Home › Chhota Udaipur › Bodeli Temples
TOWN TEMPLE · EASTERN GUJARAT · DEVOTIONALBodeli Temples
The devotional heartbeat of the gateway town — a cluster of Hindu shrines serving the taluka centre on the Chhota Udaipur borderland, where the everyday religious life of a mixed community plays out at the junction of tribal and mainstream Gujarat.
Community temples at the tribal district gateway
Bodeli’s temples are community Hindu shrines serving the mixed population of this taluka junction town — a point where the plains of Vadodara district meet the tribal interior of Chhota Udaipur, and where the religious life of the town reflects that meeting. The temples here are modest — Hanuman, Shiva, Ganesh and local deity shrines — functioning as daily devotional centres for the town’s traders, administrators, teachers and the Adivasi communities who come in for the weekly market.
The most active times are early morning and the evening aarti. For the visitor, Bodeli’s temples are not a destination but a context — they give a sense of the ordinary religious life of an eastern Gujarat town, the kind of daily devotion that continues regardless of markets, schools or administrative schedules.
The temples are best experienced early morning, when the town is quiet and the smell of incense and the sound of bells mark the day’s beginning. No entry fee; open daily; modest dress required.
Illustration — Bodeli temples, the devotional heart of a junction town.
From a riverside experiment to the road to freedom
Illustration — Bodeli temples, shrines established with the town.
Bodeli's shrines grew alongside the town itself, taking root as the settlement became a taluka centre on the plains-to-tribal borderland.
The temples have always served a blended congregation — traders, the Adivasi communities of the interior, and the administrators and teachers of a working town.
The devotional rhythm settled early into the steady pattern of dawn puja and evening aarti that still marks the day.
They remain living, active community temples — the daily devotional infrastructure of a small working town.
Reasons to make the time
Daily worship
Community devotion at modest, living shrines.
Morning bell
Dawn puja and the sound of temple bells.
Town life
A glimpse of life on the tribal borderland.
Community
The mixed congregation of Bodeli town.
Atmosphere
Simple, unstaged everyday devotion.
Dawn
The best, quietest time to visit.
What to look for inside
Bodeli
Community devotion at the town's central Hanuman shrine.
Dawn bells
The daily start — dawn puja and ringing temple bells.
How to spend an hour or two
Visit at dawn
The most atmospheric hour — the town is quiet and the day begins with incense and bells.
Offer at the main shrine
Join the community puja at the central temple as the town's devotional day starts.
Walk the market lanes
See the temples in context — the working lanes and weekly market that surround them.
Eat at a dhaba after
Pause for simple Gujarati food at a roadside dhaba once you have wandered the shrines.
Note the tribal context
Read the mixed community — plains traders alongside the Adivasi people of the interior.
Ask about festivals
Local celebrations punctuate the calendar; ask in town when the next one falls.
Illustration — Bodeli temples, modest shrines in a working town.
Modest shrines in a working town
Bodeli’s temples are not architecturally significant but are socially essential — the daily devotional infrastructure of a small working town that serves as the gateway between the plains and the tribal interior.
The morning puja rhythm and the evening aarti bells mark the community’s daily life. Open daily; no entry fee; modest dress.
Community Hindu shrines — Hanuman, Shiva, Ganesh
Morning puja and evening aarti — daily rhythm
Mixed community: trader, Adivasi, administrator
Gateway-town temples on the tribal borderland
When to go
Cool and dry — ideal for pilgrimage. Comfortable from dawn through the evening aarti.
Lush and green, but paths may flood. Mornings are fresh between the showers.
Hot and dry — early morning is the only comfortable window for a visit.
⏰ October to February is ideal for spiritual visits in Chhota Udaipur.
Timings & entry
- Temples open every day with no fixed ticketing hours
- Most active at early-morning puja and evening aarti
- Allow 30–45 minutes for an unhurried visit
- Modest dress is expected inside the shrines
- No entry fee — all visitors welcome
- Remove footwear before entering the shrines
- Keep voices low during puja and aarti
- Ask before photographing worshippers
Getting there
By Air
Vadodara airport is the nearest, roughly 100 km away, with onward taxis and buses to Bodeli.
By Rail
Bodeli and Chhota Udaipur both sit on the regional rail line, putting the town within easy reach by train.
By Road
NH-56 runs from Vadodara to Bodeli; state buses, shared jeeps and taxis all serve the route.
Shooting the temples
DAWN-FRIENDLY
Quiet lanes, incense smoke and the soft light of an early-morning puja.
Best light
Come at dawn — the town is still and the first light suits the modest shrines.
What to shoot
The Hanuman shrine, the morning puja, ringing bells and the market lanes around the temples.
Be respectful
Skip flash during aarti and ask before photographing people at worship.
Gear tip
A small kit and a fast standard lens are all you need for these intimate, low-light interiors.
Know before you go
Where to eat around the ashram
Gujarati Thali
Comfort home cooking — an unlimited plate of dal, sabzi, roti and sweets.
Rathwa food
Forest produce and millet, the everyday cooking of the Rathwa community.
Bajra roti
A tribal staple — hearty millet flatbread eaten across the borderland.
A working-town table
Expect simple, satisfying vegetarian fare — Gujarati thalis in town and tribal forest food in the villages around it.
Bodeli Temples FAQ
What temples are in Bodeli?
Hanuman, Shiva, Ganesh and a number of local deity shrines, all serving the town's mixed community.
What is the best time to visit?
Dawn — the morning puja is the most atmospheric and peaceful time of day.
Is there an entry fee?
No. Entry to the temples is free for everyone.
Is there a dress code?
Yes — modest dress is required, and footwear is removed before entering the shrines.
Why are the temples significant?
They are the centre of everyday community devotion in a town that bridges the plains and the tribal interior.
What can I combine the visit with?
The weekly market and the nearby Pithora villages, where the Rathwa mural tradition lives on.
What is the best season?
October to February, when the weather is cool and ideal for a spiritual visit.
How long should I plan?
About 30 to 45 minutes is enough for an unhurried look around the shrines.
How do I reach Bodeli?
By NH-56 road from Vadodara (about 80 km), or by rail to Bodeli or Chhota Udaipur.
Where is the nearest airport?
Vadodara airport, roughly 100 km away, with onward taxis and buses.
Related places across Gujarat
Vansda NP
Teak forest wilderness
Khijadiya
Where fresh & salt water birds meet
Flamingo City
Flamingo breeding grounds deep in the Great Rann
Ubharat & Dandi
Quiet, palm-lined beaches on the Arabian Sea
Little Rann
Shimmering salt flats where wild asses roam nearby
Mahisagar
The wide river that cradles Galteshwar temple
WHERE TO STAY
Find your stay in Gujarat
Compare live prices across the big booking sites and reserve in a few taps. Booking happens securely on the partner's site — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
SHOP THE REGION
Bring home Gujarat — & travel essentials
Hand-picked crafts and trip gear, available on Amazon.