What better way to celebrate than by visiting the state which is known to be synonymous with the tradition? asks Vivekanand Shandil
My friends and I had a long cherished desire to visit Gujarat, which boasts of holy places like Dwaraka and Somnath. Hence, this summer we decided to do something quite unusual. We opted for a ‘zindagi milegi na dobara’ experience with a twist and visited Gujarat, the land that prides itself in holding that inseparable identity of the Garba dance and the dandiya raas.
We decided to hit the trail and visit holy temple towns of Dwaraka and Somnath, along with Porbandar, Rajkot, Sasan Gir, and Ahmedabad thrown in for a good measure.
Rajkot was our base for the arduous journey ahead by an air-conditioned Scorpio.
DAY 1
We landed in Rajkot on April 2nd in the evening and stayed at Hotel Samrat. We went for buffet breakfast at Hotel Sarovar Inn next door, and the spread was sumptuous.
We visited the Lang library and the Watson Museum. The library takes the cake. We entered expecting it to be empty and derelict as libraries usually are and to our pleasant surprise found all seats to be occupied. There were at least 40 patrons — all male and mostly above 40 — though I did spot two young boys with their heads bent over a huge tome, all reading newspapers. The sound of the slow fans whirring overhead, the wood paneling, the smell of old musty, books and the light the filtered in from the high windows made it appear almost a set out of the 1920′s.
We were in the old part of the city and it definitely radiates a certain charm. For dinner we went to The Grand Bhagwati, whose delicacies suited our budget, and then went over to the newly-opened Jadoo’s, which was all hype no substance; and saw the complete new face of Rajkot with high-rise apartments and long rows of swanky shops and NRI colonies. There was also a ‘drive-in’ theatre. According to our driver, Jignesh, girls go out for the 11 pm movie show and then drive back at 1 am back home on their scooters without any qualms about safety.
DAY 2
This next day we were to embark upon the most difficult and longest leg of the journey for Dwaraka, the next destination in our itinerary.
Dwaraka is situated in the Saurashtra peninsula on the west coast of Gujarat and is said to be the kingdom of Lord Krishna. It is an important pilgrimage centre and is associated with the life of Lord Krishna. It is said that after slaying Kansa, the enraged father-in-law of Kansa, Jarasandha (king of Magadha) along with his friend Kalyavan attacked Mathura 17 times. For the safety of his people, Lord Krishna left his abode at Mathura and traveled with the entire Yadava community to the coast of Saurashtra, where he founded a town and named it Swarnadwarika. Since, Lord Krishna renounced the war at Mathura for the good of his people, he is also known by the name, Ranchodrai.
Dwaraka is renowned for the Dwarakadheesh temple. The Dwarakadheesh temple dates back to 2500 years. It is believed that Vajranabh, Lord Krishna’s successor and great grandson built the present temple. It is believed that the temple was erected in one night by a supernatural agency. The legend says that when Lord Krishna was dying, he asked his devotees to leave Swarnadwarika so that the sea could engulf it. Until this day, Lord Krishna’s city lies buried in the sea. There is a flag that is hoisted in the temple tower four times a day.
We had our Darshan and rushed off to see The Rukmini Devi Temple. The temple is situated 1.5 km, north of the town. Rukmini Devi is Lord Krishna’s wife, and is said to be an incarnation of Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and beauty. She is the most important of Lord Krishna’s 16,108 wives.
The story behind this temple is that one day, Sage Durvasa, was invited for dinner by Lord Krishna and his wife, Rukmini. Now when a guest is invited to dinner, etiquette dictates that the host should not eat anything until the guest has been satisfied. On the way to dinner, Rukmini happened to become thirsty and she turned to Lord Krishna for help. While Sage Durvasa was not looking, Lord Krishna put his foot into the ground and the Ganges waters flowed from the earth. However, as Rukmini started to drink the water, Durvasa turned and saw her drinking the water without his permission. Sage Durvasa was a person who was known to be easily angered and he became very angry and cursed her to live apart from Lord Krishna. That’s why Lord Krishna’s temple is situated in the town and hers is located outside the town.
Our next stop was Bet Dwaraka, a small island situated about 5 km away from the main land into the Arabian Sea. Bet Dwaraka has to be reached by boat. The experience of traveling by ferry, the local public transport and the short 15-minute journey into the distance to Bet Dwaraka from the Okha Port Jetty was a complete spirit-lifting experience. The ferry service, though operated by local people, is deftly managed under the watchful supervision of the Port Authority.
We made it just in time before closing time for the Aarti and had our Darshan at the famous Bet Dwaraka Ranchchodrai Mandir. An idol of Lord Dwarkanath similar to the main temple is kept in the temple at Bet Dwaraka. The temple looked like a palace where Lord Shri Krishna had ruled. It is also supposed to be the place where Vishnu slew the demon Shankhasura. After finishing our Darshan, we rushed back to catch the return ferry to the mainland.
Back into the air-conditioned precincts of our comfortable car, our next stop was the Gopi Nageshwar Circuit. The Gopi Tallava is situated 20 km north of Dwaraka on the way to Bet Dwaraka. It is the Kund (pond) where Lord Krishna met the Gopis when they came to meet him at Dwaraka.
