Rukmini Devi Temple | Dwarka | Gujarat Series

After visiting  Bet Dwarka (click here to read) and spending those enchanting moments with the seagulls chasing our boat till we reached Okha port was indeed a memory which shall remain embedded in my mind forever.

Boats leaving the Bet Dwarka

We were given 2 hours time for sightseeing by our auto driver and we were quite late and honestly I was dreading the moment when I have to meet him now. One look and I knew I was in trouble because I could see he was red with rage and he angrily blurted out " Arre kitna time laga aap logo ko, Parking me mere sath aur mere baad wale sab nikal gaye". I somehow pacified him and offered him few more bucks and we were on course. 

It was a long and bumpy drive with me sitting on the edge of the front seat again,but the major problem for me now was no only to sit on the edge but also to keep myself awake. I don't know, but I was feeling very tired and sleepy and sitting on the front seat I was sure that I cannot afford to fall asleep "Pata chala Weekend Wanderer, Auto se bahar wandering karne nikal liye" 😁.

Bumpy ride on auto

This drive of approx. 30 kms almost took more than an hour to reach  Rukmani Devi Temple. Luckily for us there was not much of a crowd at the temple. I thought this time around we will quickly see the temple and come back. Per yeh ho na saka ! because the Pundit at the temple had some different plans! He told us to wait for 10 minutes. I  asked punditji darshan kyo rok diye , He smiled and sarcastically replied " arre mandir me aaye ho kuch der dhyan lagao, 5-10 minute tak bhajan karo, 10 minute aise hi guzar jayenge'. I was wondering why he did this? but soon after some time I got the answer to that. Actually the head Pundit wanted to ensure that there was a sizeable number of people so that he can start his narration about the temple and more importantly he wanted to collect donation for water tanker Yes Water tanker! (They have this system that the devotee can donate money, depending upon the amount one can donate few litres or full tanker , the donation starts from 200 Rs to thousands) I was actually annoyed that he made us wait and waste our time so that he can get audience, just for this money thing.

Rukmani Temple (source Wikimedia)

Before talking about Rukmani temple, Let me give you the backstory as regards to who was Devi Rukmani and why this temple is called Rukmani Devi Temple. As the name suggest this temple is of Rukmani Devi one of the important queen out of  16108 wives! of lord Krishna.

We all know that Goddess Laxmi is eternal companion of Lord Vishnu. So when Lord Vishnu took Krishna Avatar, Goddess Laxmi took the form of Princess Rukmani devi. Princess Rukmani Devi was the only sister of her 5 brothers, She has heard so much about the valour of the Krishna from the visitors who came to their court that she was enamored by the divine beauty of Lord Krishna hence she decided that she will marry only Lord Krishna and no one else. All family members were happy and agreeable to her choice of Krishna except her elder brother who wanted to marry Rukhmani to the powerful king Shishupala.

Cravings on exterior of the temple

When Rukmani came to know about this she was very sad and agitated, she realised that her elder brother wont let her marry Krishna hence she decided to send a message to Lord Krishna professing her love for him and asking him to take her away from here and this forced marriage. She then handed this to her trusted messenger to be delivered to lord Krishna.When Lord Krishna started to read the letter he realised it was a love letter from a anguished soul who was absolutely in love with Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna then eloped with Princess Rukmani and they both came to the village of Madhavpur Ghed and got married at this place. In the memory of this event a temple for Lord Madhavrai was built and every year celebration takes place of this event in a cultural fair. After few days Lord Krishna married Princess Rukmani with great pomp at Dwarka. 

Taking about love letter I remember the Head priest saying that there are only two places where one can see this love letter one is at this temple and other in some scripture.

Well this was the backstory of Princess Rukmani. Now the question arises why the temple of Rukmani is here, I mean 2 kms away from the Lord Krishna's Dwarkadhish Temple.

