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Introduction to Nadiad
I bet many of you would give me a blank look if I were to ask you whether you have visited Nadiad. Even I didn’t know anything about Nadiad except that it was a place in Gujarat. A chance visit to Nadiad in Gujarat was a wonderful revelation to me – it made me realise that we know so little about our beautiful country & religious heritage comprising of India’s great saints, various sects and interesting temples.
It was in January 2018, after attending a family wedding at Surat, I and my wife went to Nadiad for two days to attend a religious function organised to celebrate the 70th birthday of my wife’s Guru, Swami Govind Dev Giriji Maharaj (the current Trustee of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust).
I was thinking that Nadiad would be a nondescript town but on doing some research I was amazed to find that this town, located in between Vadodara and Ahmedabad, with a population of around 3 lakhs was a historical place and had many interesting facts associated with it and had some amazing places to visit also. It was a comfortable 2 hours 20 mins journey by Shatabdi Express from Surat to Nadiad.
Some historical perspective
Nadiad has a very interesting story attached to the history of the origin of its name. It is believed that several centuries ago the place was inhabited by the rope dancers who were called ‘natas’. So, the former name of Nadiad was Natapadra or Natpur. The city was also known as Nandgram and gradually it came to be known as Nadiad. The city is believed to have been a village located at Pilvai Lake near Bhairav Temple during the initial years of its establishment.
Over the centuries Nadiad has been ruled by different dynasties including Gurjar, Muslim rulers of Gujarat, Peshwas, Gaekwads & British. The town has historical importance in terms of freedom struggle and has an impressive literary and scholarly history. It is the birth place of Sardar Valabh Bhai Patel.
Places of interest in and around Nadiad
Sri Santram Mandir
Nadiad is home to Sri Santram Mandir which is named after Sri Santram Majaraj a saint of Avadhoot category who came to Nadiad in 1815 from Girnar and worked for the spiritual good of the people and took jivant samadhi on Magh Poornima day in 1830. The current Mahant of the temple is Shri Ramdas Maharaj who is the 9th Mahant. All the mahants take jivant samadhi.
The Santram Mandir runs several trusts that carry out various spiritual, religious, humanitarian and social activities and is known all over Gujarat. Devotees come from far & wide to pay respect at the samadhi of Sri Santram Maharaj. Various religious discourses take place within the sprawling temple premises through out the year. One can not travel within the town of Nadiad without coming across a hospital or a school that is not run by the Sri Santram Mandir trust.
Swaminarayan temple, Vadtal
Many of us don’t know that the Swaminarayan sampradaya was established at Vadtal (10 kms from Nadiad) by Sahajanand Swami (who came to be known as Swami Narayan) in the year 1801 inspired by the teachings of his Guru Ramanand Swami.
Swaminarayan sampradaya is based on the Vedas and believes in puritic Hinduism. Swaminarayan’s doctrine that everyone’s true self is the atman within which God resides, led him to reject caste-based discrimination within the religious community. Swaminarayan also inspired followers to engage in humanitarian service activities, leading various denominations of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya to currently provide humanitarian service globally.
Swami Narayan built 6 temples in Gujarat between 1822 to 1828. The temple at Vadtal is among the first temples built. It is in the form of lotus and has 9 domes. All these temples had the image of Krishna as the main idol. The central dome of the temple has beautiful paintings depicting scenes from Ramayana, Mahabharata & Dashavatars. Colourful sculptures of ladies playing various musical instruments adorn the pillars & columns. The most prominent colour used is golden. At the entrance to the temple premises are two beautiful idols of Ganesha & Hanuman. There are several large Sabha Mandaps built in wood with beautifully carved figures. I spent about an hour in the temple premises and came back impressed with the various activities being carried out by the Sampradaya.
Later the Sampradaya divided into two different group of devotees & followers known as Laxminarayan Dev Gadi with head quarters at Vadtal and Nar Narayan Dev Gadi with head quarters at Ahmedabad.
Galteshwar Mahadev
A majority of the ancient temples in India are those of Shiva. My urge & ardent desire to visit and explore these temples took me to another interesting magnificent Mahadev temple known as Galteshwar that was built in the 12th century. Located in picturesque surroundings near the confluence of Mahi & Galti or Galta rivers, the temple is 16 kms from the famous pilgrimage centre of Dakor and around 50 kms from Nadiad. The temple received its name from the Galta river. As per Puranic tales Rishi Galav Chandrahaas used to live here on the banks of the river.
