A Jain temple located at a distance of around 70 km from Udaipur is a land of intricate architecture shaped up together to form a temple. Ghanerao is the name of the village which houses the temple. The main idol in the temple is the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, Lord Mahavir.
As you enter the stunning temple you will find two gigantic statues of elephants welcoming you and when you go further there will be a beautiful 120 cm long and white colored idol of Lord Mahavir sitting in Padmasana posture.
Although the antiquity of the temple is not measured it is believed to be very old. The last renovation was recorded back in the Vikram era, the year 2022 when the idol was installed.
Along with that, a very interesting story is associated with the temple. It is said that Once upon a time, a Rana (king), who was on a hunt, visited the temple. There, the priest offered him some Prasad (a devotional offering made to a god, typically consisting of food that is later shared among devotees) of Lord Mahavir. While eating the Prasad, the Rana found a strand of white hair in it which must have fallen from the priest. Mocking the priest, the Rana asked: “Does your lord has a mustache too?” Having been intimidated by the sarcastic comment of the Rana, the priest affirmed in the fear of getting killed. Rana further making fun of the temple and priest said that today he won’t pay respects to the lord and will come back in 3 days to see the mustache of the lord.
The priest was completely puzzled to be able to think about how he will he show the mustache of the lord to Rana. Thus, he spent the next two days in the prayer of the lord in the hope that he will get a way out. After seeing no results in the condition in any way, the priest finally decided to commit suicide rather than getting killed by the king. As soon as he picked the dagger of Bhairon to run it around his neck, the Lord appeared in front of the priest and instructed him to cover the head of the idol with a cloth when the Rana comes and ask him to uncover it only when he is finished his prayers.
Next day, when the king came, the priest did exactly what he was told. When the king saw the piece of cloth covering the head of the idol, he became furious. But the priest explained that he should uncover the face himself once he is done with his praying. The king agreed and when he lifted the cloth after his prayers, he didn’t just see the mustache but a dense beard too. The king instantly regretted having made such an insulting remark and sought forgiveness from the priest.
After that, the mustache and the beard disappeared but the name got stuck and since then, the temple is known as ‘Muchhal Mahavir’.
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