Pancha Dwaraka

By

Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran

About the author
Mr T Sampath Kumaran is a freelance writer. He regularly
contributes articles on Management, Business, Ancient Temples
and Temple Architecture, and different cultures of people, to many
leading Dailies and Magazines.
His articles for the young are very popular in “The Young World
section” of THE HINDU. His books on Hindu Saints, and
Temples of Pilgrimage centers have been well received in the
religious circle.
He was associated in the production of two Documentary films on
Nava Tirupathi Temples, and Tirukkurungudi Temple in
Tamilnadu.

Acknowledgement
Google for the pictures and several authors for the information .
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sriman Narayana out of
abundant compassion appeared as LORD Krishna to save the good
and destroy the evil.
As per divine plan, Lord Mahavishnu appeared as the eighth child
of Devaki and Vasudeva in Mathura, the holiest of all cities, during
midnight on krishna paksha Asthami thithi in the tamil month of
Aavani (Sravanam) on a rainy night, in the closed jail which was
fully guarded .
The Lord appeared as a child with chaturbhujam holding the divine
weapons Sankhu, Chakram, Gada, Padmam to Devaki and
Vasudeva to reaffirm that he had fulfilled their early wish.
Vasudeva out of vatsalyam prayed the Lord to assume the form of
a child and immediately the Lord who is the controller of the
Universe obeyed him as a dutiful son .
The Lord instructed Vasudeva to leave him at Gokula where a
devotee couple, Yasodha and Nandagopalan nurtured the desire to
have Lord’s association.
Due to Yogamaya’s power, the inner potency of the Lord,
Vasudeva’s shackles fell down, he placed the divine child in a
basket and unmindful of the obstacles and the weather simply
obeyed the divine orders.
The prison gates opened, the guards were fast asleep, Adisesha, the
eternal servant of the Lord who takes the position of couch while
the Lord rests, as Simhasanam when the Lord relaxes , as padhuka
when the Lord walks , continued with his devotion of serving the
Lord.
The divine serpent protected the Lord by spreading its hoods over
the Lord to protect him from the pouring rain. River Yamuna
which was in full spat paved way and utilized the opportunity to
purify herself by touching the Lotus feet of the Lord, and
Vasudeva safely reached Gokulam where Yasodha had just
delivered Yogamaya and was in deep sleep and exchanged the
child without anyone’s knowledge.
The divine child was brought up in Gokulam where right from his
appearance, the Lord displayed his extraordinary qualities in
killing the demons who were sent by Kamsa without using any
weapon. The Lord spent the first 10 years of his childhood in
Gokulam, Nandagaon, Vrindavan and left for Mathura along with
his elder brother Balaramji at the age of 10, killed Kamsa and
other demonic friends and restored peace in Mathura.
The Lord released his parents from prison, granted their wish of
seeing their dead children, made his grandfather, Ugrasena the
king of Mathura, went to Sandipani rishi to study 64 arts in 64
days, gave life to the dead son of the rishi as “Gurudakshina” and
returned to Mathura. Jarasandha, the father-in-law of Kamsa
wanted to avenge Kamsa’s death and attacked Mathura many times
even after repeated defeats. Lord Krishna to protect the residents
of Mathura from these attacks, summoned Viswakarma-the divine
architect to construct a palace in the sea and transported all of
them overnight.
This golden city is vividly described in Srimad Bhagavatam.
When Lord Krishna’s childhood friend, Kuselan (Sudama) came
to meet the Lord, he was bewildered to see the beautiful golden
palace and was enquiring as to where the entrance is -“Dwaar
Kahan” which later got corrupted as Dwarakaa. There are nine
Dwarakas known as “Nava Dwarakas” out of which five (Pancha
Dwaraka) are very famous holy dhams visited by all vaishnavas .
The “Nava Dwarakas” are listed below
1) Mukti Dwarka (Gomti Dwarka) - main temple located in
Dwarka in Gujarat
2) Rukmini Dwarka (4 kms from Dwarka)
3) Bhet Dwarka ( in an island 8 kms from Dwarka)
4) Moola Dwaraka (Rajkot-Dwarka route)
5) Sudama Dwarka (Porbandhar)
6) Nathdwara (near Udaipur in Rajasthan)
7) Kankroli Dwarka (near Nathdwara)
8) Prabhasa Theertha (Veravel near Somnath)
9) Dakore Dwarka (near Ahmedabad)
Dwaraka is one of the four important dhams, holy places. The
other three dhams are Puri, Badrinath and Rameswaram.
Swami Vallabhacharya with the help of the king of Mewar
constructed a beautiful temple for the Lord . Vallabhacharya used
to please the Lord with his kirtans which was later followed by his
disciples.
Dwaraka is counted as one of the seven MOKSHA STHALAS .
The other six are Mathura, Ayodhya, Kasi, Gaya, Kanchi, Ujjain.
As long as Lord Krishna was there, the sea could not exceed its
limits. But soon after the departure of Lord Sri Krishna the city got
submerged into the sea and the whole Yadava vamsam perished.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is mentioned that even as Arjuna
(who had come to escort the women, who were alive to
Hastinapura) was seeing, the sea entered the city and swayed the
whole city. Within seconds, the beautiful palaces of Lord Sri
Krishna collapsed and got drowned in the sea.
Before this incident could take place, Lord Sri Krishna summoned
Vayu and Guru to carry away from Dwaraka the deity which was
worshipped by Lord Himself . This deity is our famous
GURUVAYOORAPPAN, in Kerala as per scriptures..
Latest excavations also have revealed the existence of the city of
Dwaraka. In fact, the Central Govt. has plans to construct an
underwater Museum (the first of its kind and we believe this work
has already been started.)
Sri Adi Shankaracharya established mutts at 4 places, at Dwaraka,
Puri, Sringeri and Joshimut.

