Nagda and Eklingji, Udaipur

	Nagda and Eklingji, Udaipur
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The ragged remnants of the ancient capital of Mewar, Nagda, which date back to 626 AD, stand next to a lake 20km northeast of Udaipur, a couple of kilometers short of Eklingji. Buses from Udaipur set down passengers for Nagda shortly before the road drops into the valley that shelters the Eklingji temple, beside a chai stall and bicycle shop.

Nagda itself is a short ride away, west of the lake. Most of the buildings were either destroyed by Moghul zealots or submerged by the lake, which has naturally accumulated over the centuries. All that survives is a majestic pair of tenth-century Vaishnavite temples, known as Saas-Bahu - literally "Mother-in-law" and "Daughter-in-law".

The larger (Mother-in-law) has an astounding wealth of carving in its interior. Within the mandapa , a marriage area is marked by four pillars bearing images of the gods to which a couple must pay homage: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Surya.

On the northeast pillar you can make out representations of Sita's trial by fire, a favourite episode from the Ramayana , while scenes from the Mahabharata cover the ceilings. The outer walls of both temples display images of the entire Hindu pantheon, nubile apsaras (heavenly maidens), and even a few couples engaged in erotic acts.

The quickest route to EKLINGJI from the chai stall where the bus drops you off is along a path that leads behind the old protective walls and downhill, passing shaded tanks and half-preserved muddy-brown temples. The god Eklingji , a manifestation of Shiva, has been the protective deity of the rulers of Mewar ever since the eighth century, when Bappa Rawal was bestowed with the title darwan (servant) of Eklingji by his guru.

To this day, the Maharana of Udaipur still visits his temples at the eponymous town every Monday evening - the day traditionally celebrated all over India as being sacred to Shiva. Lesser mortals can make the straightforward half-hour trip northeast of Udaipur by taxi, or on very frequent buses from the main bus stand.

The milky-white marble main temple (daily 4.30-6.30am, 10.30am-1.30pm & 5.30-6.45pm), dominating the compound with an elaborate two-storey mandapa guarded by stone elephants, surrounds a four-faced black marble lingam that marks the precise spot where Bappa Rawal received his accolade. Images of Shiva and his fellow deities, apsaras and musicians are etched into the walls both outside and within. The temple had to be rebuilt under Maharana Raimal at the end of the fifteenth century, and again two hundred years later after the ravages of Aurangzeb's iconoclastic forces.