Blissful trip to Duuwarika and Somnath

Without any guesses,the possible destination to be covered  during this January vacations was Dwarka and Somnath ,as these were the last dhams pending in our Chardham yatra .So we decided to make Rajkot as our base ,and beginning from Dwarka would cover Porbander, Somnath, Bhuj and White Rann. Extended the journey  till Kutch as it was the time of Rann Utsav. For those who love sea, sun, birds, sand , temples and heritage this is an amazing trip,and indeed it turned to be a cozy, easy,private trip.

The trip started by Boarding 11.50 a.m flight from Mangalore to Rajkot with a change over at Mumbai .The first sight that drew my attention as we touched Rajkot runway were the  scattered colorful kites on the turf , hinting that Rajkot citizens had a vibrant kite flying festival.
Our accommodation was booked at Hotel SS Inn above Sankalp Restaurant located at Race course road. We were allotted a studio room ,Race course garden view  from the window was awesome.      It was a chilly and pleasant evening for any Coastal kannadiga. When we enquired for sight seeing arrangements available at Hotel desk,the Hotel Manager turned to be an introvert ,did not respond to our enquiries. We roamed around the city in an auto catching some sights and sounds.

Sri Swaminarayana Mandir,Rajkot

The temple built in pink stone is decked in intricate stone detailing on arches and columns .No concrete or cement has been used in construction.Central shrine has idol of Lord Swami Narayan , other shrines are Harikrishna Maharaj and Lord Krishna & Radha.

Swami Narayan Mandir Rajkot

Jain temple
Temple architecture is outstanding.

Love temple

Culmination of religious arts inside Love Temple

Love temple is a Syro-Malabar cathedral dedicated to Sacred heart of Jesus.It blends the architectural features of other religions but looks like a temple. There is a mosaic of Jesus seated in a meditation pose above a lotus like an Indian holy man.

Night had crispy Masala dosa at Sankalp restaurant. Quite contented to taste south Indian quality dosa accompanied with 3 chutnies and perfect sambhar in Gujrath. There were wide variety of dosas, idlies,bisibele bat  and other authentic South Indian tiffin items,the waiters were explaining about composition of bisibele bat to guests (I was in all smiles)

We had booked a taxi from Deepak Travels -Rajkot to traverse this figure 8 tracing circuit starting from Rajkot- Bet Dwarka, Somnath, Junagadh, Rajkot, Bhuj, Koteshwar, White Rann and back to Rajkot . The total travelling cost suggested was around Rs 20,000 for the 6 days itinerary, apart from the hotel accommodation .

Early morning , driver MukeshBhai picked us in  Tata A/C Manza  ,briefed us about day’s programme,he spoke fluently in hindi .

Rajkot to Jamnagar  (100 kms)

First  spot in this series turned to be Aradhana Dham after Jamnagar. This is a Jain temple dedicated to Shree Halartheerth , there are galleries depicting Hindu mythology and a garden in the premises.Spent some 30 minutes inside the temple.

Nageshwar Jyotirling

Nageshwar Temple is located on the route between Gomati Dwarka and the Bet Dwarka,the powerful Jyotirlinga symbolizes protection from all poisons.The massive statue of Lord Shiva in meditation posture  could be  spotted from long distance as we approach Nageshwar. We performed abhishek to the lingam, ladies are permitted to enter sanctum ,pooja thali items need to be purchased  at the temple .The silver shivalingam is  Nageshwar accompanied by  Devi Nageshwari faces south.

Kneeling before  85 ft Statue of Lord Shiva seated in Meditation position

at the temple entrance. From Nageshwar left to Dwaraka. The road all through the drive is dotted with wind mills (pavanchakki).

WIND MILLS -SOURCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE

Bet – Dwarka is an island surrounded by sea from all sides. Boat service is available between Okha and Bet-Dwarka, it’s a 15 minute journey but one has to wait till the boat is full, there is no ticket counter, gents are not allowed to sit on the floor of the boat.Feeding the sea gulls can be good time pass. The temple opens at 5.00 p.m due to  construction work of temples going on.One has to deposit camera ,mobiles and luggage at the counter. This temple is considered as residence of Lord Krishna, Sudhama came from Porbandhar to meet his friend here.One can buy prasadam,there is a free meal service for pilgrims.It was almost 6.00p.m when we reached our taxi, so after an hour long drive reached Dwarka .

Jetty ride from Okha to Bet Dwarka

Archway to Lord Krishna temple at Bet Dwarka 

Jamnagar to Dwarkadish temple (100 kms)
Straight away headed to the Dwarkadish temple to witness evening arthi. Liked this aspect of devotees greeting the Lord as their soulful friend by raising both hands. Drum beats and keerthans made the environment divine and serene. There were many Tamilians in the crowd. Women and men are allowed in separate queues, luggage,mobiles & camera are not permitted.