The temple is unique in its style and of its period because it is built in central Indian Malwa style bhumija, without influence of Paramara architecture and with influence of Gujarati Solanki Chaulukya architecture. It has a square garbhagriha as well as octagonal mandapa (dancing hall). The moldings, decorations, and the sculptures resemble the Kumarapala Temple at Somnath & other shrines built in 12th century during the reign of the Chaulukya ruler Kumarapala.
The temple is octagonal in shape and is enriched with rich carvings. The outer walls of the temple has elaborate carvings with figures of gods, goddesses, apsaras and animals. The figures and carvings include gandharvas, ascetics, horse riders, elephant riders, chariots, palanquins and the events of life, from birth to death. Many figures represent amorous couples embracing each other. The eight-sided mandapa has several projecting angles. It has three bhujas instead of usual two bhujas in the rear part. There are eight inner pillars and sixteen outer smaller pillars which supports the roof of the mandapa.
Ravages of time & nature, perhaps invaders and lack of conservation has taken its toll. Many of the beautifully & aesthetically carved sculptures have been disfigured and the Shikhar is missing, yet the temple stands tall and impresses the visitor with its grandeur !!!
There is regular worship of the Shivling. It is believed that there is a perennial underground spring flowing from the Galti river and it constantly waters the Shivling. Two fairs are held at Galteshwar on the river bank every year on Janmashtami and on Sharad Purnima. The temple is visited by large number of devotees on Mahashivaratri.
The temple which is under ASI requires more attention towards preservation & restoration.
Ranchodraiji temple, Dakor
Just 35 kms from Nadiad and on way to Galteshwar temple is the famous temple of Ranchodraiji at Dakor. Ranchor is the name given to Lord Krishna when he fled from the battlefield of Mathura while fighting against Jarasandha. This temple is one of the Panch Dwarka Temples – three in Gujarat and two in Rajasthan.
It is believed that during Mahabharata times the area around Dakor was a dense jungle and was known as ‘Hidimba’ van (forest). Dank Rishi established his hermitage here and started doing penance. Pleased with his devotion Lord Shiva appeared and asked to demand something. Dank Rishi requested Lord Shiva to reside in his hermitage. Lord Shiva agreed and disappeared after leaving behind his replica in the form of Ling which came to be known as Danknath Mahadev after the name of the Rishi. For many centuries Dakor was famous for the Danknath temple which used to be a place of Shiva worship. But in the last two hundred fifty years it has developed into a Vaishnavite centre after the construction of Ranchodraiji temple in 1772. This temple was built by Gopal Jagannath Tambwekar who received villages in grant from Peshwas & Gaikwads. The temple is built in Maratha style. The form of Ranchodraiji is that of Lord Vishnu with four arms. Lord here is worshipped as Krishna. The temple has entrances from three sides. Goddess Lakshmi is enshrined in a separate temple, a little away from this temple and Lord visits his consort on every Friday – in a courtly procession. The temple remains closed between 12 noon & 4 pm.
There is an interesting legend associated with how Lord Krishna came to Dakor. It is a long story and hence I am not narrating it here. But those interested may search for it on google.
Nadiad today
Nadiad just 60 kms from Ahmedabad is an upcoming town of Gujarat which has two industrial estates. It has many educational institutions. It has one of the biggest kidney hospitals of Gujarat and people from all over Gujarat come to Nadiad for treatment of kidney ailments. Anand which is known as the Milk Capital of India and the birth place of AMUL is just 18 kms from Nadiad. Nadiad is easily accessible from Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara & Ahmedabad. Best time to visit it is between November to February. A visit to Nadiad can be combined with visit to Vadodara, Pavagadh, Champaner and Kevadia (Statue of Unity). This would require a minimum of 4 to 5 days to cover all the places by road with Vadodara as the base.
Our three nights stay in Nadiad was at Hotel Comfort World – a decent comfortable hotel – they upgraded us to their only suite. We were pleasantly surprised to discover a South Indian restaurant in Nadiad – Woodlands Restaurant that served authentic fare with excellent service and nice decor. We visited it on all the three days. On the 4th day morning we took the Shatabdi Express from Nadiad to Ahmedabad which was a comfortable journey of 1 hour and 10 mins.
Please put your comments in the Comments Section below if you have found my travelogue to be interesting & informative.
Please visit my Instagram account @rameshkabraexplorer for nature pictures and @artheritageofindia_rameshkabra for pics of historical monuments.
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