Beyt Dwarka and Rukmini Mandir, Gujarath

Beyt Dwarka is an island believed to be the original abode  Lord Krishna.
The idol here was worshipped by Rukmani and the temple was established by Sri Vallabhacharya.
This is the place where Krishna met ( Bett) his friend Sudhama and hence came to be  known as Beyt Dwarka.

 One has to take a ferry  from Okha Port Jetty to reach Beyt Dwarka.
Okha port is at a distance of 32 Kms from the main Dwarka city .
The boat ride takes about 20-30 minutes . The enchanting view of the deep blue sea ,picturesque surroundings and company of sea gulls which fly above the boat makes the ride mesmerising.

The temple is situated at a distance 1.5 -2 Kilometers  from the jetty.Main deity is Krishna and there is also a shrine for Krishna and Rukmani.

No electronic gadgets are allowed and there is total ban on using cameras.

Matterns of concern-
No safety  measures are in place for the boat ride. No one to regulate the crowd.
The boat carried 150-200 people and not even a single life jacket in the boat.
Though I enjoyed the ride ,I shudder to think what would happen in case of a mishap.
Authorities must take steps to make the trip a safe one for the devotees.

Rukmani Mandir is situated at a distance of  2 Kms from the Jagat mandir - Dwarkadeesh temple.
The temple dates back to 12th century and is an architectural marvel The temple has richly carvings on the  spire and walls .
 I have included pictures of the boat ride and Sea birds and that of Rukmani Mandir.

                                                                          Rukmani Mandir

Pictures below of Boat ride to Beyt Dwarka.

Golok Dham Teerth ,Somanth- Veraval , Gujarat.

Somnath, Prabhas Patan has many temples and every grain of sand here is divine. One can spend a day or two going around the temples.Though Somnath is famous for Adhi Ling Somnatheshwar temple , this place is also very much related Lord Krishna as He started Neej Dham Yatra from here .

 Golokdham Teerth is sacred place where Krishna left behind His mortal remains and left for Vaikunta.  

This  Theerth also known as Dehotsarg Theerth, It is believed that after Krishna was hit by an arrow at Balka Teerth, He  walked here for about a distance of 4 Kms.  Here,  one can see a cluster of temples neatly  lined on the banks of Triveni Sangam at the confluence of rivers mystical Saraswathi, Hiran and Kabila. The place is calm and serene and is surrounded  by trees and greenery. Devotees can  worship here  in peace and quiet as this place does not attract much crowd like Somnath temple.

The temple has many small shrines Gita mandir, Lakshmi Narayam Mandir, Krishna Charan padukaji,( Krishna's foot prints.) Golak ghat, Kasi Viswanath Mandir, Mahaprabhuji Betakji, Bheemnath mandir and Baldev ki Gufa.

The Gita mandir was built by Birlas and here in this  temple Krishna is the main deity.The pillars of this temple is engraved  with all the slokas of Bhagawad Gita.

In Brief- This is the sacred place where Krishna avatara came to an end.

Please got through the pictures I captured.

Somnath Temple - Veraval, Gujarat.

On the Occasion  of Maha Shivarathri, here's a post on Lord Shiva.

Just back from a Pilgrimage and it was a time well spent soul searching, refreshing the mind and body, understanding the significance of various  pilgrimage places and how it relates to us. It  is decided by the Almighty that we must be present in such and such places at such and such times and here I was at Somnath . He commanded, I just obeyed. Usually temple Somnath remains crowded but the  Lord made sure it wouldn't be so and we could be in the temple as long as we could wish for. 

I would say these experiences in life help one to  grow and evolve into better human beings.

Somnath is a small town, its  name derived from the presiding deity of the temple. This is also  known as Adi Linga , the first among the 12 Jyothirlingas. 

The temple stands tall , grandeur incomparable  on the shore of the Arabian sea at  Prabhas Patan near Veraval , Gujarat. This temple has excellent marble work and ornamentation on walls, ceilings and spires.

The Lingam of Somanth is quite huge, radiant and is  decorated well with brightly coloured flowers  resplendent with shimmering  silk . Head bows , hands fold in prayer and mind focuses on Lord in sanctum without our knowledge. Such is power of the deity. The sanctum of Shiva is brightly lit, it adds to the ambience . Behind the Lingam is Goddess Parvati and on either  sides Lord Kartikeya and Ganesha. 

There are also niches with Gods and Goddesses just outside the sanctum.