Pancha Dwaraka
‘Pancha Dwaraka‘ is a spiritual journey to the five Lord Krishna
temples – Dwarkadhish Temple (Dwarka), Bet Dwarka (Dwaraka),
Shrinathji Temple (Nathdwara), Ranchhodraiji Temple (Dakor),
Dwarkadhish Temple (Kankroli).
Apart from these places, there are 4 more temples which combined
together form the Nava Dwarka – Bet Dwaraka, Rukmini
Dwaraka, Sudama Dwaraka, and Moola Dwaraka. The pilgrimage
to these temples is popular as Pancha Dwaraka Yatra.
Pancha Dwaraka Darshan or a pilgrimage to the five abodes of
Lord Krishna are believed to free the soul from all mortal sins and
grant it eternal bliss. Pancha Dwaraka Darshan is quite famous
amongst all Vaishnavites. The Pancha Dwarkas are sprawled all
over Gujarat and Rajasthan.

DWARAKA
Dwarka or the golden city is famous for being the abode of Lord
Krishna. Interestingly, Dwarka is both a part of the Char Dham and
the Sapta Puri holy spots. The city is filled with rich replicas of
history that date back to 1500 BC and have strong links to Hindu
Texts like Bhagwad Gita and the Puranas. Sri Krishna who is one
of the incarnations of Vishnu is believed to have resided in Dwarka
and this is why the town is filled with beautiful temples. Some of
these temples are Nageshwar Mahadev, Gomti Ghat Temple,
Rukmini Math, Bhalka Tirth etc.
Dwarkadheesh Temple
Dwarka in Saurashtra was once the golden kingdom of Lord
Krishna It is located at the tip of the Saurashtra peninsula and
overlooks the Arabian Sea. The name Dwarka stands for the
gateway to spiritual union with Brahma, the Creator. The town is
home to the Dwarkadheesh temple where, on Janmashtami, a
grand ceremony is held to commemorate the birth of the Lord.
The Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir and
occasionally spelled Dwarakadheesh, is the temple dedicated to the
god Krishna, who is worshiped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or
'King of Dwarka'. The main shrine of the five storied building,
supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir.
Archaeological findings suggest it to be 2,000 - 2,200 years old,
and the temple was enlarged in the 15th - 16th century. The
original structure was destroyed by Mahmud Begada in 1472, and
subsequently rebuilt in the 15th-16th century. The Dwarkadhish
Temple is a Pushtimarg temple, hence it follows the guidelines and
rituals created by Vallabhacharya and Vitheleshnath.
According to tradition, the original temple was believed to have
been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, over the hari-griha
(Krishna's residential place). The temple became part of the Char
Dham pilgrimage considered sacred by Hindus. Adi
Shankaracharya, the 8th century Hindu theologian and
philosopher, visited the shrine. Even today a memorial within the
temple is dedicated to his visit.
Dwarakadheesh is the 98th Divya Desam of Vishnu on the
subcontinent, glorified in the Divya Prabandha sacred texts. The
temple is at an elevation of 12.19 metres (40.0 ft) above mean sea-
level. It faces west. The temple layout consists of a garbhagriha
(Nijamandira or Harigraha) and an antarala (an antechamber)..
Legend
As per Hindu legend, Dwarka was built on a piece of land by
Krishna that was reclaimed from the sea. Sage Durvasa once
visited Krishna and his wife Rukmini. The sage wished them to
take him to their palace. They readily agreed and started walking
with the sage to their palace. After some distance, Rukmini got
tired and she requested some water from Krishna. Krishna dug a
mythical hole that brought in river Ganga to the place. Sage
Durvasa was furious and cursed Rukmini to remain in the place.
The temple where Rukmini's shrine is found, is believed to be the
place where she stood.
Situated on the banks of river Gomti, the town is described in
legend as the capital of Krishna. Evidence such as a stone block
with script, the way the stones were dressed showing that dowels
had been used, and an examination of anchors found on the site
suggest that the harbour site dates only to historical times, with
some of the underwater structure being late Medieval. Coastal
erosion was probably the cause of the destruction of what was an
ancient port.
The current temple in Chaulukya style covers an area of 27 metre
by 21 metre with east-west length of 29 metre and north-south
width of 23 metres. The tallest peak of the temple is 51.8 m high.
The flag atop the temple shows the sun and moon, which is
believed to indicate that Krishna would be there till Sun and Moon
exist on Earth. The flag is changed up to five times a day, but the
symbol remains the same. The temple has a five-story structure
built on seventy-two pillars. The temple spire is 78.3 m high. The
temple is constructed of limestone which is still in pristine
condition. The temple shows intricate sculptural detailing done by
successions of dynasties that ruled the region. The structure was
not expanded much by these works.
There are two entrances to the temple. The main entrance (north
entrance) is called "Moksha Dwara" (Door to Salvation). The south
entrance is called "Swarga Dwara" (Gate to Heaven). Outside this
doorway are 56 steps that lead to the Gomati River..
According to the legend, Meera Bai, the princess cum saint, a
staunch devotee of Krishna merged with the deity at this temple. It
is one of the Sapta Puri, the seven holy cities of India.
The main deity deified in the sanctum is of Dwarkadheesh, which
is known as Trivikrama form of Vishnu and is depicted with four
arms. On the chamber to the left of the main altar is the deity of
Balarama, elder brother of Krishna. The chamber to the right
houses the images of Pradyumna and Aniruddha, son and grandson
of Krishna. In several shrines surrounding the central shrine there
are images of Radha (Krishna's companion), Jambavati,
Satyabhama, Lakshmi, Devaki (Krishna’s mother), Madhav Raoji
(another name for Krishna), Rukmini, Jugal Swaroop (name for
Krishna), Lakshmi Narayana, and Sita.
Inside, the sanctuary is a hive of voices, colors, incense and
movement. With faith, for many it can also transform into a space
of inner silence and unity with the divine.

