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Manipur Shri Govindji Temple Of Old Palace
The temple of Shri Govindji is located in the old area of Kangla palace which is now under the control of the Assam Rifles. The Shri Govindji Temple having its location in Manipur is one of the major attractions for the people of the city. It is a Hindu temple where deities worshipped are Radha, Govinda and Lord Krishna, the Hindu gods. The temple has undergone a number of severe damages in its history because of a number of earthquakes occurred in the past.
History
The temple of Shri Govindji came into being during the reign of the ruler Narasingh in 1847 AD. It was out of the earthquake which came in March 1868 that the structure of the temple got demolished. It was then rebuilt in 1869 AD under the reign of ruler Chandra Kirti Singh. Today, the Pakhangba, which is the deity having connections with Ningthauja, the royal family clan is being worshipped here.
Architecture
It is constructed in bricks and has been raised on pedestal. It consists of two cells which face in the eastward direction. The facade is having a Verandah along with an interesting pillar system supporting the beam of cornice which is formed of bricks. On top of the cornice there lies the first railing which is on top of the Verandah consisting of salas and mini-shrines on every corner.
The jacket of the outside wall has been raised up from all the sides towards the cornice as well as the second railing accompanied by mini-shrines and salas one each, at every corner and door openings of two arches in the railing which have connections to the Pradakshna Path terrace and Verandah.
The sanctum hall has a shape of a rectangle. The hall floor consists of three holes which appear like the caves. The hole found towards north is known as the Laung cave, and towards south is known as the Mangang cave while the one towards south of western wall is referred to as the Khuman cave in. It has been made in such a manner so that the deity can be viewed through these caves.
The path of Pradakshna can be spotted on each side of southern, western and northern wall of sanctum cube and the wall of outer jacket has its opening to the Verandah going through southern and northern doors. As far as the architecture is concerned, it exhibits dome having a parabolic structure which appears like a Bengal style however the Salas found have their appearances in a typical style of Hindus. The temple consists of a base which is rectangular in shape and on its top there is culmination of a rectangular crown spotted on top of the dome.
The decoration of the railing found appears to have an Islamic style. It can be regarded as a blend of Islamic and Hindu archetypes. There are floral motifs spotted in its artistic designs on the walls which have been worn out today. The temple is an epitome of the royal patronage of temple of Vaishnav in the state of Manipur.
How to Reach
By Air
The Indian Airlines get Imphal connected to all the prominent cities of the country as it is the capital of state of Manipur be it New Delhi or Guwahati or Kolkata or
Silchar.
By Rail
The distance of Imphal from Dimapur is 215 kms and therefore it is the closest railhead from Imphal. There is one more railhead, Jiribaum, which is a small town found 225 kms away from Imphal.
By Road
Imphal remains connected to different cities through road network and it is connected to Guwahati through the NH-39 (National Highway No. 39) however Silchar is connected through National Highway No. 53.
Significance of The Temple
According to beliefs of Hindus, there have been three supreme powers ruling the earth and Lord Vishnu is one of them. Krishna has incarnated from Lord Vishnu and it was he who came up with the sacred sermons in the ‘Geeta’. In the Shree Govindaji temple, people can find the idols of Radha and Lord Krishna. The temple also consists of idols of Lord Jagathnath, which is yet another face of Vishnu. The devotees and tourists gather in large numbers for seeing the idols and worship them there. Shree Govindaji Temple, as per its name is in dedication of the Lord Krishna, also called as Govinda.
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