Evening Aarti is an important and colourful ritual and should not be missed at any cost. It will also let one surf on a great spiritual journey as the atmosphere inside is charged with divine music and cling and clang of bells. External world totally forgotten and one feels the bliss. Great experience.

Outside the temple, the  parambulatory path extends up to the sea and is built like a terrace.  There's an arrow on a pillar known as Baan Stambh  which points to South pole indicating there is no land area between these two .  Interesting right? Note these when you visit.More here and here

There is  also a smaller temple just outside the Main temple known as Old Somanth . Here one can worship the Lingam directly by bathing the deity with milk, water, or just flowers all of which is available just outside the temple.

It is also believed that Krishna worshipped Lord Shiva here before embarking on His Last journey of Neej Dham Yatra.
The last picture is from Balka Teerth , the place where Krishna was hit by a arrow when he was resting under a tree.

 Important things to remember during the visit

No electronic gadgets and devices are allowed inside the temple, Leather belts are also a taboo here. 

 Free and safe locker facilities are available here.  Security screening is done at a couple of points as it is mandatory before one enters the temple.

Srikanteswara temple - Nanjangud, Mysore -Karnataka

Lord Shiva drank poison to save the universe which emanated during the churning of the ocean (click for more details) by the demons and Devas for Ambrosia. Goddess Parvati held on to Shiva's throat as it would harm Him. The poison dried in His throat and Shiva came to be known as Neelakanta; One with the  blue throat.

There is a temple dedicated to Him in Nanjangud 23 Kms from Mysore city on the banks of river Kabila.This temple is very ancient and one of the famous pilgrimage centres in Karnataka.  Lord Shiva, here is known as Njanjundeshwara , one who drank poison. He is also called as Srikanteswara.

 ( Sri meaning Posion and Kanta meaning throat in Sanskrit). The God here is believed to be a healer and many worship God here for getting relief from various ailments.Read here for more details.

The temple tower stands tall and high and has exquisite  ornamental work. The temple exterior walls reflect excellent workmanship. The walls lining the temple has sculptures of various Gods of Hindu mythology  and are cut out to perfection.

Like any Shiva temple , this temple also has other shrines for Parvathy,Ganesha, Subramanya, Saradamba, Dakshina Moorthy,  and a small shrine for Satyanarayana.

The Nandi of the temple is quite magnificent and is carved out of a single rock. There is also a Vilva tree within the temple premises.

This temple is visited by thousands of pilgrims and it would be good if the authorities can maintain and keep the temple premises clean.

Nanjangud temple Timings

Morning 6 am - 1 Pm

Evening 4 Pm -8.30 Pm

Temple is open from Morning 6 Am to Evening 8.3 Am on special days, Mondays and Sundays.

Here are a few images I could gather. 

Adhikesava Perumal temple- Sri Perumpudur, Kanchipuram District, Tamilnadu

This temple  is situated at Sriperumpudur 36 K.ms from the city of Chennai and is known as Adhikesava Perumal and Sri Bhashya Kara Swamy temple. This is believed to be nearly 1000 years old.

The temple is huge and Lord Vishnu is known here, as Adi Kesava Perumal and Tayar is known as Yathirajanadhavalli, In the sanctum He is seen with his consorts Boodevi and Sri devi . In the outer prakaram are the shrines of Tayar and Andal. Andal will be with the Lord in the month of Margazhi.

This is the birth place of Saint Ramanujar (Read interesting facts here about the saint), a great Vishnu Bhakta,  who was born in 11 th century and is believed  to have lived for 120 years.The saint, took upon the mission of spreading Vaishnavism. 

As one enters through the first Gopuram one can see a huge courtyard and which in turn leads to another  Gopuram. A few steps leads one to a mandapam aesthically ornamented with sculptures and intricate work on Granite pillars. Next to the shrine of Perumal one can see Ramanujar shrine.This idol is of great importance as this is one of the three of Acharya idols known as Tanuganda Tirumeni. This was made as per the instruction of Ramanujar and it is believed that he fused power into these idols by embracing it. Other two are in Sri Rangam, Ranganatha Swamy temple and  in Melkote , Karnataka.

Interesting facts.

The Adikesava Perumal is given hot water bath during winter months and is adorned with warm clothes. 

Worshipping Tanugandha Tirumeni is equal to worshipping Ramanujar directly.

Those who are having Rahu-Ketu dosha and those who face delay in marriages worship here .

For more details do check the temple link