Ganga Mandir, Bharatpur

Ganga Mandir in the centre of Bharatpur is dedicated to the river goddess Ganga and mixes Rajput, Mughal and South Indian building styles. Its walls and pillars are covered in carving.

Maharaja Balwant Singh began the temple in 1845, and rather than drawing only on the treasury he asked state servants and wealthy townspeople to contribute. Work stretched over almost nine decades, and the idol was finally installed by Brijendra Singh, fifth in descent from Balwant Singh. The marble image shows Ganga seated on a large crocodile. Other sculptures include a four-foot figure of King Bhagirath, Krishna lifting Govardhan hill, Shiva, Parvati and Lakshmi-Narayan, and a large gong can be heard from far off. Ganga Dussehra and Ganga Saptami are the main festivals; early morning and evening are quieter.