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Kalaram Mandir: Explore the Black Rama Temple in Nashik
Nashik is a unique and pious centre of our ancient culture and heritage in Maharashtra. It is prominently mentioned in our epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and has the proud privilege of being one of the pilgrim towns where the Kumbha Mela takes place.
Trimbakeshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. It draws the faithful devotees from far and near. Native to the geography of this ‘teerthsthana’ are numerous exquisite temples. Each is an epitome of our rich roots and an illustrative symbol of beautiful sculptures and history. Prominent among them is the ‘Kalaram Mandir’, an example of our ‘sanatan dharma.’
The Kalaram Mandir in Nashik is situated in the Panchavati area in Nashik and is on the banks of the sacred Godavari. The temple derives its name from a black statue of Lord Rama. The literal translation of kalaram is ‘Black Rama’. The statues of the Goddess Sita, Lord Sri Ramachandra and Lakshmana are there in the sanctum sanctorum.
Panchavati
According to the Ramayana epic, Lord Ramchandra was sent to exile for fourteen years. After the tenth year of exile, Lord Ramchandra along with Lakshmana and Sita lived for two and a half years on the northern bank of the Godavari near Nashik. This place is known as Panchavati. The name Panchavati finds its origins in Sanskrit.
Pancha means five and Vati refers to a banyan tree.
According to legend, the five sacred banyan trees of Panchavati served as the abode of sages and ascetics who sought spiritual enlightenment in the peaceful environs of these ancient groves.
History of the temple
The glorious history of this temple is worth exploring. The original temple was dedicated to an unknown deity. It was estimated to be in the period of the Rashtrakutas from the 7th to the 11th centuries.
Researchers specified that the idol of Lord Sri Ram was at least 2000 years old. As per the research, during the early Turkish invasions, the idol of the deity was thrown into the river Godavari by some people belonging to the temple to save it. It is said that a prominent Peer of the glorious Maratha Empire had a dream. In it, he felt that he would be blessed with the acquisition of a statue of Lord Sri Ram if he prayerfully took a holy dip in the Godavari.
He carried out an expedition to revive the idol and he miraculously had got it. Sardar Rangarao Odhekar (Royal leader in that local area) took the statue from the river and requested a sage for the reconsecration of the statue as per the instructions of the Lord in the dream. Later, he built this temple.
He funded the new temple, which was rebuilt around the 1700s. The work was said to have lasted for twelve years, and 2000 persons were employed daily. It is one of the finest modern temples of Lord Ramchandra in Western India.
The main entrance had a black idol of Lord Hanuman. Lord Rama’s idol can be seen from Lord Hanuman’s idol. One can see right across the sanctum the idol of Lord Hanuman, which was similarly black and enshrined in such a way that He looked at His beloved Lord Sri Ramchandra. The 51-inch idol was sculpted using Krishnashila stone, which was common in the districts of HD Kote and Mysore.
This stone, which had a black look and was named ‘Krishnashila’ because it was the same colour as that of Lord Krishna, gave it a peculiarity as other statues of the deity differ from this one. The Hemadpanthi (school of temple art) style, renowned for the aesthetic elegance of its black basalt stone usage, had made the architecture of Kalaram Mandir exceptional.
With a height of 70 feet, the temple was built without any cement or mortar binding material, a characteristic of Hemadpanthi architecture that placed much importance on interlocking stone structures.
Sabha Mandap
The ‘sabha mandap’ of the temple is held up by 40 carved pillars. This ‘mandap’ serves as the prayer area for the devotees and other religious rituals.
Garbhagriha
The sanctum sanctorum contains black idols of Lord Rama, Sita, and Lakshman. These statues stand at approximately two feet in height and are extremely intricate and intricately sculpted.
Courtyard and Tank
A large courtyard is the temple complex’s most vital part with a sacred tank meant for ritual purposes. Mostly religious congregations and community gatherings take place in the court-yard.
Entrance Gates
’Dwaras’ beautifully designed as entrance gates of the temple symbolize the gateways to the Divine abode. The carvings and motifs exhibited at the entry gates are typically Maratha.
As one offers one’s obeisance to Ram Durbar in Kalaram Mandir, one comes out spiritually enhanced and emotionally overwhelmed. The visit to the temple is essential to the devotees practising ‘sanatana dharma.’