We retired in our room at Hotel Bhansi, this hotel is near to temple has parking facility. Even though I voluntarily wrote my reviews about the hotel, I continue to get calls from other travel sites regarding our stay even after a week .

Dwarka-Porbandar-Somnath (250 kms)

Dwarkadish Temple 

Next morning had another glimpse of Lord, dip in Gomti river.There are shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, Balram and Devki in the premises of Dwarkadish temple. Purchased Balgopal and souvenirs from the Adi Shankarcharya Mutt at the temple. After breakfast of Dhokla and Parota left to Rukmini Temple.

Rukmini Matha Temple
Our driver told that us that without visiting Rukmini Temple Chardham circuit is not complete. This temple is said to be some 2500 years old. This is a carved temple, decorated with Sculptures of Gods. The priest gave a commentary on the significance and the history of the place, we donated towards Jaldhan as Dwarka is completely dependent on Potable Water from outside.

Enroute Porbandar visited Harsiddi Mata Mandir, spotted Dhirubhai Ambani’s Ancestral home .

Porbandar turned to be a dusty town due to the ongoing cable laying excavation work throughout the town . Visited the house where our father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi was born in the city of Porbandar. The house is situated in a small road. Though it is renovated at the exterior, the basic house with 22 rooms and 2 storeys is maintained, Photographs of Gandhiji are housed in a museum, library are worth visiting. Purchased a T Shirt from souvenir shop .Also visited Bharath Mandir ,Akash Bhavan (could have been skipped )and Sri Sudama Mandir dedicated to humble friend of Lord Krishna.

Bharath Matha Mandir at Porbandhar

Mahatma Gandhiji's birth place at Porbandar

Mahatma's house ..visitors entry gate

A peekaboo moment inside Gandhiji's house

Dhirubhai Ambani's ancestral home

Sudhama Temple

At Somnath we had booked Maheshwari Bhavan, after dumping the luggage left for Sri Golaknath Dham near Triveni Ghat, Pandu Gufa and Surya Temple.

Lord Krishna breathed his last at Gujarat’s Prabhas Patan. Golok Dham was the place from where Krishna embarked onto his journey to the Nijdham .The footprints of Krishna are present at the place from where he left for the Baikunth Dham. Following in Krishna’s footsteps his elder brother Balram also made his journey to Nijdham via same route.

Golakdham- Bhagwan Shree Krishna took his divine journey to Neejadham

Footprints of Bhagwan ShriKrishna 

Temple of Lord Somnathji

Somnathji temple is a beautiful, cleanest and hi-tech temple complex,  Standing tall on the ocean shore , the temple is an example of recent Indian craftsmanship in Chalukya style built at the site of the old temple which was ransacked by the Moghuls. Security check up is tight at this temple, bags are not permitted inside the campus. Arthi can be viewed from outside on the big LED screens , abhishek can be performed electronically without entering the sanctum. Shehnai music during Arthi for some 30 minutes left us mesmerized .Next part of the post will cover journey from Somnath to Bhuj and back to Rajkot.

Family tour to Jammu & Kashmir (Guest post by Mr. Pradeep Prabhu)

In this part I cover our scintillating and near fatal  experiences  faced during  trek to Maata Vaishnodevi Temple at Jammu . Other temples in and around Srinagar- Ksheer Bhavani Temple ,Martanda temple are presented  in this part .

Dal lake, Srinagar

In July 2012, I visited Kashmir with my wife and family with a hope to see what I visualised, during my childhood days. I had visualised Kashmir as a place of gardens, lakes , valleys ,snowfall and the land where kesar  is grown. But with the passing  years, this picture turned  gloom  and  was  replaced by  militants,  armed  personnel  and  scared  pundits  fleeing  in fear. We booked a tour package conducted by  Nirmala travels,Mangalore 2 months ahead of tour. Our family along with Surekha's aunt Meenakshi & uncle Mohandas ,sister Sujatha, Krishna Prabhu & her kid Aparna were in our group.

  We boarded a train from Mangalore to Delhi and from there to Jammu. The  trains running from Delhi to Jammu were flooded with Amarnath piligrims .Landing at Jammu we experienced warm climate, it was an extended summer, we left for Katra that took 1 hours in a traveller. From January  to  March the  season  is  white  in J&K and  April  to  August  is  green.

 For the next 2 days we were put up at  Hotel Singh International in Katra. Our Tour guide Mr. Raviraj briefed all 40 tourists about this package, an initial exchange of pleasantries with other members gave us an idea to plan our trek for next day.  Food was prepared by Mangalore based cooks. Maa Vaishno Devi temple stands to be the holiest temple and regarded as the most visited pilgrimage centre  in India.