So another story time here again. As per the legend After the marriage of lord Krishna and Rukmani they wanted to invite Sage Durvasa  for the feast. , He agreed to come for the feast but on one condition that Lord Krishna should sent for a chariot to pick him up and the said chariot must be not pulled by horses but by Lord Krishna and Rukmani, as sage Durvasa was known for his short temper so both Krishna and Rukmani agreed to this condition. As they were pulling the Chariot due to excessive heat Rukmani felt thirst and requested Krishna for the water. Krishna with his feet toe prodded the earth to drew Ganges for providing water.  Rukhmani quickly quenched her thirst with the water however this made sage Durvasa very angry because he felt insulted that Rukhmani didnt ask him first for the drink so in his anger he cursed her she and lord Krishna will live seperately and indeed they lived seperately for 12 years. While Lord Krishna lived in Dwarka and devi Rukmani did tapashcharya in the forset outside Dwarka and Thus we see this temple of Devi Rukmani outside the Dwarka city. 

when you hear all these tales I feel one gets transported to another era. Actually these are the reasons that travelling is something I am so fond of. As far as the temple goes one can see intricate carvings on the outer side of the temple. 

We paid our respect to Devi Rukmani and moved towards Dwarka to visit Dwarkadhish Temple.

Bet Dwarka | Gujarat Series

After our short and sweet sojourn at Gopi Talav (Click here to read about Gopi Talav) we boarded our autoriksha to go to Bet Dwarka, a journey of 19 kms to Okha port. Bet Dwarka is basically an island, In order to reach there we have to reach till Okha Port and from there take a boat to reach the other side.

The road ride was quite bumpy and dusty, many a times I could feel myself popping out of the auto, Thankfully I survived all the bumps. The road from Gopi Talav to Okha takes you through the salt town of Mithapur, which houses many Tata Factories. I was told that Tata Salt is also manufactured here. In fact we can see many salt pans as we go along the road. I'm told that the town Mithapur got its name from the Gujarati word Mithu which means Salt.

Okha Port View

It was around 10:30 am when we reached Okha Port. Our Auto driver told us to be back within 2 hours. My imagination of a port is that there are boats and ship docked, few boat officials but what I saw here was a melee and chaos, with fruit sellers, toy sellers etc you name it and that hawker is their vending their products. We quickly waded through this crowd and tried to reach the boat.

We waded our way towards the boat

Luckily We see a boat all set to go (Though it was very crowded), Without giving any further thought, we just jumped into it. We knew that, even if the next boat is anchored it will leave only once it is completely filled, which meant loss of time. Aur time hi toh nahi tha hamare pass ! Rahi baat jump marne ki, Yeh Mumbai ki local train me chadne ki practice thi jo yahan kaam aa gayi . 

Yoho !!  All set to go

We didn't get any place to sit, so we were standing in an overcrowded boat but what kept us engaged was the lovely sea-gulls following our boat.

Apna camera went wild, click click all the way clicking the lovely sea gulls , whom the people were feeding. So much was the fun that all the pain of travelling in the sun got drained away.

Seagulls all around us

So what is so special of Bet Dwarka, that we have boats loaded with people keep visiting it day in, day out.

Lots of people keep visiting Bet Dwarka 

 The story goes that Lord Krishna who administered the Dwarka stayed at Bet Dwarka and it was at Bet Dwarka that he met Sudama his childhood friend who brought rice as a present for lord Krishna.

Boats loaded with people eager to visit Bet Dwarka

But my dear friends there is more to Bet Dwarka than only this story. Bet Dwarka is actually a rich source of history dating to Harappan Civilisation. Check details given below:

1980: Remains of Earthen Pots and other artifacts of Late Harappan period were found near Sidi Bawa Pir Dargah.

1982:A 580 metres long wall dated 1500BC was foundwhich is believed to be damaged and submerged  due to the sea storm.
A copper Fish Hook, An Inscribed jar, Mould of Copper smith and a late Harappan seal was found.

