History

About 460 years ago this area where now stands SHREE JAGANNATHJI MANDIR CAMPUS, was a thick forest beside the river SABARMATI in the East and the city limit ended at the Jamalpur Darwaja in the North.

Sadhus normally seek places of solitude beside rivers away from the noise of cities. Thus an itinerant sadhu Shree HANUMANDASJI by name happened to visit Ahmedabad and found this jungle area suitable for his stay. Being a devotee of RAMBHAKT MARUTI, he laid his deity’s idol, which is worshiped till this day. During his stay some miraculous happening altracted people from the neighbouring areas, which has become the root cause to developed this place into a modest temple.

His successor sadhu Shree SARANGDASJI happened to be a devotee of Lord Jagannath . He had an urge to pay a visit to the Jagannath Mandir at PURI (Orissa) and some local associates of his joined him in the pilgrimage. One night while he was sleeping at the Dharmshala of the Puri temple , he had visionary instruction from Lord Jagannath to go back to Ahmedabad and install there the idols of the Holy Trinity Lord Jagannath with his elder brother Lord BALDEVJI and sister Goddess SUBHADRAJI. Thus, the Maruti temple became Shree Jagannathji Mandir. A cowshed was built and since then began the GAU SEVA.

The next successor was sadhu Shree BALMUKUND DASJI and Shree NARSINHDASJI was the fourth Mahant known for his dedicated enthusiasm for multiferious religious activities aided by his equally generous devotees.

Shree NARSINHDASJI got the temple renovated, a fully developed Gaushala started rendering yeoman service, ‘‘SADAVRAT’’ was started ensuring two meals a day for the needy, irrespective of caste and creed distinctions. In 1957 in SINHASTH KUMBHA MELA at Prayag Mahant Shree Narsinhdasji was honoured by the title “MAHAMANDALESHWAR’’ by the SADHU SAMAJ.

The fifth Mahant was Shree SEVADASJI who was succeeded by Shree RAMHARSHDASJI known among his devotees as “GAUSEVI SANT’’ and ‘’DINBANDHU’’. The present GADIPATI is MAHAMANDALESHWAR MAHANT SHREE RAMESHWAR DASJI.

During the period 1996-2000, the entire temple comlex at Ahmedabad was renovated and the idols of the Holy Trinity were ritually laid on a special raised pedestral called “RATNA-VEDI“, with the idol of Garuda situated infront of the sacred alter, so that its attention is sighted at the feet of Lord Jagannath. On the RATNAVEDI the Goddess SHREEDEVI and BHUDEVI are laid. A marble statue of Mahamandaleshwar Mahant Shree Narsinhdasji is near the Garuda, facing the Holy Trinity.

And next is the region of the “GADI” with an uninterrupted “ DHOONI” from where devotees collect the Bhasma and blessings of the MahantShree. Opposite to Gadi on the first floor is built a spacious auditorium for bhajans lectures and such other religions functions and next to it is GAUSHALA. Opposite to the entrance of the main temple is RATHKHANA, SANTNIVAS, APANG ASHRAM and SAMADHI are region situated. This is the short history of shree Jagannathji Mandir, Ahmedabad.

NAKALANG MAHADEV AND RANCHHODJI TEMPLE : It is situated at village Paldi – Kankaj in Taluka : Dascroi , Dist : Ahmedabad, 14 km from Shree Jagannathji Mandir. This place is also the entrance gate of VIRATNAGARI where PANDAVAS spent the last year of AGNATVAS and at that time one PANDAVA named NAKUL ritually laid SHIVLING for Pooja which later on became famous as NAKLANG MAHADEV temple. This temple received during the period of Mahamandaleshwar Mahant Shree Narsinhdasji, This temple is renovated and new RANCHODJI TEMPLE is CONSTRUCTED BY THE PRESENT MAHANT.