Saurashtra- World of pilgrims

Saurashtra-World of pilgrims

Dwarka- where pilgrims congregate

The pilgrim land of Dwarka reminds me of the times when I had packed my bags and set out for a pilgrim tour along with my family sometime in 2004. The land steeped in myth and history on the Kathiawar Peninsula, Dwarka on the southern coast of Gujarat is one of the revered pilgrim centres in India. 

 

A 450-km-long drive from Ahmedabad on the National Highway No.8A brought us to the renowned temple resort of Dwarka where the mesmerizing chime of bells rent the ambience and soothes the tired minds with the promise of harmony and rejuvenation.

 

Dwarkadhish Temple on the banks of Gomati

 

The magnificent shrine of Dwarkadhish on the banks of Gomati creek draws a large chunk of pilgrims. Known as Jagatmandir, the five-storied shrine spreading over 4,000 sq. ft houses the black idol of Lord Krishna that is said to be over 2,500 years old and was the creation of Badrinath, the great grandson of Lord Krishna.

At Dwarka, we were at Toran Tourist Bungalow of Gujarat Tourism. We had an opportunity to watch the Mangla aarti in the wee hours of dawn at Dwarkadhish temple. There are 60 granite and sandstone pillars that are intricately carved in the shrine with a shikara rising to 170 feet. Other significant shrines in the complex are Satyabhama, Saraswati, Pradyumna and sage Durwasa. Here Prasad is locally known as Loni that conjures sweet butter.

Travelling another 16 km from Dwarka, we came across Nageshwar Mahadev that has the smallest jyotirlingam in India. From here, we were on to Beyt Dwarka, around 30 km away from Dwarka. A saying goes on that no visit to Dwarka is complete without a pilgrimage to the ancient holy site of Beyt Dwarka. 

 

We landed at Okha Port that offers sound views of saline marshes formed by Arabian Sea at Okha Rann where thousands of migratory birds flock. We hired a steam launch at Okha Port and departed for a 45 minute- cruise to Beyt Dwarka. 

 

The temple town of Beyt Dwarka belongs to hoary past and has the shrine of Beyt Dwarkadhish with hand-painted interiors, adorned doors, windows, balconies and pillars. Mythology puts forth that this was the place where Lord Krishna resided along with his family. We also visited temples of Jambuwanti, Satyabhama and Devaki. 

 

Rukmani Temple

 

 

While returning from Beyt Dwarka, we stopped at Rukmani temple, only 12 km from Dwarka. The splendid limestone shrine dates back to 1,600 years old.

Religious relevance of Veraval

From Dwarka, we travelled to Veraval, the bygone port and close to it is the holy Bhaluka Teerth where Lord Krishna breathed his last before being shot by a hunter. The shrine honours Lord Krishna apart from the legendary Peepal tree where the Lord had departed. Pilgrims can watch the Triveni Sangam- the confluence of three rivers including Hiranya, Kapila and Saraswati. 

 

Nageshwar Mahadev Shrine, Dwarka

 

It is widely believed that the last rites of Lord Krishna were performed on the Hiranya river banks on the spot known as “Dehotsarg” and the complex is famed as Prabhas Kshetra with Geeta Mandir and Naagshtan that marks the transformation of Lord Balaram into a snake before entering into the ground.

Somnath- the land of divine faith

Somnath Mahadev Shrine

 

Veraval is the gateway to Somnath in Junagadh district and the renowned Somnath Mahadev shrine lies on the tip of Saurashtra Peninsula that has tempted pilgrims, history buffs, archaeologists and travellers ever since inception. Spread over 5 sq. km on the shores of Arabian Sea, the legendary 12^th century shrine of Somnath has the premier jyotirlingam of India that was ravaged 11 times by Mohammad of Ghazni. 

 

Renovated by Sardar Vallabhai Patel around five decades ago, the shrine has a unique location since there is no land between the shrine and the South Pole. We were amazed by the ornate silver doors, umbrellas and chandeliers in the sanctum. There are highly decorated stone columns with mythical figures in the shrine that provide the best example of Chalukyan art.

Palitana

On our last leg of Saurashtra tour, we were at Palitana in Bhavnagar district where we halted at Hotel Sumeru owned by Gujarat Tourism. We were excited to begin our trek to the sacred mountains of Palitana and reached before dawn at the foothills. 

 

We began our arduous trek of 4 km to the Shetrunjaya Hills at a height of 1,800 feet comprising 3,745 steps. Once we began our climb, it was an amazing experience. We experienced the break of the dawn with the cool air soothing our body and river Shetrunjaya gleamed like a silver coil far away. It took two-and-half hours to complete the trek when we finally reached the gallery of shrines.

We spotted as many as 863 exquisitely carved shrines that form the largest Jain temple complex in North India. The sacred shrines of Palitana belong to 13^th century and were crafted by the craftsmen who were involved in the creation of fabulous shrines of Dilwara and Ranakpur.

 

Shri Adishwara Temple

 

The most significant shrine is Shri Adishwara temple honouring Rishabhdev, the first Jain Tirthankar and was set up at a cost of Rs 2.97 crore. The Sausthambh temple has 100 pillars and Shantinath temple is dedicated to Bahubali and Bharat, the brother Lord Rama. 

 

There are ashtadhatu images of Pandavas, not to mention the Hindu shrines of Hanuman, Saraswati and Lord Shiva. Once our trek was over, we began our return trek. We were tired and were beaten by hunger pangs when we indulged in having masala dahi sold by Rabadi women. Once the trek was over, I was filled with a sense of contentment.

Ambaji

Temple of Amba Mata at Ambaji

 

For pilgrim travellers on a spiritual tour of Saurashtra, Ambaji is a 200 km drive from Ahmedabad in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat that provides views of scenic landscapes of Arasur Hills in the Aravalli range. One of the most popular pilgrim destinations in Saurashtra, the revered Shakti Peeth of Ambaji is crafted in marble and is fondly known as “Mota” (elder) Ambaji among devotees. The shrine adores Goddess Ambaji without any idol. One would come across a triangular yantra in the sanctum sanctorum. Devotees throng here during Navratri and full moon fairs are held in Chaitra, Kartik and Bhadrapad.