The shipwrecks and stone anchors found during the excavations suggested that there were historic relations with the Romans.
(Source Wikipidea)

The excavation in Bet Dwarka Island has confirmed the oldest settlement dating back to the Late Harappan period.They have exploited marine resources available around the island. They had extraordinary technology for fishing, which has continued for thousands of years. The discovery of a copper fish-hook suggests that large-scale fishing activity continued around Bet Dwarka Island even after the Harappan period. Chronology has been verified with findings from Saurashtra as well as with absolute dating method.
(Reference source :A. S. GAUR* SUNDARESH National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula)



After knowing so much about Bet Dwarka We were naturally dying to see more but as soon as we reached the Bet Dwarka or Bet Island ,what We saw was not a very encouraging sight. Bet Dwarka was just like another crowded township, with series of houses of fisherman, anchored boats, smell of fish etc.

Bet Dwarka Side Jetty

 We were informed that 90 percent of the population on this island is Muslim. (It hardly makes a difference to me). We started walking along the road to the temple. The walk is hardly of 5-10 minutes in the congested bazaar, with shops and houses on the both side. 

Upon reaching the temple just like all temples here in Dwarka we were told to deposit our mobile phones, Cameras and leather belts at the locker.Hence we couldn't take any photos of the temple. However we took pics of some old structures around the temple.

Old Structures around the temple

Old Structures around the temple

After depositing our mobiles and camera we entered the temple. We were hurried by the ushers to do the Darshan, as the temple was to be closed for the afternoon. we were then quickly whisked away by the pandit to adjoining room where he made all of us sit down on the floor and started to narrate as to how Krishna Met Sudama his childhood friend on this island and in the same breath he informed us that the tirth of Dwarka is not complete if we don't donate rice here. Just like the menu card of Udipi restaurant he announced the various rates. 

We soon came out from the temple and rushed to see Makardwaj temple. Most people who come here often do the Darshan of Bet Dwarka mandir and go back but I had read that there is also a temple of Hanuman's son Makardwaj.

Dad, did you say Son of Hanuman !

Son of Hanuman !  My daughter looked at me and said "Lekin Dad Hanuman toh Bhramchari the na" and honestly I too was at loss of words so we googled then and there to find out as to how this happened.It so happened that after burning away the Lanka Hanuman took a dip in the sea water and a drop of his perspiration fell into the mouth of a mighty Makara, Thus Makardhwaja was born !! and then I looked at the bewildered face of my daughter " Come on Dad do you want me to believe this " I sighed and walked away to find auto to go to this temple.

Auto mil gaya 

There are these sharing autos that take you to the Makardhwaj Temple at Rs 30 per seat however they ply only if there are 10 pax. As we were short of time and though we asked few people to join us but no one came along.(Major reason is the waiting buses or auto don't give you sufficient time for this visit). Anyways we booked the whole auto to ourselves and this 4-5 kms rides again was very bumpy and dusty, as there is no proper road. It was lunch time when we reached the Makardhwaj temple sadly no pictures here too. 

Another clumsy auto ride to Makardhwaj Temple

There was no one  in the temple except the caretakers hence we were able to get darshan very quickly. Interestingly they were having bhandara there so we had our lunch sitting on the floor and after finishing the lunch each of us washed our dishes and left the temple very contented. Isse kismat kehte hai, kisne socha hoga ki hum bet Dwarka me ek mandir me lunch karenge

As soon as we got into the auto to reach the Jetty we got a call from our auto driver who was fuming because we went to this temple and were late. 

We quickly made our way back to the jetty and were again lucky to find the boat all set to leave and in no time we were back in our auto to go to our last destination today i.e Rukamani Temple.

Nageshwar Jyotiling | Gujarat Series

Yesterday we visited some local temples of Dwarka( you can click here to read the earlier blog), Today we decided to explore the temples which are on the outskirts of Dwarka city.

Ceiling Of the Swami Narayan Temple visited during the local sightseeing yesterday.

