Dwaraka Dham Yatra  ( Day 4 - Part 4 )

29  Feb  2016  ( Monday )

         

मन्मना भव  मद् -भक्तो मद्याजी  मां  नमस्कुरु  !

मामेवैष्यसि   सत्यं  ते  प्रतिजाने  प्रियोअसि  मे  !! (भ. गी .१८:६५ )

Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. ( Krishna to Arjuna : Gita : 18 : 65 )

Bangar Bhavan  became quite busy by 7.30 a.m. itself,  as we were vacating the rooms and  moving out to the next destination.  There was a loud cheer as everyone was wishing

‘ Hare Krishna ‘ while bringing down the luggage for loading into the bus. We assembled at the dining area, and after a short prayer, had  breakfast--wheat halwa, poha and uppuma, curds and finished it with a cup of hot coffee / tea. We thanked the staff  for preparing hot and tasty meals during our stay in the Bhavan and for attending to our needs in a courteous manner. We boarded the bus by 8.15 a.m. The roll call was taken by Sri.Madhavananda Dasa, our Guide before giving the signal for the bus to move. We recited the Sri Narasimha stotra and stuti after Shri Dasa. We crossed some interesting landmarks like Kabir Ashram, and a sign board pointing towards ‘Sunset Point, the place where the sun sets last in the western direction. Last sun ray falls on India here.( Dwaraka )

9:30 am - We reached Mula Dwarka (Mool Dwarka ) after covering 35 Km. Mula Dwarka is situated in Visavada Village on the way to Porbandar.  The presiding deity here is Dwarkadheesh ji. The temple has a very ancient look. It is built of bricks and

the premises looks bright with a fresh coat of whitewash. The banyan trees around render a cool atmosphere.. First we entered the main shrine.

           View of the Temple                      Inscription about the Temple                                                                         

           

    Main Entrance                    Dwarkadhish Shrine

 

Shri Dasa explained the significance of this place. Mula Dwaraka is the original Dwaraka or the place where the Lord came to take rest for a night  on his way to Dwaraka city after his encounter with Kalayavana and Jarasandha.  (Dwaraka City was, at that time, newly built by Lord Vishwakarma) .

For the 18th time Jarasandha, attacked Mathura along with Kalayavana. The latter had a boon that he could not be killed by any weapon. So Lord Krishna tricked him by taking him away from the battlefield for a one to one combat. Instead of fighting,  Krishna started running thus teasing Kalayavana. The infuriated Kalayavana who was chasing Krishna called him ‘Rannchhod’(Rann= battle;  chhod= to leave). Finally Lord Krishna led him to the cave of Muchukunda where he met with his end. ( the story will continue in the later part)). Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama returned to  the battle field and defeated the Yavana army, collected all the booty and started loading on the back of  the oxen when Jarasandha started  attacking them. Both of them started running from the battlefield again all the way to Dwaraka. On the way they climbed a huge mountain,  Pravarshana, called so because Lord Indra sent showers constantly..Not seeing their footprints Jarasandha set fire to the mountain. Krishna and Balarama jumped down 11 yojanas in height from the top of the mountain and continued their journey towards Dwarka. On the way Lord Krishna halted at Mula Dwaraka for a night. Mula Dwarka is  the foremost of the  Pancha Dwaraka Kshetras. (Acharyas have given a secret as to why the Lord ran away from the battlefield though later in Mahabharata, during Kurukshetra war Lord Krishna advises Arjuna not to leave the battlefield as against Kshatriya dharma. The secret will be revealed to the readers later).

Mr.Dasa finished the narration chanting ‘ Ranchhodrai  Ki Jai ‘ ‘Mul Dwarkadheesh ki Jai’. We had darshan of Sri Dwarkadheesh with  the beautiful decoration.

                                              

                                             Having Darshan

                                                                                                                     

In this shrine they have the ‘chap’ (stamp) or the ‘mudra dharana’  ritual . People who take Diksha in Vaishnava tradition have to undergo certain rituals. Mudra dharana is  putting  the seal of Shanka and chakra on the upper arms. We paid Rs 20 / and got a picture of the deity              and got the ‘Chap’ behind the picture .                                                      The Mudra

The mudra is believed to give protection to the wearer. The temple complex is spacious, kept very tidy with a number of shrines around.

                     

                               ( Nandi and Mahadev)

Exactly opposite to the main temple is the shrine of Siddheswar Mahadev with a swayambhu Shiva Linga and a statue of Nandi Bhagavan in  front.

