HINDUISM DECODED-Deity Worship in the Vedic Tradition #DECODING #HINDUISM

There are temples in India which are older over Five Thousand years.
Some of them are damaged.
When a modern building built with the latest Technology do not seem to last for fifty years,these temples are a tribute to the Technology and skill of our ancestors.

Dauji Temple

Near Gokul, in Village Baladeva (District Mathura), Shri Dauji Temple is situated 21 km southeast of Mathura, on the other side of Yamuna river. The name Dauji means ‘Elder Brother’. Here in the temple two metre (6×6″) Deity of Lord Balrama was installed by King Vajranabha.

Near Gokul, in Village Baladeva (District Mathura), Shri Dauji Temple is situated 21 km southeast of Mathura, on the other side of Yamuna river. The name Dauji means ‘Elder Brother’. Here in the temple two metre (6×6″) Deity of Lord Balrama was installed by King Vajranabha.
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seven kilometers south of Gokula, not far from Mathura, is the Dauji temple. Dauji is the Deity of Lord Balarama that was originally installed 5,000 years ago by King Vajranabha, Krishna’s great-grandson. From Lord Krishna and His queen Rukmini was born the great warrior Pradyumna, one of His prominent sons, who married the daughter of Rukmi, Rukmavati. They gave birth to Anirudha. Anirudha married Rukmi’s son’s daughter, Rachana, and from her was born Vajra, who would remain among the few survivors of the Yadus’ battle. (Bhagavatam 10.90.35-37)

In fact, King Vajra established a number of Krishna Deities in the area. The present Dauji temple that we see today was built 200 years ago by Shyama Das of Delhi. Many people also attend this temple to get darshan of the single Deity of the 6 feet tall Lord Balarama. From the other side of the temple you can see the Deity of Revati, Lord Balarama’s wife. Nearby is the Balabhadra Kund or Kshira (milk) Sagara (sea) where the Deity of Lord Balarama had been hidden during the Moghul invasion. Near this kund is a temple to Harideva, and in the bazaar is another temple to Krishna as Banke Bihari.”

Krishna temple

There is also much history on the site of Krishna’s birth, the Krishna Janmasthana in Mathura. Historical records indicate that the first temple here was also built by King Vajranabha. This temple lasted for many years. The next temple was supposedly built by King Vikramaditya in 400 BCE. That was destroyed by the infamous Mahmud Ghazni in 1017-18. Ancient descriptions relate that such a magnificent building would have taken 200 years of great toil by the world’s greatest craftsmen. Thereafter, a third temple was built by a citizen named Jajja during the time of King Vijayapalavadeva, ruler of Mathura, according to an inscription on a stone slab discovered in the area. Sri Chaitanya visited this temple during His visit in 1515. Unfortunately, that was destroyed by the Muslim Sikander Lodi shortly thereafter. The next temple was built by Raja Virsinghadeva Bundela during the reign of Jehangir (around 1650). It is said that this temple stood 250 feet tall and was a stately structure made of intricately carved red sandstone, costing some 33 lakhs of rupees. But again it was destroyed by the fanatic Muslim Aurangzeb in 1669-70. Then it its place a mosque was built, which still stands today. The next temple over the place of Krishna’s birth appeared later in the mid-20th century.

Varaha Avatar by Sudhamshu.
Varaha Image (Not the Mathura Temple) : Source : http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudhamshu/3338614940/

Also in Mathura, not far from the Dwarkadish Mandira, there is the temple of white Sweta-Varaha, and another of Adi-Varaha. According to local history as explained by local pandits, back in Satya-yuga this Deity had been given to Lord Indra who worshiped Him in Swarga, his heavenly abode. The Deity was later taken by Ravana when he defeated Indra who took Him to Sri Lanka. Then, after Ravana was defeated by Lord Ramachandra, the Deity was taken to Ayodhya by Lord Ramachandra. Lord Ramachandra gave it to His brother Satrughna who brought it to Mathura when he was dispatched to conquer Madhu Daitya and Lavanasura. After defeating the demonic father and son, Madhu and Lavanasura, he installed the Deity of Adi-Varaha here. This story is more fully explained in Chapter 163 of the Varaha Purana.
Source:
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/antiquity_of_deity_worship_in_vedic_tradition.htm