As usual we all got up early and were ready by 7:30 am. In order to do the sight seeing of Nageshwar Temple, Bet Dwarka and Rukmani Temple ,we had the option to take either the Local bus or our own private vehicle viz hired car or autoriksha. Knowing our passion for photo sessions I was very sure that the public bus option could be a disaster. "Kyo ki hum logo ko toh photo ka angle decide karne me hi 15 minute lag jate hai aur photo lena toh door ki baat"  hence we decided to go by the local autoriksha. The auto drive from Dwarka to Nageshwar was very adventurous, you must be wondering Why adventurous ?, Well when you happen to travel with three ladies and that too in an autoriksha, you have no option but to sit with the auto driver, so for now, all three ladies were on the back seat and me enjoying the chilly breeze of Dwarka sitting along the auto driver on the front seat. Hawa hawa, Talking of Hawa i.e wind we noticed that it was quite windy in this region consequent to which series of windmills can be seen on the way to Nageshwer temple from Dwarka.

Windmills along the road on the way to Nageshwar Temple

Nageshwar Temple is around 17 kms from Dwarka. The ride was little bumpy but morning chill made it quite enjoyable and by 8:30 am we were at the Temple.

The tall Shiva statue can be seen from far  with an impressive Arc like gate and you realise that you have arrived.

Gigantic gate and tall Shiva Statue 

Nageshwar Jyotingling templeis one of the 12 Jyotilings. However what I found very different here was the absence of ancientness about the temple. The structure looked quite contemporary in architecture and design.I have seen many Jyotiling Temples they are mostly built of stone.Anyway mere ko kya, kyo ki agar maine kuch jyada bola toh there is every chance of me displeasing my wife who is a devout follower of Lord Shiva.

Well me and my daughter decided upon the angle to take the picture and all this while the helpless auto driver was wondering yeh logo kab andar jayenge darshan ke liye... Bechare ko pata nahi aage kya hone wala hai 😜

Finally angle set, hum aur bhagwan sath sath me 😄

In the meanwhile my wife went about to purchase the offerings to god I got busy with my shoot and as I was clicking the picture of the Lord Shiva Statue I noticed there was a peacock perched on its head . Oh What a sight it was!

Peacock perched on the head of Lord Shiva 

There are few tales associated with this temple, one been that once there was a fierce Rakshas named Daruk who lived in the forest with his wife Daruka , Due to the powers granted by Parvati by the way of boon to Daruk he had become very arrogant  and in one of his act of meanness he captured Supriya a great devotee of Lord Shiva and with his associates and imprisoned all of them in a hidden Dungeon. Supriya who was an ardent devotee, had full faith in god so he kept on worshiping, chanting non stop Om namo Shivaye... despite all the torture inflicted upon him. Seeing his unconditional devotion Lord Shiva came to his rescue  and vanquished the demons and the Jyotiling was establisehed and the place became known as Darukvanam ( Dwarka Forest) while the linga came to be know as Naganath.

Standing in front of the temple you are dwarfed by this gigantic Statue of Lord Shiva. ( I was told that late Gulshan Kumar of T-series  has initiated the construction of the same so as to popularize this place). we all entered the main gate and quickly rushed towards the waiting queue where we someone reminded us that we need to keep our mobile and camera shut. following the small crowd guided by the steel pipe barricades we reached the main hall of the temple. 

Contemporary looks of the temple

Iske baad woh hi hua jo her mandir me hota hai, standing in the queue I paid my respect to the god but my wife been a devout devotee wanted to do pour the water on the jyotiling and do the Aarti so she went ahead near the shivling, when the poojari rudely stopped her and asked Aap log kitne log ho jine andhar jana hai we said 3 and he said 600Rs fee, 200 per person. I later saw that they had placed a board mentioning the rates. I was put off so I moved away from there because I know I dont need such agents , Apna connection waise bhi god ke sath direct hai.

Once the Darshan were done we hopped back into out waiting auto to our next destination Gopi Talav. 

Stay tuned for my next blog on Gopi Talav