Ekaliṅga

By Swami Harshananda

Ekaliṅga literally means ‘a place where there is only one Śivaliṅga’.

Those who perform sādhanās are advised to do them in certain places so that they could get the siddhis or results, especially psychic powers, more quickly. One such place is called ‘ekaliṅga’ or ‘ekaliṅgakṣetra’. It is defined as a place where there is a Śivaliṅga and no other liṅga is found within a radius of five krośas. The word may stand for Kubera, the lord of wealth, since he is said to have only one eye.

Ekaliṅgajī, in Rajasthan

In the state of Rajasthan, 19 Kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Udaipur, there is a famous temple of Ekaliṅgajī. The Śivaliṅga here has four faces on the four sides. This Śivaliñga was the family deity of the rulers of the former princely State of Mewar. There is a lake called Indrasāgar nearby. Nearby temples are:

1. Duṭeśvara
2. Dhāreśvara
3. Gaṇeśa
4. Vanavāsinī
5. Lakṣmī

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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