Muchhal Mahavir temple is a Jain temple situated in the Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary, at a distance of 5 km from the Ghanerao Village. It is in Pali district in Rajasthan state in India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Mahavira. It is the only Jain temple where the statue of Lord Mahavira can be seen with a moustache. It also comprises two statues of elephants at the gateway, in guarding postures.
Legend of Muchhal Mahavir Temple
Acceding to the legend of the Muchhal Mahavir Temple once the Rana of Mewar during his hunt came to the temple. The priest of the temple offered refreshment to the king. He gave the king the Prasad of the Lord. While eating the Prasad Rana saw a strand of white hair in the Prasad. He thought that the hair to have fallen from the priest head. He thus jokingly asked the priest whether his Lord, Mahavira had a moustache. Upon hearing the question, the priest became very scared and replied in the affirmative. The king then refused to worship the Lord that day saying that he wanted to see the moustache of the Lord after three days. The priest could not find any way out hence spent the next two days in praying the Lord. When he did not see any results, he thought of committing suicide than to be punished by the king. As he picked up the dagger of Bhairon at the temple to kill himself, the Lord appeared before him. He asked the priest to cover his face with a piece of cloth and said that when the king arrives the later should remove the cloth upon offering prayers to him.
The next day when the king arrived at the temple the priest welcomed him. He requested him to have his bath and offer prayer to the Lord Mahavira. The king when saw the covered face of the Lord became very angry and demanded an explanation. The priest explained him everything and asked him to remove the cloth himself. As the king removed the cloth he was surprised to see a moustache as well as a beard on the face of the Lord. The king apologized for having made such a joke and asked forgiveness from the priest. The Lord of the temple since then has been called as `Mucchal Mahavir`, or the Mahavir who had a moustache.
Festivals of Muchhal Mahavir Temple
The Garasia tribe reside in a village that is located in the vicinity of this temple. The dress of these tribals is regarded as the most colourful amongst all the Indian tribes. Two or three days after the festival of Holi, they perform a grand group dance on the platform of the temple. On the thirteenth day of the month of Chaitra a fair is held here every year. Beautiful architecture of Muchhal Mahavir temple attracts many visitors. Its entrance has two statues of the elephants which are standing in the guarding position. Nearby Garasia tribal villages are another attractions around this temple.
Visiting Information
Muchhal Mahavir Temple is located in the Pali district inside Kumbhalgarh National Park, at a distance of 5 km from Ghanerao and 115 km from Udaipur. Buses or taxis are available. It is well connected through nearest Falna Railway station to major cities railway stations like Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Chennai, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ahmedabad. Also it can be reached through nearest Udaipur Airport which is well connected with regular domestic flights to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur and Jaipur.
