The Jatoli Shiv Temple
The Jatoli Shiv Temple has an air of mystery around it, its architecture made in such a way that when the rocks in the walls of this temple are touched with stones, the sound of damaruga emerges from them. We explore…
India has a magnificent history dedicated to various architectural marvels with incredible stories. One of the architectural gems is the Jatoli Shiv Temple. If a tourist wants to see a grand and spectacular temple perched on a hill top of Solan in Himachal Pradesh, then this monument is a must see. It is an architectural marvel and a famous sacred place which attracts a large number of pilgrims.
It is considered as one of the oldest and highest temples in Asia. Jatoli gets its name from the long Jata (hair) that Lord Shiva has. The temple is located 8 Km from Solan, a city in Himachal Pradesh, India on Rajgarh road. The temple is considered as Asia’s highest Shiv temple. Multiple fables and stories are associated with the history of Jatoli Shiv Temple.
It is one of the oldest temples of Lord Shiv where an ancient linga has been placed. It is believed that the temple was once the resting place of Lord Shiva. The Pinnacle of the temple is situated on the main part of the pyramid at the height of 111 fts and thus, getting a tag as the highest temple in Asia. It took almost 39 years to construct this temple and now, it remains one of the significant and sacred temples in Indian history.
The Jatoli Shiva temple is made in typical Indo – Aryan architecture where the top tower is round with a curvilinear outline which ends into a tip. The tip of such a temple is decorated with golden kalash. Later the temple was modified in slight Dravidian Style with three consecutive pyramids. The top part of the temple architecture is called Shikhar.
The height of the pyramids has been made in ascending order. The Second part of the temple is called Vimana which is a little lower than Shikhar pyramid. On the base of the first pyramid, Lord Ganesha is seated while on the second pyramid there is a sculpture of Shesh Naag. On the base of third pyramid Trishul is placed distinctively on each side. On the northeast corner of the temple, there is a water tank called Jal Kund which is considered as pious as the holy river Ganga. The water of this tank is said to have some medicinal qualities that can treat skin diseases.
There is a cave inside the temple where Swami Krishnananda Paramhans Ji resided. This ancient temple is famous for its annual fair, which is conducted during the festival of Mahashivratri. A number of devotees gather in the temple to offer prayers. A huge 11 feet high gold urn is also installed at the upper end of the temple, which makes it very special. It is also the largest temple of Lord Shiva in the Asia belt.
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