                                                 

                      Trimurtis

All around there are shrines for deities like Sri Ganesha, Shree Saraswathi, Shree Vagheshwari, The Buddha, Shri Narayana, Shri Brahma,  Shri Vishnu ,Shri Shiva, Shri Rama and Sita mata,, Dattatreya, Suryanarayana,  Sri Mahalakshmi and Gayatri Mata.

Another attraction in this temple is the Visa Vada Vav  a ‘L’ shaped step well , built in 13th century  said to be sacred like the Ganga. It is also known as Gyan Vapi. Janmashtami festival is celebrated grandly in this temple.

            View of Step well from above                                 Inscription regarding Visavada Vav

11:00 am  -  we left for Ranavav (55 km) to visit the Jambavantha Guha and  Sri Krishna Jambavati Mandir. We passed through a dry area where only cacti with bright red flowers and thorny trees and bushes were visible. Adjacent to the temple is the Haathi Cement Factory the largest  in Saurashtra area.

The temple is located within a garden with a number of dense trees and  flowering plants.There is a small shrine with the statue of Lord Krishna and Jambavati.

                                

                          Krishna and Jambavati (Shrine)

Legend:-

Satrajit an ardent devotee of Surya Deva lived in Dwarka. He received a gem Syamantaka Mani from Surya. The gem had the power to give 8 bhagas (85 Kg) of gold  everyday and besides protected the owner from poverty, diseases and other misfortunes. Satrajit became very proud. Once he came to visit Lord Krishna in his palace wearing the gem. The people

who saw him with the gem thought that Sun God (shining) had come there to visit the Lord.

Sri Krishna who saw the jewel advised Satrajit to give it to Ugrasena, King of Yadavas but he refused. One day Prasena , brother of Satrajit  wore the jewel around his neck and went for hunting. There a lion killed him and his horse and carried the jewel. The lion was attacked by Jambavan,  the king of bears, and was killed. Jambavan took the gem and  when he entered the cave  gave it to his daughter Jambavati to play with. Satrajit was worried when Prasena did not return. He accused Krishna of killing his brother and taking the jewel. Krishna wanted

to set  right this dispute. With an army of Yadavas  he went in search of Prasena and came across his dead body and further away saw the lion killed by the bear.  Following the footsteps of the bear they reached a cave.The Lord entered the cave alone leaving the others outside. There he saw the child Jambavati playing with the gem. The child was alarmed to see a stranger and her loud cries brought Jambavan to that spot. Jambavan could not recognise his Master and the Lord wanted to play with his devotee. A fight ensued between them. The Yadavas who were waiting near the mouth of the cave returned to Dwaraka after 12 days fearing for the life of Sri Krishna. The entire city of Dwaraka gathered at the Chandrabhaga Temple and prayed to Durga Devi. In the meanwhile Lord Krishna fought with Jambavan fiercely for 28  days and  finally the exhausted Jambavan realised that the person who fought with him was none other than his Lord Sri Rama now incarnated as Sri Krishna.The Lord with his divine touch relieved Jambavan of his fatigue and cured his wounds. Jambavan asked for His forgiveness and presented two gems to the Lord, the Syamantaka Mani and his daughter Jambavati in marriage.

    

ASI  Notice Board                                 Cave Entrance  

      

                                          Inside the Cave

 Lord Krishna Marries Jambavati                                                                                                

Lord Krishna returned to Dwaraka with Jambavati and gave the jewel to Satrajit narrating the entire episode . Satrajit felt ashamed for doubting  Sri Krishna. He asked for pardon. In order to gain the goodwill of Krishna, he offered his daughter Satyabhama and the Syamantaka Mani to him. The Lord accepted his daughter but refused to take the Mani (jewel).  The narration by Mr.Dasa was very interesting and in detail. We then  went to the site of Jambavan Cave which is under the protection of ASI. The cave is  25 feet below the ground level with winding and uneven steps. We climbed down holding a rope half the way. The inside of the cave is naturally lit by sunlight. The floor is wet. First we came across a chamber with a ‘wishing well.’ Many Shiva Linga idols are installed here representing  the spots  where the divine emblems like ‘ the lotus,shanka, chakra etc;, were found. The emblems inturn convey that Lord Krishna’s association to this place. We saw a tiny Valampuri Shanka marked with a flower. In many places the ceiling is low and we have to bend our heads for safety and also out of reverence. Next we entered a spacious chamber in which a Shiva Linga made of sand is worshipped. There we viewed the scene of Jambavan offering Jambavati to Krishna in  marriage. The place is cool as if air-conditioned. Three passages are seen leading from the cave. One leads to Dwaraka town. The passages are now closed and are not in use. Having explored the interior of the cave for some time we climbed up to reach the ground level. We sat in a circle under the shade of trees and had ‘Vana Bhojan’ - enjoyed  the delicious lunch--methi roti, cabbage-peas mixed sabzi, tamarind rice packed  from Bangar Bhavan kitchen. We had also drank refreshing buttermilk and curds to cool our system.

