Galta Ji Temple - Famous Monkey Temple of Jaipur
By Pawan Sharma
Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, is also known as the Pink City. Jaipur was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (II) of Amer. Jaipur is famous for its rich building tradition, culture, and historical importance. The city is surrounded on three sides by the Aravalli ranges. Apart from being a tourist place, Jaipur is also a religious place. There are many ancient temples in Jaipur which were established by the Jaipur royal family. Apart from those temples, there is an ancient pilgrimage site "Galta ji". Here the faith of Hindus (followers of Sanatan dharma) is attached.
History of Galta Ji Temple
Galta Ji is situated amidst the lower hills of the Aravalli range, which is at a distance of 10 Km from the city Jaipur. This holy place is also famous by the name of Galav Ashram due to being the tapobhoomi (penance place) of Galav Rishi (Saint). 15th century ago, Saint Galav found this peaceful, picturesque place conducive to penance and made it his place of penance. Dated back to the 16th century, the Galta Ji temple was developed further by Sawai Jai Singh II’s companion Vaishnavite Ramanandi Diwan Rao Kriparam. The temple features a number of pavilions with rounded roofs, carved pillars, and painted walls.
Holy kunds
Galta Ji Teerth (pilgrimage) is set around a natural spring and waterfalls that create 7 holy Kunds (pools) whose names are: Yagya Kund, Karma Kund, Chokaur Kund, Gaumukh Kund, Galta Kund, Bavari Kund, and Lal Kund.
The main pool in all of these is the Gaumukh Kund. In this kund, a marble Gaumukh (cow's mouth-shaped structure) waterfall keeps falling continuously. The origin of this water stream falling from Gaumukh has not been traced till date. Form the past, this water stream has been continuously falling from Gaumukh into the Kund. This water stream is considered to be the holy Ganges stream. It is believed that pleased with the penance of Galav Muni, Ganga ji appeared here, which is still in a regular flow.
Of all the seven kunds, the holiest is the Galta Kund, which never goes dry. On holy days, like Kartik Purnima, Makar Sankranti, Ekadashi, devotees throng the temple. All the devotees who are from Jaipur or come from all over India, they take a dip in this holy Kund with true devotion. In every Shravan month, Shravan Mahotsav is celebrated under the guidance of Shri Galta Peeth, the prominent Shri Vaishnava Peeth of North India, in which the holy water of Galta Kund is taken by Kavadias coming from different places of India. It is believed that the religious pilgrimage of Char Dham popular in Vaishnav Hindus and Sapt Puri is not complete unless one experiences a holy dip in Galta Kund.
Temples in Galta Ji Complex
There are also two big temples in the complex of Galta Ji: Shri Gyan Gopal Ji and Shri Sitaram Ji Temple. Both these temples come after coming down from Galta Kund. These temples have beautiful frescoes and paintings from Indian history and Hindu religion on the walls and ceilings. The architecture is mesmerizing as it uses canopies/ chhatri, lattices, the windows in a unique style which is a hallmark of Jaipur architecture. Galtaji is a leading religious center for Vaishnav Hindus. Galta Peeth follows a system of Ramanujacharya. He is one of the most important exponents of the Shri Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.
Shri Gyan Gopal Ji temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The compound of this temple also houses Shrimad Ramanujacharya Vedanta Gurukul for students and followers under Galta Peeth.
Shri Sita Ram Ji Temple has five sanctums & idols of Lord Rama depicting various life stages. There is a popular belief that the idol of Shri Ram Gopal Ji in Shri Sita Ramji Temple resembles both Lord Krishna and Lord Rama. The temple complex of Sita Ram Ji Temple is known in travel literature as Galwar Bagh, because of the large number of monkeys living here.
Galta Ji as a Monkey Temple
Galta Ji Temple is also called Monkey Temple and it has become famous in the world with this name. But when you come here, you will find that there is no relation between monkeys and Galta ji. It is being called so because of the presence of a large number of monkeys in the temple complex. The monkeys that are seen here will be found here sitting in the shade of the hills and temples or roaming around the devotees or tourists because people give them bananas or Prasad. Anyway, everyone knows that Lord Hanuman is a devotee of Lord Rama and for this reason also the monkeys here are considered to be the form of Lord Hanuman. Some monkeys are mischievous and some are quiet. There is also a newly constructed small temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
If you live in any state of India or any country of the world and you are coming to Jaipur, then must visit Galta Ji. Nestled in the lap of the Aravalli Mountains, this ancient and enchanting place will make your mind happy. You can visit Galta Ji anytime in 12 months, but if you want to enjoy the grandeur of the events here, then you should come in the holy days like Ekadashi, Kartik Purnima, Makar Sankranti and the month of Shravan. On these dates, you will get to see the religious rituals and reverence of the devotees here.
Timings: 5:00 am – 9:00 pm (every day)
Address: Shri Galta Peetham, Galva Ashrama, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302013, India
Watch our cinematic travel video "Galta Ji - The Ancient Hindu Pilgrimage"
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