Temples In Sariska

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The city of Alwar is renowned for the famous Sariska National Park but it also attracts visitors for its well known old temples. In fact, most of the temples in Alwar i.e. Sariska, are ideally situated within the large area of the Sariska national Park and are largely visited by the tourist. These ancient temples of Sariska are historically significant and speak of rather fascinating legends.

Hanuman Temple

The most famous and widely visited temple among all the other temples is the Hanuman Temple. Hanuman temple lies about 11 km from the entrance of Sariska National Park. The temple houses a striking giant idol of Lord Hanuman in the reclined portion; it dates back to the Mahabharata days.

Once, the Lord Hanuman decided to shatter the ego of Bhima (one of the Pandavas brothers) who supposedly felt that he was the strongest of all in the whole world. Lord Hanuman chose to do so, while the Pandavas were on their 13th year of exile.

Hanuman assumed the form of an old monkey and lied down on the road waiting for the Pandavas to pass by. As the pandavas came, they saw a huge old monkey with an unusual long tail, which blocked their way. Pandavas asked the monkey to allow them to move ahead but he said that it is too old to even move an inch.

On hearing this, the Pandavas decided to push aside his tail to make way and asked Bhima to do the task. Overconfident as Bhima was, he headed straight towards the old monkey's tail and tried picking up but was shocked to note that the tail was too heavy to be picked from the ground!

On viewing this, the Pandavas sensed that it was not a normal monkey and had some divine powers. Lord Hanuman returned to his true form and disclosed his intention to teach Bhima a lesson. Nearly hundreds of Langoors and Monkeys can be seen running all over the place near the Hanuman Temple. Usually, these animals are harmless unless provoked.

Bhartihari Temple

Another famous temple in Sariska, Alwar is the Bhartihari temple, which is also located near Sariska wildlife Sanctuary. It lies near about thirty km away from the Alwar and is conveniently situated in close to the world famous Sariska National Park. This temple is been named after the Bhartihari Baba, the ruler of Ujjan who is believed to have left his kingdom in order to become a saint.

As the legends goes from the kingdom, several years later, he returned to his wife and pleaded before her for Bhiksha or something to eat. The king's wife gave him a fruit, which he ate and turned immortal. It is also believed that the Bhartihari Baba with his saintly powers prayed to the lord for several years to bring water to a place where there was an acute scarcity of water in those days.

Finally, God heeded to his plea and soon a stream of water appeared on the rocks. The historic legends also suggest that the Bhartihari Baba buried himself alive and his temple in Alwar stands above his grave. Thousands of devotees across the country visit at the temple to receive the divine healing touch of Bhartihari Baba. Bhartihari Baba is believed to fulfill all unmeant desires.

Neelkanth Temples

The Neelkanth temples in Alwar are among the several tourist attractions, which lie within the world famous Sariska National Park. Though the ancient temples of Neelkhanth are in a wrecked state today, they still remind of the glorious history of the bygone era and is worth a visit during the tour. Near about thirty-two kms from the main entry point of Sariska National Park, One comes across the Neelkhanth temples.

The ancient ruins of the Neelkhanth temples which date back to as early as 6th century are also worth a visit in Alwar i.e. Sariska. Neelkhanth temple is the temple of Lord Shiva. Though there is no clear evidence about the construction of the Neelkanth temples in Alwar, History suggest that these temples were built during the period of 6th - 16th century.

The temple continues to attract a large number of devotees and tourist, which come across the country or place even today. Neelkanth temples are flanked with lush green trees, which seem to add beauty to the ruined site. Now, the temples are being included as a protected area and photography and videography is strictly restricted at the site.

So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and get ready for an exciting trip to temples in Sariska.