Jai Shree Krishna to all,

I recently came across with the details of Kamal Chowk at Nathdwara.. may be many of them knows the details.. .. but I got it now.. so thought to share with you all...:) One of the vaishnav discusses..

Heres the significance of the Kamal Chowk – the place from where you do Darshan.
The entire swaroop of Kamal Chowk consists of 8 Shyaam (black) Petals and 16 White Rekhas (lines) surrounding those Petals.
Everyday after ‘sen’ Shreejibawa bhitar thi padhare che Kamal Chowk ma Nitya Raas karva mate. And hence the name “Kamal Chowk”. So, Vaishnav’s shouldn’t walk over it.

Swaroop no Prakaar:
the kamal consists of 8 Shyaam petals, and signifying those petals are 16 Safed (white) lines over them, separating those petals. – “Sol Gopika naam Madhya Aastha Krishnaha”
during Nitya Raas – Thakorji na 8 swaroop implying those petals and other 16 white lines implies 16 Swaminiji’s (Vraj Bhakto). This is the prakat swaroop of Raas and this kamal is hence Raas Kamal.

Out of these 8 swaroop of Krishna [black petals made of aaras], 7 are Nidhi swaroop’s and 8th is Navneetpriyaji. These 7 Nidhi swaroop’s (given to 7 Balak’s) are as follows:
Girdharji – Mathureshji nu swaroop.
Govindraiji – Vitthalraiji nu swaroop
Balkrishnaji – Dwarkadhish nu swaroop (Kakroli)
Gokulnathji – Gokulnathji nu swaroop (Girirajdharan)
Raghunathji – Gokulchandramaji nu swaroop
Yadunathji – Balkrishnaji nu swaroop
Ghanshyamji – Madanmohanji nu swaroop
And the 8th swaroop- Navneetpriyaji (all these implying these 8 petals of the Kamal)

These 8 Bhavatmak swaroop are the Aastha Krishnaha and the16 black lines implies 16 Gopis, forming the Raas sawroop. “De De Gopi Beech beech Madhav”
Now, there are 19 Shlok of ‘Gopi geet’ in Raas- means 19 prakar na Swaminio (Vraj Bhakto)
So each prakar na Gopi implies each prakar no Gopi Geet [as told by Mahaprabhuji in Subodhniji]. Hence 19 shlokas.
Here in the Kamal Chowk, each 19 prakar na Gopi – each one having one ‘Nikunj’ (so 19 nikunj in the kamal chowk)
this is the significance of the 8-petals , 16 lines and 19 nikunj’s of the kamal chowk.

Then During Manorath’s, Thakorji na Swaroop (Shreejibawa na Venuji; Gud nu swaroop Madanmohanji; and Navneetpriyaji) are placed in the centre of this kamal and decorations are done around them.
So, it wud b advisable to do all these darshans too (chitra on walls, door’s etc)along with the darshan of Shreenathji at Nathdwara.

The 8th Dwaar -Nijmandir :
the Nijmandir is the 8th Dwaar (door) where Shreejibawa biraje che. Becos ‘Yog’ je keva ma aave, tena 8 aang che – ‘Aashtang Yog’. (we have bhakti yog) and bhakti Yog has 8 dwaar. Yoga –the last avastha comprising the 8 aang’s : Yam, Niyam, Aasan, Pranayam, Pratyahaar, Dhyan, Dhrana, and last Samadhi. and so Nijmandir’s Dwaar is the 8th dwaar (count the no. of doors as u enter the mandir).

The 8 dwaar’s of Giriraj (Aastha dwaar) in Vraj resembles the prakat swaroop of vrajbhakt.
each ‘Mukhi’ (aastha sakhi roop) of each dwaar has one nikunj each - tya padhre che so 8 nikunj.

I am just copying his words..

Thanks

Jai Shree Krishna

Jai Shri Krishna,

Kavitaji, Thank You  for sharing this with us here.

Best Wishes
jagdish

Jai shri krishna to all vaishnavs,

As Jagdishbhai said its good information Kaveeruben. Keep it up. Behind everything in thakorji's nij mandir there is bhavna and one should know what it is then only you can have so much anand, because one knows why that paticular thing, be it vastras or shringars or anything else related to thakorji, is there in seva.

Shri Madanmohanlalji ki jai,

Jsk, Hitesh.