We were to go to Madhavpur to visit  the ‘Krishna-Rukmini Vivaha mandir’. But to our disappointment the program was cancelled as the bridge connecting Porbandar was under renovation and a detour would involve more mileage and time. It was decided to proceed to Somnath instead, as we could reach well in time for the ‘  Somavara Arati Darshan ‘ in the  evening .  ( 145 km /  2 1/2 hrs by road) The  road to Somnath was fairly good with more greenery. We came across many windmills. By 5:30 p.m. we reached Somnath. Our place of stay was  Shree Somnath Maheswari Samaj Atithi Gruh. .

Somnath..

सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।

उज्जयिन्यां महाकालम्_ॐकारममलेश्वरम् ॥१॥

परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमाशंकरम् ।

सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने ॥२॥

वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यंबकं गौतमीतटे ।

हिमालये तु केदारम् घुश्मेशं च शिवालये ॥३॥

एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः ।

सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ॥४॥

We had the good fortune to visit The Somnath temple on an auspicious day & time , that is on a Somavara (Monday, the 29 Feb 2016) and witness the ararti  at sandhya kala (twilight time). The famous ‘Dwadasa Linga Stuthi’, above proclaims Somnath is the first among the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. The temple is located in Prabhas Pattan near Veraval in Sourashtra. Somnath means ‘Lord of the Soma”, an epithet of Shiva. Various legends connected with this place asserts Somnath as  sacred  and ‘ Shine Eternal’. The temple is open from 6 a.m to 9 p.m.and there are three arati sessions daily at 7.00, 12 N, & 19.00.hours.

Somnath temple stands at the shore of the Arabian Ocean on the western corner of Indian subcontinent in Gujarat State.. This pilgrimage centre is one of the oldest and finds its reference in the ancient texts like Skanda Purana, Srimad Bhagavatam,Shiva Purana etc.

Jyotirlinga

Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light at 12 sacred places and Somnath is the first of the 12. Jyotirlingas are ‘swayambhu lingas’ - they appear by themselves, as Mahadev’s Sankalpa representing that there is no beginning or end ( “ swayambhu’ ) and  symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. The 12 places of Jyotirlinga can be seen in the verse quoted in the beginning.

Somnath is a pilgrimage site on account of being a Triveni Sangam - Three rivers namely Kapila, Hiran and Saraswathi join to make the place holy. Soma is the Moon God who lost his lustre due to a curse. Soma bathed in the Saraswathi River at this site and regained his lustre.. The result is waxing and waning of the moon, an allusion to the waxing and waning of the tides at this sea shore location. The name of the town is Prabhas, meaning lustre, and the other name is Somnath.

The time of the first Shiva temple in Somnath is unknown. The temple was destroyed and reconstructed many times. The  Arab Governor of Sindh, Afghan ruler Mahmud of Ghazni, Zafar Khan, the last Governor of Gujarat under Delhi Sultanate, Portuguese in 1546 and Aurangzeb in 1665 figure in the destruction of the Somnath temple.

Reconstruction : Junagadh was made  a state of India after Independence. It was due to the leadership of  the then Dy.Prime Minister Vallabhai Patel who visited Gujarat on 12-11-1947, directed the Indian Army to stabilize the place and ordered for the reconstruction of the Somnath temple. K.M.Munshi, a minister in the Central Govt. then continued the second phase of reconstruction. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of Independent India performed the installation ceremony of Somnath temple and to quote the President: - “ The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction “.

 

Somnath temple from the sea shore                             Front View

The present temple is built in Chalukya style of temple architecture and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, one of the Gujarat master masons. The temple’s main spire or sikhara is 15 metres in height, and it has an 8.2 m tall flag pole at the top.  There is a globe on the sea protection wall in the  temple with an arrow marked on it. The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land  mass in a straight line between Somnath seashore until  Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Banastambha , (बाणस्तम्भ) - Arrow Pillar

The Banastambha mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass that is the first point as land in the North to the South Pole at that particular longitude.

