Our 2nd day in Dwarka was one of the most fulfilling and blissful day of our lives. After having a soulful darshan in the morning, now comes shopping time. Bought a few goodies and prasad from this holy place. A few days back one of our family friend gifted an idol of Goddess Mahalakshmi to R during Navaratri. Lakshmi is incomplete without her Narayana. Having R with us, how can we miss buying Dwarkadhish Idol Yes, I bought a beautiful Idol of the lord to be placed in our house pooja mandir next to mother divine Lakshmi. Our house pooja room has a collection of all the gods and goddesses from the major temples of India. Shivlings - from Kashi, Srisailam. Goddess Meenakshi from Madhurai, lord Vishnu - Hanumanji from Rishikesh. Now Dwarkadhish made our pooja mandir complete.
The pandit who took us to Dwarkadhish darshan told us he will accompany us to other two places which cannot be missed by one who visits Dwarka. We planned to meet them post-lunch for our second expedition. Upon reaching the resort we had a hearty meal in one of the famous restaurants in Dwarka, relishing the Gujarati cuisine like - Undhiyu, Dhokla, Rotla shaak, and Thepla.
Around 4 pm Pandit Mohitji reached our resort, and we all started together in our car towards - "Dwarkeshwari - Rukmini Maharani" temple. It is believed that yatra or travel to Dwarka is complete only after one takes the darshan of Rukmini Maharani. This temple is 2km far from Dwarkadhish temple. The temple is believed to be 2,500 years old. But in its present form, it is inferred to belong to the 12th century. A legend is narrated to justify the separate dwelling temples, far away from each other, for Rukmini and her husband Krishna. It is said that at the request of sage Durvasa ( Who was renowned for his short temper and bestowing curses) Upon sage Durvasa saying - Krishna and Rukmini pulled a chariot taking sage Durvasa to their house for dinner after their marriage. On the way, when Rukmini asked for water to quench her thirst, Krishna drew Ganges water by prodding the ground with his toe for her to drink. Rukmini quenched her thirst with the Ganges water. But sage Durvasa felt insulted as Rukmini did not offer him water to drink first. He, therefore, cursed her that she would live separately from her husband. Durvasa also cursed the land of Dwarka to be completely deserted without water.
Hence even to this day, Rukmini Devi temple is known for its Jal daan ( water offering ) custom. Where devotees are asked to donate water to the temple. We too offered Jal daan, that entire day the water will be offered in our name to devotees who visit this temple. The sanctum of the temple has a beautiful marble idol of Devi Rukmini, with four hands holding Shanka, Chakra, Gada, and Padma. Some believe that Radha and Rukmini are the same, the incarnations of goddess Lakshmi because there are similarities in age and devotion they have towards the lord. When Krishna is with Rukmini, Radha does not appear and when he is with Radha, Rukmini is absent. Rukmini is Lakshmi reincarnate, a symbol of love and devotion to Krishna, a symbol of purity and humility as well. Visiting this temple and praying to her is a must if you visit Dwarka.
After Devi Rukmini darshan, we started towards "Bet Dwarka". It is believed to be an extremely sacred pilgrimage destination which is believed to have been the original home of lord Krishna, during his years spent in Dwarka as a king. The land is located off the coast of Dwarka on the Gulf of Kutch. We reached a point called Okha Jetty 30km away from the main Dwarka city. From Okha jetty we ferried by boat to Bet Dwarka island. This journey on the boat took us 30 min, which charges rs.20/- per person. It was an airy boat ride carrying more than 200 people, swinging along the high tides of water, witnessing a beautiful sunset around 5 pm we reached " Bet Dwarka". The place derived its name from the "bet" or "gift" that lord Krishna received at this place from his friend Sudama. The island is also called "Shankhodhar". The reason is that it is dotted with a huge variety of conch shells.
Bet Dwarka is believed to have been the actual residence of lord Krishna during his ruling years at Dwarka. It is said that the lord resided with his family at Bet Dwarka. The main temple of worship here is - the "Sri Keshavrai ji" temple. The temple is believed to be built by Vallabhacharya and dates back nearly 500 years back. The temple is said to stand as the exact residence of lord Krishna at Bet Dwarka and the original idol of the lord in this temple is said to have been established by lord Krishna's wife Devi Rukmini. The idol has a striking resemblance to that of the Dwarkadhish temple. Along with pandit Mohitji, we had a blissful darshan of the lord. We were lucky to attend the evening arti. The idol of the lord in Bet Dwarka is 5000 years old. It is said Meerabai spent her last years in Dwarka and there she wrote the immortal poems of love on lord Krishna. Some legends state Meerabai miraculously disappeared by merging into this idol of Krishna, she disappeared by living a piece of cloth of her saree behind lord Krishna's idol. That idol is the same idol that is placed in Bet Dwarka- Lord "Sri Keshavraiji".
Offering rice is auspicious in Bet Dwarka temple. As per the legend, Sudama gave Krishna some quantity of beaten rice because that was the only thing he could offer. In remembrance of that incident, we got a handful of rice, which has to be taken back home and mix it in our Bhandar ghar ( store room) where we store our groceries and rice, etc. We attended the evening arti with dhol, nagada, and bells. Bet Dwarka also has a conglomeration of Jain temples, where one could pay tribute to the 24 famed Jain Tirthankaras. Upon taking darshan we started back towards Dwarka. Since the ferry boat service end at 5.30 pm. We all rushed towards the port and sat in the boat starting towards Dwarka. The boat started its ride, we sat with heart full of memories and stories of Krishna. We thank the lord for giving us this opportunity to visit him in this lifetime. On a misty winter evening under the dark open sky, and deep blue water we had an unfeigned day, as the boat took its dimensions high and up through those rough tides we reached the port and started back to Dwarka in our car.
One cannot miss having the darshan of "Shri Nageshwar Jyotirling" which is situated in Dwarka. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. It is located on the route between Gomati Dwarka and Bet Dwarka island coast. Also sometimes known as Nagnath temple, the main deity here is lord Shiva, known as Nageshwar Mahadev. According to the Shiva Purana, those who pray at the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga become free from all poisons, snake bites, and worldly attractions. The Nageshwar Shiva Ling is made up of stone, known as Dwarka Shila, having small chakras on it. It is in the shape of 3 mukhi Rudraksha. We had a heavenly darshan of lord Shiva. Our second day in Dwarka concluded with dev darshan.
Upon reaching our resort, time to thank Pandit Mohitji who was part of this journey. At the end of the day, it was a happy landing. Without pandit ji, our darshan with lord would have not been possible in such a smooth way. After having a hearty meal R and N went to sleep. I was somehow not able to sleep, being my energies so high after living this amazing day. Some places and happenings in life are unforgettable and remain ever-vivid and heartwarming. I had captured the best memories of my life through less pictures, and more through the heart. It was half past 11 in the night, I told myself no sunrise is worth waking me up to see it. Time to say good night .....
Concluding the first holy triangle - Dwarka
"Jai Dwarkadhish ".
To be continued.....
Awesome...enjoyed reading !!
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