Lohargal in Nawalgarh

Lohargal

Lohargal is located about 10 km from Udaipurwati town situated in the valley of Aadaval mountain, 70 km from Jhunjhunu district of Shekhawati region in Rajasthan state of India. Lohargal means the place where iron melts. This place is also mentioned in Puranas. This pilgrimage 'Lohargal Ji' located in Nawalgarh tehsil is called Luhagarji in local corrupt language. In Jhunjhunu district, the branches of Aravali mountain enter from Udaipurwati tehsil and reach Khetri, Singhana, whose highest peak is 1051 meters in Lohargal.

There are many temples in Tirtharaj Lohargal, and each temple has its own glory in itself, no temple is special and neither any temple is ordinary, the whole Lohargal is formed by combining all these temples and Gaumukh and valleys. All the temples are important for common devotees. When Baba Malketu's Parikrama is of 24 Kos (72 km) then how can it be someone's private area.

Goga Navami is celebrated on the ninth day of Krishna Paksha of Bhadrapad month. The Parikrama starts from this day and is completed on Amavasya.

The place of penance for the Pandavas After the end of the Mahabharata war, when the Pandavas were very sad for the sin of killing their brothers and other relatives, then on the advice of Lord Krishna, they went to visit various pilgrimage sites to get rid of their sins. Lord Krishna had told them that the pilgrimage where their weapons melt in water, there only their wish of getting rid of their sins will be fulfilled. While wandering, the Pandavas reached Lohargal and as soon as they took a bath in the Suryakund here, all their weapons melted. Understanding the glory of this place, they honoured it with the title of Tirtha Raja. The name of Lord Parashuram is also associated with Lohargal. It is said that at this place, Parashuram ji also performed a yagya for repentance and got rid of his sins. Lord Parashuram, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, had killed the Kshatriyas in anger, but after calming down, he realized his mistake. There is also a huge stepwell here which was built by Mahatma Chetandas ji. This is one of the big stepwells of Rajasthan. An ancient Surya temple is built on the hill nearby. Along with this, there is a temple of Vankhandi ji. Near the Kund, there is an ancient Shiva temple, Hanuman temple and Pandava cave. Apart from these, Malketu ji can be seen after climbing four hundred stairs.

[ Varaha temple of Lohargal ] Among the main temples of Lohargal Dham, the temple of Shri Varaha, the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is special. Lord Vishnu has taken 23 incarnations till now. One of which is Varaha incarnation. Varaha Jayanti is celebrated every year on the third day of Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapad month. This was the first incarnation of Lord Vishnu on earth in a human body. In this incarnation, Lord Vishnu had a human body, while his face was like that of a boar. That is why this incarnation was called Varaha incarnation. It is said in ancient scriptures that Vishnu ji took this incarnation to kill the demon Hiranyaksha. History of Varah Jayanti There was a demon named Hiranyaksha. He wanted to rule the entire earth. So he hid himself in the sea with the earth. Seeing the earth sinking, all the gods and goddesses prayed to Lord Vishnu - O Lord, please save the earth from sinking. Because the entire human society has to live its life on it. If there is no earth, human civilization will not survive. So O Karunanidhan, have mercy on the poor and save the earth. Hearing the call of all the gods, Lord Vishnu took the Varah avatar. This avatar was very different from other incarnations of God. All the gods, goddesses, sages and saints praised him after seeing him in this form. They also prayed that he should free the earth from Hiranyaksha and kill him. So that the creatures are not forced to suffer the atrocities of demons. Vishnu Ji took the Varah avatar and found Hiranyaksha hiding in the sea. When he started taking the earth from him, he challenged Lord Varah for a fight. Lord Vishnu became angry after hearing the challenge of demon Hiranyaksha. A fierce battle broke out between Lord Varah and demon Hiranyaksha. After which he killed Hiranyaksha. Lord Varah brought the earth out of the sea on his teeth and restored the earth. Importance of Varah Jayanti On the day of Varah Jayanti, devotees of Lord Vishnu i.e. Vaishnavs worship him. On this day Varah Lord is praised. Also, some people observe fast on this day to please Lord Vishnu. This incarnation of Lord Vishnu is considered very unique. It is believed that whoever worships Lord Vishnu on the day of Varah Jayanti, all his wishes are fulfilled. He attains salvation after death.

Story of Suryakund and Surya Mandir The Surya Mandir built here since ancient times has been the center of attraction for people. There is a unique story behind this too. In ancient times, there was a king named Suryabhan in Kashi, who in his old age had a child in the form of a handicapped girl. The king called the experts of past and future and asked about her previous birth. Then the scholars told that in the previous birth, that girl was a Markati i.e. a monkey, who was killed by a hunter. The hunter hung that dead monkey on a banyan tree and went away, because the meat of monkey is inedible. Due to wind and sunlight, she dried up and fell into the water tank of Lohargal Dham, but one of her hands remained on the tree. The rest of the body fell into the holy water, so she was born to you as a girl. The scholars told the king, if you go there and put that hand also in the holy water, then this girl's disability will end. The king immediately came to Lohargal and put the monkey's hand in the water tank from the branch of that banyan tree. Due to which his daughter's hand was automatically cured. The king was very happy with this miracle. The scholars told the king that this area is the place of Lord Suryadev. On their advice, the king built Surya Mandir and Suryakund here thousands of years ago and gave a grand look to this pilgrimage.

There is also a belief that due to the miracle of Lord Vishnu, a water stream came out from the mountains in ancient times, whose water keeps flowing continuously into the Suryakund. People have unwavering faith in this ancient, religious, historical place. Devotees keep coming here throughout the year. From time to time, fairs are held here on various religious occasions like eclipse, Somvati Amavasya etc. But every year the huge fair from Krishna Janmashtami to Amavasya has special significance which remains a center of special attraction for tourists. Due to the fair, a holiday is also declared in the district by the District Collector. In the month of Shravan, devotees fill the Kanwar with water from the Suryakund here. Suryasaptami festival is celebrated here every year on Saptami of Magh month, in which apart from the procession of Surya Narayan, a huge feast is organized along with satsang discourse. A parikrama of twenty-four kos is also done here. After the parikrama, men and women take bath in the pond and gain virtue. Jai Surya Dev.

Nearby Pilgrimages
This temple of Shakambhari Devi Mata is in Sakrai village near Lohargal. This temple is of Shakra or Shankara Devi. There are idols of Brahmani and Rudrani Devis in the temple. But at present Shankara Devi came to be known as Shakambhari Devi. By the way, the oldest Shakti Peeth of Shakambhari Devi in India is in the hills of Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Another temple is in Sambhar of Rajasthan. This place of Shakambhari Mata is also in Sakrai.