View of Maa Vaishnodevi hill from Katra

 Next day early morning,we started trek at 04 am from BANGANGA check post, with others. This first 6 km of walk is the most steep one,really tough for legs.  The paved trail is very busy with walkers, ponies, palkies and shops. Because of ponies it stinks a lot till Ardhkumari, even though cleaning is done from time to time. Those allergic to dust may experience throat irritation after journey  which may disappear in few days. From there onward last 5 km to Bhawan, there is separate ways for ponies and pilgrims, so much better and fresh air. Drinking water, snacks ,beverages , ice cream, and food is  available all along the way.We availed the service of Pittu to carry our luggage, they also carry kids, massage legs .On the way we ate Rajma chawal and drank cold Nestle Tea.

starting point of trek at Bhangangaa,those sticks are helpful during ascent

Paved way ,pleasant weather 

View of  Katra town from top

this trail is free from passing ponies

Closing down towards the Bhavan

After reaching the Bhawan , we kept our luggage, camera (we did not carry mobile) at the locker ,the queue was a long one,it almost took an hour to get a locker to keep our camera.,by that time others were gone.The Darshan queue was also a long one, ladies and gents were separated in different lines.There is no idol, the cave itself comprises of three natural rock formations or pindies belonging to Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi & Maha Saraswathi which are immersed in water. Finally out happily, could not find my wife,somehow spotted her due to the  dress colour. After this incident, we always plan the spot to meet after the darshan .Very tired after that walk and push ups  at Locker we ate dosas carried  from Hotel. Surekha insisted to visit Bhairo mandir perched on the top still 4-5km uphill further. This time we hired a pony, it turned to be a steep ascent .Balancing the down hill ride on pony is not my world,I almost slipped ,but the pony care -taker held me at the right moment.

This  treacherously long, uphill walk of 12 kms from Katra to  worship  Maa Vaishnodevi at Trikoota mountains  and the return  distressing pony ride of 18 Kms (from Bhairo) downhill almost  gave  me  a  second  life. I surely had Maa Vaishno devi's  blessings. Jai Mata di !!.Finally we reached room at 6.00 p.m , I gulped pain killer tablets because my hands and legs were aching.

Shankaracharya Temple,Srinagar

Overlooking the beautiful town of Srinagar, perched on the Gopadri hill  is the ancient shrine of God Shiva. Ever since Adi Shankaracharya visited this shrine,the temple got the name Shankaracharya Temple.Here at Srinagar, Shankaracharya accepted the predominance of Shakti cult (greatness of Devi) wrote Saundarya Lahari in praise of Devi after yielding to a lady in discussion ,

There is a motor-able road till top,after that a bit of a trek, some 240+ steps, the views of Dal lake from the top are awesome.  There is heavy army presence here, and tourists are not allowed to carry cameras/bags and mobile phones.

Ksheer Bhawani Temple, near Shrinagar
On the way to Sonmarg, 27Km from Srinagar is Ksheer Bhawani Mandir,  set amidst the picturesque surroundings covered with the trees of Chinar. The Goddess Ragnya originally worshipped by Lord Rama is depicted in the form of a natural hexagonal spring that is adored by the devotees..Devotees offer 'Kheer' to the consecrated spring. It is alleged that 'kheer' turns black in color signalling inauspicious period for the inhabitants of the valley. Presently the temple is maintained by Indian army,hence tight security maintained at entrance, it is the most sacred place for Kashmiri Pandits. We ate the Kheer prasadm here,Amarnath Yatrees halt  for food,donations are accepted here . In the premises ,spotted the branches of a Chinar tree  cut and shaped to form the image of India.

Lake circumventing the Ksheer Bhawani Mandir

Chinar trees 

Branches  cut in the shape of Map of India

Details about the temple

Kashmir is blessed with nature's bounties, temples are most impressive.

After Ksheer-Bhavani, next day our destinies took us to Pahalgam . On the way , our driver stopped our vehicle in front of  Avanthipur  temple ruins which was once upon a time capital of  Kashmir. A sardarji Guide  in Punjabi –English  accent explained the history of the temple, but we could not capture his accent.

Avanthipur temple ruins

Avantipur ruins speak about glorius past

Martand Suriya Temple, Mattan

En route to Pahlgaon, at Mattan,there  is a blissful temple dedicated to Lord Surya having a large pond  with fishes. Tourists are often confused with the Majestic National Monument in Martand . Apart from Sun Temple there are temples of Lord Vishnu, Hanuman & Shani in this complex,This is the only place managed by  Kashmir Pandits ,also  sacred to the Sikhs as Guru Nanak Devji came here & stayed for 13 days. A Gurudwara has been built .We interacted with  local temple caretakers,donated some amount and heard the history and relevance of the site from both Hindu and Sikh perspective . From here Pahalgaon is only 34Km.We were not taken to the ancient Martand temple only 2km from Mattan.

Mattan Surya Temple complex

Temple Pond