BET DWARKA
Bet in the local language means island and it is located 5
kilometres off the coast of Gujarat off the Okha peninsula. It is
said the Bet was the original place of residence of Lord Krishna.
There is a Shri Krishna Temple on the island and there is also
another temple, the Dandiwala Hanuman temple. Unlike the
Dwarka temple, the temple here is only about 500 years old and it
is supposed to have been set up by Shri Vallabhacharya. It houses
an idol supposedly created by Rukmini, the consort of Lord
Krishna. According to legends, Lord Krishna destroyed
Shankhasura, a demon, at this place.
Bet Dwarka (also spelled Beyt Dwarka) or Shankhodhar is an
inhabited island at the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch situated 3 km (2
mi) off the coast of Okha, Gujarat, India. The island measured
northwest to southeast in 13 km (8 mi) long with an average east-
west width of 4 km (2 mi). It is a strip of sand and stone situated
30 km (19 mi) north of the town of Dwarka.
Bet Dwarka is considered a part of the ancient city of Dwaraka in
Indian epic literature, the abode of Krishna, found in the
Mahabharata and Skanda Purana. It derives its name Shankhodhar
from the fact that the island is a large source of conch shells
(Shankh). Archaeological remains found under the sea suggest the
existence of a settlement during the late Harappan period of Indus
Valley Civilization.
Places of worship
As per the locals devotees, this place was part of Krishna’s palace
and when the original Dwarka was submerged into the sea, this
holy place remained intact. Thus they claim this to be the original
Dwarka.
GOPI TALAB , a holy tank and an adjacent temple was the
sacred well from where Gopi Chandan is collected (used by
ISKCON, Gaudiya and madhava Sampradhaya Vaishnavas), and a
small temple dedicated to Radha- Krishna temple
There are two incidents which may be recollected in connection
with Gopis. This refers to one of the pastimes of the Lord when
He wanted to prove that the gopika bhakti was superior to that of
His consorts. The consorts of Lord Krishna developed a
superiority complex that they were very dear to the Lord and the
best devotees of the Lord . In order to check their ego, Lord
enacted a drama. He pretended as if he was suffering from a
severe headache. The best of physicians were called and best
treatment was given to the but the headache would not subside.
At that time, Sage Narada arrived in Dwarka to have Lord’s
darshan. The perplexed mahishis (wives) of the Lord informed
the rishi about Lord’s illness. Narada who understood Lord’s play
suggested that if some dust from devotee’s feet is rubbed on the
forehead of the Lord, the headache would subside. The shocked
wives backed out because they felt that it was not proper to place
their dust on Lord’s forehead. The news spread about everywhere.
When the gopis of Vrindavan heard this, they immediately rushed
to see the Lord and filled up carts full of their paadha dhooli (dust
from their feet) to be applied on Lord’s forehead. They did not
even think that they would be committing a serious offence by this
petty act. They were only concerned about their Krishna’s well
being and so were prepared to even go to hell for the sin they were
committing. The moment the paadah dhooli of the gopis was
applied on HIS head, the Lord was relieved from the pain.. Thus
the Lord showed that the gopis unalloyed prema bhakti was the
best among all. After spending few days with Krishna , the gopis
had to leave for Vrindavan. Unable to bear the pangs of
separation from Krishna , on the way, they jumped into a well at
this place to end their lives. They were turned into chandan by
Krishna’s grace. Krishna pleased with their devotion declared that
the place has become very sacred and Himself would smear the
chandan from that place.
Hence, this place is considered to be very sacred and whoever
visits this place would be bestowed with unalloyed bhakti towards
the Lord . Even after thousands of years, we are able to get
chandan from this inexhaustible well Gopi chandan collected from
this place is considered to be very sacred.
Lord Dwarkadeesh gives darshan holding Sankhu, Chakram,
Gadam and Padmam with an enchanting bewitching smile.
The temple priest informed that Lord wears a wrestling belt , has a
black snake around HIS waist, Bhakti and Mukti are at HIS feet,
wears Kaustabham and Vanamaala. The Lord holds a stick and a
flute .
The Lord is dressed in various forms-like a child, like a ruler as
per the legendary customs etc.During summer, in the nights, the
LORD is dressed with jasmine flowers
The Chappan bhog (56 items of varieties of food) are offered as
Raj Bhog to the Lord daily . Every day 6 aarthis are performed to
the Lord . On Sri Krishna Janmashtami, the Lord is given special
aarthi at the stroke of 12 in midnight. Thousands of devotees
throng to the temple to have HIS darshan.
Inside the garbhagriha, we find the utsava murthis of Rukmini and
Krishna, Radha and Krishna. The colours of clothes adorned by
the Lord are also pre-determined as per the days. On Sunday, the
Lord wears Red colour, Monday- Pink, Tuesday- Yellow,
Wednesday- Green, Thursday- orange, Friday- white and
Saturday-Blue. All the temple kainkarya kaaris(service providers)
including the priests wear the same colour dress. Exactly opposite
to the shrine of Dwarkadheesh is Devaki’s shrine. Near the
entrance on the right side, we find a small shrine for Lord
Balaraman. Lord Balaraman is in the form of Adiseshan.
Archeological Department of India have found out that few
thousands of precious metals lie submerged in the sea. Even today
the remains of the palaces can be found in the adjoining Gomti
river known as “Gomti Chakra”. This is considered as Lakshmi
swaroopam and is treated at par with our Salagrama silas.We can
also find vendors selling different types of stones (nava rathna ms)
here.

