Muchhal Mahavir Jain Temple at Ghanerao
I. Muchhal Mahavir Temple
Muchhal Mahavir Jain Temple is situated in the Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary, at a distance of 5 km from Ghanerao village in Pali district of Rajasthan. The temple, which is dedicated to Mahavira, is the only Jain temple where first Tirthankara Mahavira is depicted with a moustache.
The temple comprises two statues of elephants in guarding postures at the gateway. 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 colorful 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.
II. Legend of Muchhal Mahavir Temple
According to a legend Muchhal Mahavir Temple was once visited by the rana of Mewar while he was hunting. The priest of the temple offered refreshment to the king and gave him also the prasad of the Lord. While eating the rana saw a strand of white hair in the prasad. He thought that the hair have fallen from the priest's head and, thus, he jokingly asked the priest whether his Lord, Tirthankara 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”.
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