Location- Muscat, Oman
Main Deity- Adi Motishwar (Lord Shiva)
Established by- Bhatia Gujarati merchants of Muscat
Known for- The oldest Hindu temple of Oman. The well inside the temple which never runs out of the water
Entry fees- free
Day timing- 6:00 am to 11:00 am
Evening timing- 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Best time to visit- February to March during the Maha Shiva Ratri or March to April during the Ganesh Chaturthi
Other Deity inside the temple- Motishwar and Lord Hanuman
One of the oldest Hindu temples in the Persian Gulf region is the Shiva Temple of Muscat, Oman better known as Motishwar Mandir. According to the people of Muscat, the temple was built 110 to 125 years ago. Some merchants who came from Gujarat built the temple. But the main idol of the temple is almost 400 years old. Before the Gujarati merchants constructed the temple the idol was kept at a palace of Oman. The temple is very much popular among the Hindu religion believers of Oman. Almost 400 to 500 Hindu devotees visit the temple during the weekdays. The number goes up to 2000 on weekends.
A group of Gujarati merchants from the Kutch district of Gujarat came to Oman. During 1507 they settled themselves at Muscat. The merchants were from the Bhatia community. They were the devotees of Lord Shiva. But at that time there were no Shiva temples at Muscat. Many years letter they found an idol of Motishwar from a palace nearby. According to the statistics, the palace belonged to Taimur bin Faisal, the Sultan of Muscat and Oman at that time. With Sultan's permission, they took the idol from the palace and constructed a temple for their devotion and religious practices. The temple was constructed almost 125 years ago. That is the temple which is known as the Shiva Temple or Motishawr Mandir of Muscat. The temple was renovated in 1999.
Inside the temple complex, there are three different temples with three different idols inside. The main temple is Shri Adi Motishwar Mahadev's temple. Apart from there are two other temples, one is Shri Mothishwar Mahadev's temple and the other one is Lord Hanumanji's temple.
Lots of Hindu festivals such as Vasant Panchami, Hanuman Jayanti, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ram Navami, Shravan etc. are celebrated in the temple throughout the year. During Maha Shiva Ratri almost 20000 devotees visit the temple.
Vasant Panchami is a Hindu festival to welcome spring. People of Hindu religion worship goddess Swaraswati on that day. The word Vasant Panchami means the fifth day of spring. The festival is celebrated on the fifth day of Magha according to the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Which is t typically falls on the month of January or February. The Shiva temple of Muscat, Oman celebrates this festival every year. Lots of Hindu devotees come to the temple on that day to celebrate the festival.
Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Ganesha. The festival begins on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi which typically falls on the month of September. The Ganesh festival committee of Muscat celebrates the festival every year at the Motishwar Mandir of Muscat, Oman.
Thousands of devotees come to the temple to worship Lord Ganesha on that day. The religious program starts at 9:00 am. Priests start the program by Ganesh Pratisthapna after that they perform religious rituals like Homan, Arathi, maha puja etc. organizer decorates the entire temple with Rangoli and floral decorations. More than 100 counters are held to offer laddu, modak, and foods throughout the day. The cultural program is a big part of this festival. Bhajans, devotional songs, various religious dances were performed throughout the day.
Hanuman Jayanti is a Hindu religious festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Hanuman. The festival begins on the Chaitra Purnima which typically falls on the month of March or April. There is an idol of Lord Hanumanji inside the Shiva temple. The temple authorities celebrate this festival every year. Priests perform religious rituals like Homan, Arathi, chanting of Hanuman challisha, etc. lots of devotees visits the temple during that time.
Ram navami is another religious festival of Hindus. On this festival, they celebrate the birth of lord Ram. The festival is celebrated on the ninth day of Chaitra month according to the Hindu luni-solar celender which is known as "chaitra shukla navami". This festival typically occurs in the month of March or April every year. The Shiva temple authority celebrates this festival every year. A huge number of devotees from all over Oman come to take part in the festival. They witness religious rituals like maha Arathi, homan, etc.
Shravan is the fifth month of the Indian calendar. The believers of Hindu religion celebrate the whole month by devoting lord Shiva. On the Shiva temple of Muscat, Oman People celebrate the festival entire month.
The Maha Shiva Ratri is the main festival of the Motishwar Mandir of Muscat, Oman. Almost 20000 visitors come to visit the temple during that time. On the month of Magha according to the Hindu calendar just before the summer, the festival occurs. This typically falls in the month of February or March. The Shivaratri festival is celebrated during the night. Thousands of devotees visit the temple and celebrate the festival whole night.
Priests perform religious acts like Homan, Shiva Arathi etc. Women wash the Shiva Idol with holy water to have Lord Shiva's blessings. Various cultural events like bhajan and devotional dance were performed whole night. Last year the 125 years old Shiva temple came to news headline as Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi participated in the festival of Maha Shiva Ratri along with thousands of other visitors from all over the world.
If you are going to visit the Motishwar Mandir of Muscat, Oman you must visit the Al Alam Palace. Al Alam Palace is the nearest watchable place from the temple. The palace belonged to Qaboos bin Said the Sultan of Oman. It was Sultan's ceremonial house.
Grand Mosque of Sultan QaboosAnother watchable place near the Temple is the Grand Mosque of Sultan Qaboos. It is the largest Mosque of Oman and it is only 20 km away from the Temple.
Bait Al Zubair MuseumThis museum is a personal museum located at Muscat. The museum contains historical objects from Muscat's army and it's cultural past. The museum is only 650m away from the temple.
Although Muscat is a deserted area, there is a well inside the temple which never runs out of the water.
The temple is one of the oldest Shiva temples in entire Persian Gulf region.
The main idol of the temple is almost 400 years old.
The temple is one of the most popular Hindu temples all over Oman.
