Shree Govindajee Temple ( mni, , Shri Shri Govindajee Laishang) is the largest
Vaishnava temple in
Imphal district of
Manipur,
India. The temple is dedicated to
Hindu deities Radha Krishna (
Govindaji
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
). It was originally built in 1846 during the reign of
Maharaja Nara Singh
Nara Singh (1792 – 11 April 1850) also known as Chingthanglen Pamheiba and Meetingu Lairen Nonglen Sendreng Manik Khomba, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Manipur. He ruled first as regent from 1834 to 1844 and then as king for a period of s ...
and later rebuilt by
Maharaja Chandrakriti
Maharaja Chandrakirti Singh (1850 – May 1886) was a Meitei monarch and the Maharaja of Manipur Kingdom. He was the son of Maharaja Gambhir Singh.
Biography
He was born in Imphal, and resided there till the end of his Regime in 1886. Before ...
in 1876.
Location
Shree Govindajee Temple is located in Imphal, the capital of the Indian state of Manipur, next to
Sana Konung
The Sana Konung () is the Royal Palace of the rulers of Manipur, from the annexation of the Kangla
The Kangla Palace ( mni, /kəŋ.la/), popularly as well as officially known as the Kangla Fort, is an old fortified palace at Imphal in the Ma ...
(), the palace of the former
Meitei rulers of the
Manipur Kingdom. Imphal is accessible by road and air services.
National Highway 39 (India) connects with
Dimapur (Nagaland) on the north and with
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
on the east. It is connected to
Silchar in
Assam by
National Highway 53 (India).
National Highway 150 (India)
National Highway 150 (NH 150) is a National Highway in India. This is highway runs from Gulbarga to Devasuguru in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Route
Sholapur, Akkalkote, Dhudhani, Afzalpur, Chowdapur, Kalburgi(Gulbarga), Shahabad(Bhanku ...
connects with
Mizoram. The nearest rail link is at Dimapur, away, from where regular bus services operate to Imphal. Air services operate to Imphal from
New Delhi,
Kolkata,
Guwahati and
Silchar.
History
Maharaja Nara Singh (1844–50 AD) of the Manipur kingdom commissioned the temple on 16 January 1846 and dedicated it to Shree Govindaji, which was their royal deity. The temple and the deities were substantially damaged during an earthquake of 1868. Consequently, the temple was rebuilt to its original design during the reign of Maharaja Chandrakriti (1859-1886) and was consecrated on 26 April 1876. However, during the
Anglo Manipur war of 1891 the idols of the temple were moved to Kongma. In 1908, after the
Maharaja Churchand Singh
Maharaja Sir Meidingngu Churachand , also known as Churachandra or Chura Chand (1886–1941), was a Meitei King and a Maharaja of Kangleipak (). He ascended the throne after his predecessor Kulachandra Singh was jailed. He was a 5-year-ol ...
took up residence at his new palace the idols were also moved and reconsecrated in the present temple.
It is also said that (
Maharaja Jai Singh
Jai Singh II (3 November 1681 – 21 September 1743) popularly known as Sawai Jai Singh was the 29th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He was born at Amber, ...
) or Bhagya Chandra Karta (1763–1798), who was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, received an epiphany from the Lord to build a temple for him. Accordingly, he formally initiated the carving of the idol of the Lord Govindaji, in 1776, which was then completed and consecrated in November 1779 on the full moon day in a temple built by him in his palace. On this occasion
Ras Lila
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio statio ...
was performed for five days at Raas Mandal Pukhri at Langthabal.
Structure
The temple is simple in design with two gold plated domes, a paved court and a large, raised ''
Mandop
A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture.
Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples ...
'' (), or congregation hall. The central chamber of the ''
garbhagriha'' (
sanctum sanctorum) has
Govindaji (
Krishna) and his chief consort
Radha
Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...
as the main deities. The other two chambers on the either side of the central altar is dedicated to Krishna and
Balarama on one side and
Jagannath,
Subhadra
Subhadra ( sa, सुभद्रा, Subhadrā) is a Hindu goddess mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures like the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. She is described as the favourite child of Vasudeva and the younger sister of de ...
and
Balabhadra on the other side.
The temple appears very elegant. It is built in an idyllic location with a well tended garden surrounding the premises. There is a small pond in the vicinity of the temple, and also a large open space where a row of tall trees are planted along the boundary.
Main temple
The temple is built over a square plan on a high platform like a royal residence. The sanctum sanctorum is surrounded by a circumambulatory passage (
Pradakshina path). The sanctum is compartmentalized with two short walls. The outer chamber and the
porch are built with huge columns in an arcade system where the walls above the arches rise up to the
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
. The first row of railings is provided above the cornice, in front of the portico roof, over the Pradakshina path. At the four corners of the railings small shrines called "Salas" are built. Above the sanctum, the walls rise to the terrace and are then formed into two arched domes. The arched formation of the dome terminates in to a crown where an
Amalaka Sila (a circular stone disc with ridges on the rim) is topped by a
Kalasa (finial) on each of the domes. A white flag is hoisted above the Kalasa. The external surface of the two domes is gilded with gold. A second row of railing, at a higher level, is provided around the two domes. The temple entrance faces east. The temple is built with brick and mortar. In the sanctum sanctorum images of Govindaji with Radha are deified in the central chamber. In its adjoining northern chamber images of Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra are installed while on the southern chamber images of Balabhadra and Krishna are deified. The
arcade in front of the sanctum is covered with a curtain. The images of Govindaji and Radha are first carved out of special wood and with the remaining wood images of Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra are made. Images of Krishna and Balarama are, however, made of
Plaster of Paris in attractive colorful shades. On special festival days the images are adorned with crowns.
