Eklingji Temple — the deity who is the actual ruler of Mewar (the Maharanas are only his Dewans).
Day-trippers visit Eklingji as a half-day temple stop without grasping the constitutional oddity of Mewar: the Maharanas of Mewar do not consider themselves rulers — they hold the title of "Dewan" (minister) of Eklingji, the Shiva form first venerated here by 8th-century founder Bappa Rawal. Every Mewar coronation, including those after the 1947 merger of states, involved ratification at the Eklingji temple. The Shree Eklingji Trust formalised in April 1955 still chairs over the dewasthan.WHY NOBODY KNOWS
Attend the evening aarti — the family head of the Mewar royal house attends in person on major festivals. The original temple was destroyed in Delhi Sultanate invasions and rebuilt by Hamir Singh (14th c.), then again expanded by Rana Kumbha (15th c.) — the present sanctum holds a four-faced black marble Shiva idol.
