rajasthan. Asotra is a village in Balotra, a town in the Barmer District of Rajasthan. And while it's true that a temple dedicated to the worship of Brahmadev resides there, the temple is quite new. It was built by the Raj Purohits, adherents of Sanatana Dharma, who installed the Deity in 1984. Later in the article we share more information about the Balotra Sri Brahmji Mandir, but first, we look at a far more obscure and ancient residence of Lord Brahma in Rajasthan.

The Brahma Temple at Chinch

Located in the Banswara District of Rajasthan, approximately 18 km. from the district center, is an ancient 12th century temple dedicated to glorifying Lord Brahma. Known as the Chinch (Chhinchh) Brahma Mandir, the presiding Deity is an amazing black stone Brahmadev that is the height of an average man. In the image below, Saraswati Devi and the four Devata attendants at Lord Brahma's feet are also seen wearing silver mukuts (crowns).

Lord Brahma, Chinch Mandir

You get to the temple by traveling on the Banswara-Dahod road, via Survaniya, and the temple is situated right on the main road. Banswara, which is bordered by Udaipur and Chittaurgarh, is home to the tribal Bhils. The Vagdi culture of the area is a mixture of Gujarati, Rajasthani, Malwi and Mewari cultures. Its central and western regions are fertile plains, while the scattered Aravallis ranges form the eastern line. The ancient town is surrounded by a stone wall, now in ruins, from the former palace that overlooked the town.

Chinch Brahma Mandir

Known for its teak forests, Banswara also got its name from the abundant stands of bamboo (Bans) found in the surrounding forests. More importantly, the place is called 'Lodhikashi' or Little Kashi, because of the presence of eleven and a half Swayambhu Shivalingas here.

The town hosts a surprising number of temples and shrines, but without a doubt, the Brahma Mandir is the most remarkable. The image below, which shows beautiful Brahmadev without cloth, allows us a better view of his unbearded side faces, hand mudras, and ornamented torso.

Lord Brahma at Chinch

Shri Brahma Ji Mandir in Asotra, Rajasthan

The Brahma temple at Asotra, while often mentioned in lists of the few Brahmadev temples in India, is actually a very new temple. Built in 1984 by the Brahmarshi Sant Khetaram ji Maharaj (Shri Kheta Ramji), the temple was constructed in this village near Balotra, in the Barmer District of Rajasthan. Asotra is 10 km. from Balotra, 17 km. south of Pachpadra, 17 km. southwest from Umarlai, and 18 km. west of Meli.

The temple's main hall is constructed of the golden Jaisalmer stone, while the rest of the temple was built with Jodhpur stone (Chhitar stone). The Deity of Shri Brahmaji is made of marble. The carving work inside the temple is quite unique.

The foundation of the temple was laid in April 1961, but the temple was not completed, and the Deity not installed, until May 1984. Lord Brahma, the presiding Deity, is here with his consort Gayatri by his side.

The temple also hosts murtis of various Vedic sages, including Maharishi Uddalak, Maharishi Vashishta, Maharishi Kashyap, Maharishi Gautam, Maharishi Pippalada, Maharishi Parashara and Maharishi Bhardwaj. The Raj Purohit brahmins who built the temple trace their Vedic lineage from these sages.

On May 5, 1984, the Deity of Brahmadev was installed, and on the very next day, Shri Kheta Ramji Maharaj departed this earth. A Makrana marble cenotaph of Shri Kheta Ramji is also found in the temple.

Outside of the temple, there is a big condoned off place where the birds are fed daily, being given 200 kilo grams of grain each day. Prasadam is also distributed every day. A goshala on the temple grounds houses 350 cows.

The Sun News Editorials Features Sun Blogs Classifieds Events Recipes PodCasts

About Submit an Article Contact Us Advertise HareKrsna.com

Copyright 2005, HareKrsna.com. All rights reserved.