Shree Sunder Narayan Temple is a small temple situated besides the Ahilyabai Holkar Bridge in
Nashik,but it is quite ancient and its architecture is very impressive. And just like the
Kalaram temple we had seen earlier, this temple is made out of black stones too. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu a.k.a. Narayan,
the temple was built by Gangadhar Yashwant Chandrachud in 1756 at a total cost of Rs. 10 lacs. In the
sanctum sanctorum of the temple, are idols of Sunder Narayan with Goddess Laxmi and Vrunda while His
vehicle Garud sits in front. It is said that Goddess Vrunda had cursed Lord Vishnu following which his
complexion had turned black. To free Himself from this curse, He took a dip in the
Godavari River and
became Sunder (beautiful) again. The arched niches and fine carvings on the stones of the temple are
impressions of the Mughal era. The temple is artistically built in such a way that on the 20th and
21st of March every year, the very first ray of the rising Sun touches the holy feet of the idols.
The temple also has idols of standing Ganesha, Kaal Bhairav and sitting Maruti.
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