| Dakshinamoorthy & Navgraha EME Temple | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| Deity | Dakshinamoorthy (Shiva) and Navgraha |
| Governing body | EME School |
| Location | |
| Location | Vadodara |
| State | Gujarat |
| Country | India |
 | |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Modern architecture |
| Creator | Indian Army |
| Groundbreaking | 2023 Navgraha Temple |
| Completed | 1966 |
The Dakshinamoorthy and Navgraha EME Temple is aHindu temple dedicated to godShiva, situated in EME School's campus inVadodara,Gujarat,India.
It has aNavgraha temple also which is dedicated to the nine planets in Vedic astronomy. The EME Temple was built in 1966 by theElectronics & Mechanical Engineers (EME) School ofIndian Army and is maintained and run by the Army inVadodara city of Gujarat.[1]
It has a unique design inspired byBuckminster Fuller’sgeodesic dome and amalgamates elements of all majorreligions of the world.[citation needed]
The temple is a major attraction for both tourists and is one of its kind in the world.[2][better source needed] The Dakshinamoorthy & Navgraha EME Temple also has 108 major archaeological stone statues circa 600-1600 CE of variousHindu deities. The statues are placed in various open spaces of the temple and attract a large number of students of architecture and archaeological studies.
The Dakshinamoorthy EME Temple was constructed in February 1966 during the tenure of Brig AF Eugene, the first Commandant of EME School, who was himself a Christian.[1]
The temple is a symbol of secularism in the country as it displays various features of major religions of India.[3][better source needed]
The idol of the main deity faces South – as that is the avatar ofLord Shiva asLord Dakshinamoorthy in which he adopted the role of a teacher and imparted his "Gyan or knowledge to the world".[4] Other notable features include an idol ofLord Ganesha andKartikeya, the sons of Shiva brought fromMahabalipuram and an arch behind LordShiva’s idol, made of pure silver and engraved with the sacred mantraOm Namah Shivaya. There is a replica ofAmarnathShivalinga, one of the most sacred shrines of Lord Shiva also in the premises.
In 2023, Major General Neeraj Varshney designed and constructed the Navgraha temple as a scale replica of the main Dakshinamoorthy Temple. The idols represent the nine Vedic astrological planets and are on a raised marble platform with aShani Shila, a sacred stone representing Saturn on which oil and sesame seeds can be poured by the devotees as per Hindu traditions.
Every year on the auspicious occasion ofMaha Shivratri anJanmashtami the Dakshinamoorthy & Navgraha EME Temple is flocked by thousands of devotees for prayers and blessings. The lush green landscape with colored fountains and peaceful ambience is well maintained by Indian Army (EME School,Vadodara).
The temple is open from 06.00 AM to 09.00 PM everyday for visitors and special Aarti is held at 06.45 PM on Tuesday.[5]
22°19′53″N73°11′31″E / 22.3314°N 73.1920°E /22.3314; 73.1920