DAKOR
Dakor is a small town in Northern Gujarat about 60 kilometres
from Ahmedabad in Kheda district and here you will find the
famous Ranchhodji temple. Dakor and Lord Ranchhodji are
famous pilgrimage spots and people undertake a padyatra or a
pilgrimage on foot to reach here from various parts of the country.
Lord Krishna acquired the name Ranchhod when he escaped from
the battlefield at Mathura in order to avoid Jarasandha. The temple
has an idol depicting Lord Krishna with a conch, discus, lotus and
mace in his four hands..
The small shrine of the original temple is now encased in a large
temple complex, which has grown up around it. The current temple
complex is set in a large square setting. Four gates pierce the outer
walls at the cardinal points.
The form of Lord Ranchhodrai is that of the Lord Vishnu with four
arms. As is usual with Lord Vishnu, he bears the conch, lotus,
discus and the mace in his hands. The lower right arm is held up in
the abhaya mudra - giving protection to all those who come to
Him. There may be a lotus imprinted on the hand, but it is
impossible to confirm that without getting really close to the Lord.
As the Lord here is worshipped more as Krishna than
Dwarkadhish, i.e. younger and freer than the mature Lord of
Dwaraka, His right hand is often shown to hold a flute – a favorite
instrument of the Lord in His younger days. The upper right hand
holds the mace, the upper left hand holds the discus and the lower
left hand holds the conch. Ordinarily, it is difficult to see these
"ayudhas" of the Lord in His hands. During festivals, the hands
encased in gloves of gold studded with gems.
The present temple was constructed with brick walls and stone
pillars. It is raised on a high plinth of 168 feet by 151 feet with
twelve stone steps on each side and surrounded by a spacious
courtyard. It has eight domes and twenty–four turrets, the highest
of them being 90 feet making it the tallest temple in the district.
The main gate of the temple overlooks the banks of the lake
Gomati. Silver gates are protected by the Vedic Gods - Lord
Ganesha, Sun, Moon, etc. beautifully carved in high relief. The
gate leads into the main courtyard. As tradition would have it,
drummers sit atop the main gate in a balcony of their own. The
"Nagarkhana" resonates with music during the main darshans and
at Aarti times. On entering the courtyard, one sees two tall
structures, used to house the thousands of lamps that are lit during
the festive season, on either side. Multi-storied and multi-tiered,
this type of structure is very typical of medieval Gujarati temple
architecture. Back at the front gate, marble stairs lead to the main
audience chamber of the temple - the Jagmohan - literally the place
where the world is charmed. Three large entrances allow devotes
to enter the main audience chamber. The large open square
structure of the audience chamber is surmounted by an imposing,
glittering dome. Till recently, the dome was painted with Shri
Krishna's rasa-lila in the classical Bundi style. Recently, this has
been replaced by an intricate inlay of mirror work, depicting
flowers and trellis in a classical Rajput garden. Painted murals
from Lord Krishna's life adorn the walls of the audience chamber.
A small section at the front of the chamber is railed off and
reserved for women. As with all classical temples, the inner
sanctum of Ranchodrai is set in a straight line from the main gate
of the temple. The Lord sits under a canopied pavilion in the inner
sanctum. The whole structure is raised on a marble platform and
the pillars of the pavilion are covered in gold. The intricately
carved doors and windows to the inner sanctum are covered in
silver. There are three doors leading into the inner sanctum. Door
to the right of the Lord comes in from the antechamber, leading to
a special bathroom where the priests must bathe before entering the
inner sanctum. Corridors from here, also lead to the treasure house
of the Lord – housing His innumerable jewels and clothes. The
door in front of the Lord faces the main audience chamber. At
Dakor, the Lord spends as much time as possible with His
