About Shri Narsinhji’s Temple -Baroda

Dedicated to Sri Krishna, Shri Narsinhji’s Temple is located at Narasinhji’s Pole in Vadodara-Gujarat.

The main murti that is worshipped in Shri Narsinhji’s Temple are Shaligrams. Salagrama, or Shaligrama, are black stones with stripes in the form of symbols associated with Lord Vishnu. Salagrama is considered to be an embodiment of Lord Vishnu. The significance of Salagrama is mentioned in the Puranas and the Mahabharata.

It is believed that the Shaligrams at Shri Narsinhji’s Temple at Narasinhji’s Pole were given to the then head of the family that runs the temple by a siddha person who used to live in the outskirts of then princely state of Baroda. The name given by him is Narasimha, but it is a form of Krishna or Vishnu.

The Temple is a classic example of Havelis of Gujarat, with graceful woodwork decorating its exterior and interior.It is said that the idol of Lord Narsinhji was installed in the haveli over 282 years ago and the haveli is even older than that.In its journey to becoming a center of faith, the Pol in which the haveli is situated has changed many names. Its earliest known name was ‘Vanik ni Pol’. After this, the Pol was known as the ‘Madan Mohanji ni Pol’ after a temple of the same name. Finally in the 18th century after the establishment of the Narsinhji Temple, it was renamed as the Narsinhji ni Pol.

There is also a story relating the temple to Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. Once the Maharaja was traveling via ship, during which it got in a storm in deep sea. The Maharaja prayed the Lord to save the ship from the storm. After returning safely from the danger, the Maharaja directly went to the temple even before going to the palace.

As a part of a centuries-old tradition, the temple celebrates and organizes the Tulsi Vivah ritual during the Diwali festival. During this, the whole temple is bedecked in lights and flower garlands. The star of this festival is a procession is taken out from the temple. Popularly known as the “Narsinhji no Varghodo”, the procession is in no means less than a ‘baraat’ (wedding procession) of humans.