DAY 3
Our next stop was famous Nageshwara Mahadeva Temple. The Nageshwara Mahadeva Temple, located about 17 km from Dwaraka, contains one of the 12 Shiva Jyotirlingas in an underground sanctum. This Jyotirling manifestation of Lord Shiva is worshipped as Nageswara.
This powerful Jyotirlinga symbolizes protection from all poisons. It is said that those who pray to the Nageshwar Linga become free of poison. We had our Darshan, performed our pooja and soon were on our way to the next leg of our destination about 120 km away, Porbandar.
Perhaps, Porbandar is best known for being the birthplace of the great Mahatma Gandhi.
However, it also happens to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna’s dear friend, Sudama. Porbandar is an important port in the Arabian Sea. The name Porbandar, comes from the combination of two words: ‘Porai’, the name of the local goddess and ‘Bandar’ which means port. Thus, ‘Porbandar’ translates to ‘Porai’s Bandar’.
Our first stop was ‘Kirti Mandir — birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. The haveli of the Gandhi family has three storeys around a courtyard with a kitchen and 17 rooms along with a wooden shrine. The entire experience was so ecstatic since we were standing in the same house where the great Mahatma once stayed, walked and studied. And right next to the Haveli was the museum built in 1950 by Nanaji Bhai Kalidas and Purshottam Mistry as a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. This wonderful monument has paintings of Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba. There is also a stirring photographic and pictorial display of the life related to Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom struggle, in this museum.
We then rushed to The Sudama Mandir, built in the memory of Sudama, an extremely poor friend of Lord Krishna. The story of the friendship between Lord Krishna and Sudama is quite well-known to all and is recognized as one of the best ever examples of friendship. We had our darshan and hurried towards the next leg of our trip, Somnath which was about 122 km from Porbandar. It was already night fall by the time we reached Somnath. After reaching Somnath, we checked into a hotel and retired for the night.
DAY 4
Early next day, we visited the famous Somanth Temple. Somnath means ‘The Protector of Som or Soma-The Moon’. The Moon God is said to have been relieved from the curse of his father-in-law, Daksha Prajapati by the blessings of Lord Shiva. The Somnath Temple is situated on the shore of the Arabian Sea in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra. It is one of the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlingas (lingas of light) symbols of Lord Shiva.
Although the shrine was destroyed 17 times by Muslim invaders such as Mahmud Ghazni, during 11th to 18th century AD, it has been rebuilt every single time. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel is the pioneer of the present temple. The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land between the Somnath seashore and Antarctica (South Pole). Such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on an Arrow-Pillar called The Abadhit Samudra Marg Tirsthambh. This is a wonderful indicator of the ancient Indian wisdom of geography and strategic location of the Jyotirling.
We were simply fascinated and awestruck by the beauty of The Somnath Temple and the blue sea. After having our Darshan, we decided to walk down to the adjacent beach and stretch out our legs, for a while.
Our next stop was The Bhalka Teerth, located 5kms on the Prabhas Veraval Highway. Legend says that Lord Krishna was hit by the arrow of a poacher named Jara at this very spot. Lord Krishna was resting and meditating under a Pipal Tree when the poacher mistook Lord Krishna’s foot to be a deer and hit him from a distance. Realizing his blunder, the poacher begged Lord Krishna to forgive him. Lord Krishna pardoned him and blessed him. Lord Krishna then walked a small distance and arrived at the banks of the Hiran River from where he took his last journey to Neejdham. This scene has been beautifully immortalized by a divine temple and an ancient pipal tree.
DAY 5
From Somnath we went to Sasan Gir for the afternoon safari. Even though we reached a good hour early, we still were faced with a long line at the counter. With limited safaris per day, it is a curious situation waiting for the huge forest official who emerged, to dispense the tickets.
There are numerous resorts around Sasan Gir, some swanky and some not providing adequate accommodation if you decide to stay there. Finally, we got an accommodation which suited our budget. Our room was excellent and very conveniently situated. The only drawback we faced was a large group of boisterous students. We took the assigned guide and a perilously open Gypsy and ventured into the forest. It was dry and full of dust, considering the lack of rain this year. The forest department has thoughtfully constructed water troughs for the animals at strategic locations all over the park which are filled twice daily. We saw Asiatic lion on one of them (a good sighting) along with plenty of other wildlife, including sambar and spotted deer and birds of prey.
DAY 6
From Sasan Gir, we moved back to Ahmedabad. We visited Law Gardens, which has a spectacular daily evening market that is famous for utterly beautiful ‘Kutch embroidery’. Fierce bargaining quite scared me, since we were absolutely horrible at it as though of buying some stuffs for family then decided in favour of a stroll in the law gardens instead. Again, it was full of evening walkers — from aunties to toddlers to groups of old uncles chatting happily on benches. This feeling of being in a small, slow-paced town remains throughout Gujarat.
The city has wide roads but the traffic sense is something to ponder upon. Nobody thinks twice about taking a short-cut on the wrong side of the road and funnier still, nobody objects. Just ignore it! and enjoy this colourful and vibrant city that always makes you rejuvenated and happy. The next day we took a trip to Sabarmati Ashram. This was the last destination of our wonderful trip and time to head back to our home. The entire trip will remain etched in our memories for a long time.