devotees. The main doors to the inner sanctum are open most of
the day. The doors only close when the Lord sleeps – during the
afternoon and at night. The door to the left of the Lord leads to the
bedchamber of the Lord - a mirrored chamber of thousand delights.
Various beds, mattresses and blankets are neatly arranged in here
for the Lord's comfort. Silver and gold bedsteads are covered in
soft cottons and silks. Perfumes and garlands are kept in readiness
for the Lord. A small corridor leads from here to the open hall
behind the bedchamber, where pilgrims perform various religious
rituals to please the Lord. At Dakor, the temple of Goddess
Lakshmi, wife of the Lord, is situated outside the main temple.
Lakshmiji's temple is situated in a residential part of town at a little
distance from the main temple. It is believed that the Lord visits
His wife on every Friday – on Fridays a courtly procession winds
its way from the main temple down the lanes and bylanes of Dakor
to unite the couple
In the times of Mahabharata, the surrounding area of Dakor
constituted the 'Hidimba' van (jungle). It was a very dense jungle.
It was pleasant and rich with streams and lakes. It had become an
attraction for the sages to establish their hermitage for penance.
Likewise, Dank Rishi had his hermitage in this area. During
penance Lord Shiva was pleased with him and asked him to
demand something. Thereupon, Dank Rishi requested Lord Shiva
to remain permanently in his hermitage. Lord Shiva agreed to his
request. He disappeared and left behind him His replica in the form
of Ban - Linga, which is known as Danknath Mahadev. Thus in
ancient times, Dakor was known as 'Dankor' after the name of
Dankanth Mahadev. It was also known as khakhariya because of
many khakhra trees in the vicinity.
As per another episode, there lived a Brahmin near Ahmedabad
who was a staunch devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. Every year , he
used to visit Dwarka and it used to take 6 months for him to reach
Dwaraka. He would plant a small Tulasi plant and water it daily
and used to carry the same along with other offerings in his bullock
cart. Lord was very much impressed with the sincere devotion of
the Brahmin. As the Brahmin was getting old, it was becoming
very difficult for him to go Dwarka. Once when the Brahmin
reached Dwaraka and offered naivedyam to the Lord, the Lord
ordered the Brahmin to take Him to his house saying that as there
was no sincere bhakta, He did not wish to stay there. Due to God’s
will, the temple doors opened at midnight and the Lord got
Himself placed in the bullock cart and drove the cart. Within a
span of 3 to 4 hours, the Lord along with the Brahmin reached the
present DAKORE DWARAKA. The people at Dwaraka were
shocked to see the archa-vigraha missing. They suspected the poor
Brahmin whom they had heard speaking to the archa-vigraha
previously. Accordingly, all of them went in search of the old man
and it took months for them to reach the place. They turned violent
when they saw their archa-vigraha with the old Brahmin. They did
not pay heed to the words of the Brahmin and started abusing the
Brahmin. At that time, an aseeriri was heard by everyone which
clearly said that whoever offers gold equal to the weight of the
Lord, could take the vigraham. The residents of Dwaraka
accumulated all their wealth and placed it in the thulabharam but
the weight was not equal. At that time, the Brahmin and his wife
offered prayers to the Lordl and the lady placed her “nose ring”
and the balance was equal. As the Lord was not interested to stay
where there was no sincere bhakti, and the Lord had moved to this
place out of His own will.. This place came to be known as Dakor
Dwaraka as the archa-vigraha was brought by the old man whom
they considered to be a Daaku (thief). In Gujarat, the Lord is
lovingly called as RANCHOR RAYA . Even today we can see the
TULABHARAM inside the temple premises.
Sarad Purnima, which comes after the end of Navratri, is the day
believed on which lord Krishna came to Dakor as ranchodrai with
his great devotee known as Bodana. Lord comes to Dakor to fulfill
the promise that he will come to Dakor with Bodana.