Somnath Darshan on a Somavara

We entered the main temple premises after a tight security check ( no mobiles, cameras or electronic gadgets). We bought Ganga Jal from the temple counter and joined the respective queues for men and women. As the day was a Somavara, and the time being Sandhya kala, more men and women were joining the lines. People were chanting  Hanuman Chalisa in a melodious tune and the atmosphere was charged with the echoing of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ coming from the ceiling. We poured the Ganga jal in to the special containers and also witnessed the abhishekam of the Lord  with the holy water. At 6:30pm the Aarati started along with the beating of the drum and pealing of bells. Devotees were praying to the Deity chanting Jay Somnath, Har Har Mahadev . We too joined in the chanting as we had the divine darshan in the Sandhya kala on a Somvar -  indeed we were fortunate !

By 7:30 pm we assembled in the open yard behind the temple and occupied the seats on a gallery under the open sky and wondered looking at the stars twinkling above like a diamond. The Sound and Light show began within a few minutes which lasted for an hour.

The laser based show  ‘Jay Somnath’  follows the temple arathi and the narration is in English ( Amrish Puri’s voice). This show was opened in 2003.which covers the history of Somnath temple, its desecration, resurrection, ransacking by Islamic invaders and rebuilding of the temple at various stages and  the final reconstruction after India’s Independence under the leadership of Shri Sardar Vallabhai Patel. There is a statue of Sri Vallabhai Patel at the main gate of the temple. The temple was lit up in a spectacular manner and in the background of the sea breeze and sound waves of the tide, the Sonet Lumiere show gave an ethereal feel. It’s a large and. stunningly beautiful temple that has been featured most appropriately in Amitabh Bachchan's Gujarat promotional campaign and to quote Sri Sardar Vallabhai Patel. (in  Sri Paresh Rawal's voice) :-

“Earlier culture was destroyed by swords, today it is done by pen.”

“I am not rebuilding a temple, I am building the heart of India. It is our sacred duty to build the temple back to its glory.”The show also included the following legend..

Legend :- Chandra, the Moon God married the 27 daughters (Stars) of Daksha. He was partial towards Rohini whom he loved more than his other 26 wives. They felt insulted and neglected. Krittika, Magha, Chitra and Ashwini the four daughters along with their sisters went to their father and complained.. Daksha was sad to see his daughters suffer thus and advised his son in law to treat all his wives alike but in vain..He cursed Chandra to diminish in size.. The other Gods who felt sorry to see Chandra’s plight went to Brahma on his behalf and requested to reverse the curse.. Brahma asked Chandra to pray relentlessly before Lord Shiva                                                                                             in Prabhas Kshetra.. Chandra chanted the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra for six months sitting in meditation..Lord Shiva pleased with his devotion appeared before him and gave Chandra  a boon that he would grow for 15 days (Sukla Paksha) and wane in the next 15 days (Krishna Paksha). Shiva also remarked that Daksha was right in his own way and that he wouldn't go against his curse. Shiva stayed in that place wearing the crescent moon. Hence got the name Somnath (Lord of the Moon). The moon is very bright in Shukla Paksha and so the place is known as ‘Prabhas’ kshetra. Chandra was the first to receive the beneficial boon from Lord Shiva. So he  built a beautiful Golden temple and installed a Jyotirlinga in it.. Pauranic traditions maintain that Moon built a golden temple, followed by a silver temple by Ravana, Bhagvan Sri Krishna is believed to have built a Somnath temple with sandalwood. It was the Prabhas Kshetra where Bhagavan Sri Krishna performed all his Lilas. In this temple there is a small cave in which a lamp burns continuously.  Lord Shiva became famous by the name Somnath  in all the three worlds.. It is the holy place of Aadi Jyotirling.  Shree Somnath Mahadev and the sacred soil from where Sri Krishna took his ascension to His Nijdam. (Sri Vaikunta). .Somnath  is a symbol of eternal conflict, resilience and unity of the Indians..

After the Sound and Light show we walked along along corridor to see life size models of 12 Jyotirlingas and also scenes depicting episodes from Sivapuranam..

May the Jyotirlinga of Shri Somnath temple remove

All the negative energies within us and inspire us a

To be a person of good thoughts and deeds.

We walked back to the lodge, had dinner in the restaurant downstairs ---roti, dal, sabji,                                pakodas, kichadi, and curds and retired to bed after a long tiring yet an eventful day..

Natarajans ( To be continued in part---5)..