Mandapa
Facing the facade of the temple to the east is an open colonnaded
mandapa
A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture.
Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, ...
, an outdoor pavilion with arcades. It is an independent structure, but within the enclosed precincts of the temple. It is built with royal elegance and is built double storied. It is covered by a protective railing at the first floor level. At the cornice level on the first floor a row of elephant heads are provided which support the inclined roof slabs. A mini temple tower is built as an extension of the mandapa. Seating arrangements are built within the mandapa on its eastern and southern sides to accommodate to devotees who come to witness the cultural and religious programmes held in the mandapa. The roof covering is made of corrugated cement sheets. There is also another mandapa known as the ''Natyashala'', which is also a colonnaded structure with arcades with idols fixed at the four corners of the roof.
Worship
The daily worship practice followed in the temple, in the morning and evening hours, is very ritualistic and highly disciplined with strict dress code observed by the devotees. The temple doors are opened with the ringing of the large temple bell fixed in a separate bell tower next to the temple, which resounds over a large area. With blowing of ritual
conch
Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends).
In North Am ...
es the main curtained door in front of the sanctum is opened revealing the main images enshrined in the sanctum. Devotees line up on either side of the main shrine, with women queuing up one side and men on the other side. Men who come to offer worship here are to wear only a white shirt or a
kurta in a light shade and a
dhoti, while women are dressed in traditional ''Pungou''
phanek
A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven ...
and ''Innafi,''
salwar kameez or
sari. Women carry offerings to the deity in a brass plate with or without a bell. Live music by permanently stationed musicians is a regular feature in the temple during the main prayer hours. The
Meitheis, an ethnic group of Manipur, are the ardent devotees of the Lord of this temple.
Temple administration
The temple management was earlier with the former king, as per Article II of the Manipur Merger Agreement of 1949 (when Manipur became a part of India after
the latter's independence). However, by popular demand, it is now managed by a board with members drawn from the priestly community and important people of the city. The
chief minister of the state of Manipur is the board's president.
Festivals
Important festivals held with much fanfare are the
Janmashatami, during the month of August, and Kang (
Rathayatra), during June–July, which are attended by a very large number of devotees. Another important activity held in the precincts of the temple is the Ras Lila, a dance form of Manipur, held with great enthusiasm during Halangkar (
Holi festival
Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
),
Basant Purnima in February, and
Kartik Purnima in October. Ras Lila is a dance form which was started by Maharaja Jai Singh. In this dance form the typical skirt that the dancers wear was revealed to Jai Singh in a dream, when the Lord appeared before him wearing a similar dress, directing him to build a temple for Him. The Ras Lila is a grand visual treat when a large number of
gopis in traditional attire dance around the temple's main deity, which is brought out for the occasion onto the grounds at the sacred
Kaina Kaina can mean:
* Kaina (Manipur), a small hillock in Manipur sacred to Hindu
* Kaina, Samastipur, a village in Samastipur district
* Kaina (singer)
Kaina Castillo (born January 22, 1996), known simply as, KAINA (stylized in all caps), is an Ame ...
. Kaina, which is 29 km from Imphal, is the location where Maharaja Jai Singh was directed by Lord Govindaji to carve out his image from a
jackfruit tree and enshrine it in a temple.
Renovations
The temple and the mantapa are under renovation since November 2012. The gold plating of the domes which was removed for renovation has been redone during August 2013. The plating is said to weigh of gold. The mantapa is also undergoing renovation. The flooring in the temple was proposed to be changed to tiles. The total cost of the renovations was estimated at Rs 8
crore
A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...
.
See also
* Iputhou Pakhangba Laishang
, native_name_lang = mni
, image =
, image_upright =
, alt =
, caption = Front view of the Temple of Pakhangba
, map_type = India Manipur#India#Asia
, map_size ...
* Sanamahi Temple
Sanamahi Temple ( mni, ꯁꯅꯥꯃꯍꯤ ꯂꯥꯢꯁꯪ) or Sanamahi Sanglen ( mni, ꯁꯅꯥꯃꯍꯤ ꯁꯪꯂꯦꯟ) is a temple of Lainingthou Sanamahi, the supreme deity of Sanamahism. It is located in the Sanakhwa Yaima Kollup near Kangl ...
* Hiyangthang Lairembi Temple
)
, native_name_lang= Meitei
, religious_affiliation=Sanamahism (Meitei religion)
, region=Hiyangthang
, country=India
, patron=King Senbi Kiyamba (1467-1508 AD) of Ningthouja dynasty
, architecture_type=Meitei architecture ( Manipuri architectu ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
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*
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*
*
*{{cite book, last= Sanajaoba , first=Naorem , title=Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-CzSQKVmveUC&pg=PA452, year=2003, publisher=Mittal Publications, isbn=978-81-7099-853-2
Cultural heritage of India
Landmarks in India
Meitei culture
Monuments and memorials in India
Monuments and memorials in Imphal
Monuments and memorials in Manipur
Monuments and memorials to Meitei people
Monuments and memorials to Meitei royalties
Hindu temples in Manipur
Buildings and structures in Imphal
Krishna temples