NATHDWARA
Nathdwara is picturesquely located in the Hills of Aravali on the
bank of the river Beas in Udaipur. The most famous religious
attraction of Nathdwara is the idol of Shrinathji which is believed
to be the 7th incarnation of Krishna. The idol was worshipped in
Mathura and was carried in 1672 from the hills of Govardhan near
Mathura along the sacred Yamuna and then retained in Agra for a
period of six months. The name Nathdwara literally translates to
Gateway to Shrinathji. Nathdwara is very famous amongst
Vaishnavites who prefer Pushti Marg as prescribed by Shuddha
Advaita on the banks of the Banas River in Rajsamand District, 48
kilometres north-east of Udaipur. This town is famous for its
temple of Krishna which houses the deity of Shrinathji, a 14th-
century, 7-year-old "infant" incarnation of Krishna. The deity was
originally worshiped at Mathura and was shifted in 1672 from
Govardhan hill, near Mathura along holy river Yamuna after being
retained at Agra for almost six months. Literally, Nathdwara
means ‘Gateway to Shrinathji (God)’. Nathdwara is a significant
Vaishnavite shrine pertaining to the Pushti Marg or the Vallabh
Sampradaya or the Shuddha Advaita founded by Vallabha
Acharya, revered mainly by people of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
among others. Vitthal Nathji, son of Vallabhacharya
institutionalised the worship of Shrinathji at Nathdwara.
Shrinathji Temple
The shrine at Nathdwara was built in the 17th century at the spot as
exactly ordained by Shrinathji himself. The idol of the Lord
Krishna was being transferred from Vrindavan to protect it from
the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. When the idol reached the spot at
village Sihad or Sinhad, the wheels of the bullock cart in which the
idol was being transported sank axle-deep in mud and could not be
moved any farther. The accompanying priests realised that the
particular place was the Lord's chosen spot and accordingly, a
temple was built there under the rule and protection of the then
Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar. Shrinathji Temple is also known as
'Haveli of Shrinathji’ (mansion).
Structurally, a kalasha on the shikhara marks the top of the temple,
on which seven flags are flown along with the Sudarshana Chakra.
The seven flags represent the 7 'houses' of Pushti Marg or Vallabh
Sampradaya. The temple is also popularly called Shrinathji ki
Haveli (House of Shrinathji). With the mood of worship in Pushti
Marg, Shrinathji is not seen as an impersonal God so the worship
is not done like in a temple. Shrinathji is seen as Thakorji or Lord
of the House or Haveli and Sewa (service) is offered rather than
worship. Like a regular household it has a chariot for movement
(In fact the original chariot in which Shrinathji was brought to
Singhar), a store room for milk (Doodh Ghar), a store room for
betel (Paanghar), a store room for sugar and sweetmeats
(Mishrighar and Pedaghar), a store room for flowers (Phoolghar), a
functional kitchen (Rasoighar), a jewellery chamber (Ghanta
Ghar), a treasury (Kharcha bhandar), a stable for horses of chariot
(Ashvashila), a drawing room (Baithak), a gold and silver grinding
wheel (Chakki).
Image of Shrinathji
Shrinathji symbolizes a form of Krishna, when he lifted the
Govardhan hill, with one arm raised.The image in the form of a
single black marble, where the lord is revealed with his left hand
raised and the right hand made into a fist resting at the waist, with
a large diamond placed beneath the lips. The deity is carved in
Bas-relief out of a monolithic black marble stone, with images of
two cows, one lion, one snake, two peacocks and one parrot
engraved on it and three sages placed near it.[9]
The iconography at the temple has given birth to Nathdwara
Paintings.
Situated in the heart of the town, SHRINATHJI temple is the main
attraction with thousands of devotees thronging to the temple
daily. This is the second richest temple in India, first being
Tirumala temple. Opposite to the temple is the information centre
who guide the pilgrims for prashad, timings etc. Near the entrance
of the temple, we can find many vendors selling varieties of
vegetables and fruits. .
Nathdwara
There is a unique practice followed in this temple. Usually we find
vendors selling coconuts,tulasi and flowers in front of the temple.
But here vendors sell varieties of fruits,vegetables,milk etc which
would be used for Lord's bhog (naivedyam-food offering).
Devotees can offer milk, varieties of fruits,vegetables which would
be used for offering.
Milk is to be given at a different place and vegetables , fruits in
another place. It is customary for the local devotees to pray to the
Lord for fulfilling their wish and when it gets fulfilled, people offer
to change the flag on Gopuram ( Temple top )
.NATH+DWARA+ENTRANCE+2
The temple has 5 kainkarya paars (serve the Lord) who are
authorized to change the flag which is a hereditary right for them.
While the flag is being changed, the assembled devotees
continuously sing in praise of the Lord .The temple has 5 persons
who are authorized to change the flag.
This is hereditary right for them. While the flag is being changed,
the assembled devotees continuously sing in praise of the Lord .
In the east of the temple, the photographs of Sri Vallabhacharya
along with his descendants are displayed. Bhog is offered on
behalf of Shri Vallabhacharya.

KANKROLI

Kankroli Dwarkadhish Temple

Dwarkadheesh Temple in Kankroli,

Kankroli is a small town, located at a distance of 65 kms from the
city of Udaipur.
A flight of steps led us to the main shrine. The deity is called
Dwarakadeesh and is full of compassion and is very
attractive.with chaturbhuj holding the divya weapons
There is a separate sannidhi where child Krishna is placed on a
cradle and the pujaris were performing jhoola seva. In a small
vessel filled with water, varieties of scented flowers were kept.
Varieties of flowers and fruits were placed in front of the Lord.

MOOL DWARKA

This place was very calm and serene and the best place for
meditation. The main deity is Dwarakadeesh and there are small
sannidhis for Sri Radha- Krishna, Sri Sita-Rama , Lakshmi-
Narayan and few more small temples of Saraswathi,Gayatri,
Ganapathi, Subramanya Swamy, Dakshinamurthy, Shiva-Parvathi.
Nearby there is a well saying that Krishna had His holy bath here.
A steep flight of steps leads us to the well.
On the way, there is a temple dedicated to Bhavani (Harsiddhi
mata) and narrates the incidents connected with King
Krishnadevaraya. As the king’s name is famous for “Vikram-
Bhetal stories''(how he used to carry ghost on his back, ghost
narrating a story, asking him to reply and used to leave him once
he gave the correct answer) Near the entrance, there are sannidhis
for Bhaktha Hanuman and Ganapathi. Few steps led us to the
main shrine. Beside the main sannidhi, on the left, there is a jhoola
with the deity’ s photo. It is said that King Krishnadevaraya
meditated at this place on Ambal for 12 years and when Goddess
appeared before him and conferred a boon, he asked her to
accompany him to Ujjain . Goddess consented to his request and
left the place. A replica of the goddess was kept here, and every
evening when aarthi is given to the goddess at Ujjain, this jhoola
would automatically move to and fro and after this movement
stops, aarthi is given to this goddess. Such is the power of this
deity.

RUKMINI DWARAKA

This happens to be the place where Krishna wedded Rukmini .

Rukmini.
Krishna went to sage Durvasar’s hermitage and invited him for
lunch. A chariot was brought forth for the sage to be seated.
However the sage said that he could not sit in a chariot driven by
horses and if it was driven by them ,he was prepared to visit them.
The Lord of the Universe unhesitatingly agreed for the same. The
Lord along with Rukmini Thayar drove the chariot. Due to the
scorching heat and tiresomeness, Rukmini felt thirsty and
expressed the desire to quench Her thirst. Krishna pressed HIS
toe on the ground and water sprouted out.
As she was desperately thirsty, Rukmini forgot the decorum to take
the rishi’s permission for quenching HER thirst and drank the
water. This infuriated the rishi who cursed Her to live separately
from HER Lord Krishna as the pride that She was more dearer to
Krishna made her behave in this way. He also cursed that the
entire area would be bereft of drinking water. Rukmini realized
HER mistake and fell prostrate at the sage’s feet and asked for
forgiveness. The rishi said that She has to live separately for 12
years and then join the Lord. (Mother Sita had to live in Rama’s
separation for 12 months and Rukmini Devi had to live alone for
12 years).
Thus Rukmini’s pride was subdued . However, Krishna assured
her that He would visit her daily. As She stayed here for 12 years,
this place came to be known as “Rukmini Dwaraka”. Even today ,
there is no drinkable water around this area and the residents have
to get water from far off places . Hence, in this place “jhala
dhaanam” (water dhanam) is done and gives 1000 times benefit.

SUDAMA DWARAKA
The story of Sudama , also known as Kuchelan is well known even
to children .Elders narrate this bedtime story to children and
inculcate the habit of offering to the Lord right from childhood.
Kuchelan (Sudama) and Sri Krishna were childhood friends and
studied under the same guru, Sandipani.
Followers of Lord Krishna are aware of the importance of Sudama
who was Krishna’s dearest friend and companion…Sudama
Dwarka is also known as Sudama Puri and Kuchelapatnam.
Once when Krishna and Sudama went into the forest to collect
wood, it started raining and they had to take shelter under a tree.
At that time , both of them were hungry. Sudama , without
offering to Krishna, munched puffed rice without sharing it with
Krishna. When Krishna asked him he denied. When Krishna
punched his stomach, he spit the avul. This was a childish prank
played at that time. After completion of their studies, both of them
parted their ways. Since Sudama did not offer to , in due course,
he became poor and having married, was overburdened with 27
children. There was no food to eat.
Sudama being a Brahmin he didn't even know any other
profession and did not make any effort to earn his livelihood.
Being a matured devotee, he was only seeking salvation and was
not interested in material pursuits. He was constantly thinking of
the and was nurturing the desire to see Krishna . His wife,
Susheela suggested that he should meet his friend, Krishna who
was now the king of Dwarka for financial help as she could no
longer see their children starving. Sudama was delighted at the
proposal because he could meet his friend after many years but
was not interested in asking for material benefits. As stated in
scriptures that something has to be offered while meeting a
king/elderly/sick person, he wanted to take something with him to
be offered to the .
Susheela borrowed some puffed rice from the neighbours, tied it in
a worn out cloth and gave it to Sudama. It took two months for
Sudama to reach Dwarka from Porbandhar and four months to
locate Sri Krishna’s palace. Sudama informed the dwarapalakas
that he was Krishna’s friend and wanted to meet him. The
dwarapalakas did not believe him and asked him to move out of
the place. At that time, Sri Krishna came running and
affectionately hugged Sudama and took him to His palace. Sri
Krishna along with His eight principal consorts served Sudama
with the best of everything.
Painting at Sudama Dwarka
After sumptuously feeding Sudama with varieties of food, Krishna
asked what he brought for HIM.. Sudama was feeling very shy to
offer the puffed rice and was trying to hide the bundle but Sri
Krishna snatched it from him and put a fistful of it in His mouth
with great relish. When the Lord was trying to take it for the
second time, Rukmini Devi refrained Him saying that one fistful
was more than sufficient. Sudama did not understand this and
returned home. All the way, he was constantly thinking about his
friend and contemplating on HIM . When he reached his village,
he could not locate his thatched hut and in that place, he found a
palatial building. While he was worrying about the whereabouts of
his family, a lady bedecked with jewellery and dressed like a queen
appeared before him and fell prostrate at his feet. Sudama could
not recognize his wife. Susheela narrated how overnight the hut
turned into a palace and about the wealth bestowed on them due to
Sri Krishna’s grace. He could not recognize his own children who
were looking like royal princes. Sudama understood that Krishna
showered HIS mercy by eating a handful of puffed rice and
bestowed all the riches on him. This incident only enhanced
Sudama’s bhakti and with detachment and pure devotion , he
attained the Lotus feet of the Lord..
Gomti Dwarka - Nava Dwaraka
Gomti River is mentioned several times in Krishna Leela. It is the
river Gomti that served as a picturesque backdrop when Krishna
performed Raas Leela with his Gopis or when he sat romancing
Radha. Apart from this the Goddess Gomti (the presiding deity of
the river) is revered by the locals as Gomti Mata and the shrine
dedicated to her on the river bank is considered to be very
auspicious.