Overview: The road from Dwarka to Somnath is a bit bumpy due to the highway expansion project happening on the stretch, we had to face some trouble with the dust and smoke from the bigger vehicles today. Starting off early as usual, we reached Porbandar at around 8am, the sun was just emerging out of fog along with the song of the birds. We visited the Sudama temple in Porbandar dedicated to the friendship between Sudama and Lord Krishna. We also got the special 'Chivda' as prasadam as it was Lord Krishna's favourite.
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Sudama Temple, Porbandar |
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Sudama Temple, Porbandar |
From here, we went to Bhalka Tirth on the outskirts of the town of Somnath. This is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna was hit by a hunter named Jara resulting in the end of Krishna's era.
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Bhalka Tirth |
From Bhalka, Somnath is around 5 kms. There is a parking lot outside the temple complex, and no electronic devices are allowed inside the temple. The Somnath temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, and stands on the shore of Arabian sea. This temple has the history of being destroyed and rebuilt several times. The first record is from the 11th century when Mahmud of Ghazni invaded and plundered this temple for its Gold. The temple is a grand structure, current one being rebuilt in 1951. The bells of the temple and the silent waves of the sea blend into a serene environment. One can spend hours inside the temple complex admiring the beauty of the temple.
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Somnath Gate |
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Somnath Jyotirling temple |
We then proceeded towards Mul Dwarka, a small city of great antiquity. This is the place where Lord Krishna and Balarama stayed for sometime before moving to Dwarka. The place also has an ancient 10th century temple with Chalukya architecture on the shores of the Arabian sea. This place is not very well maintained.
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Mul Dwarka |
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Mul Dwarka |
From here, we headed to the Union Territory of Diu. There is a big arch marking the entry into Diu from Gujarat side. With Gujarat being a dry state, people flock this place in search of liquor. Diu was a former Portuguese colony and one can still see the old Portuguese style buildings and memorials. We first went to the Naida cave near the fort. The caves looked magical but a bit crowded with tourists which we didn't expect. The origins of the cave are still unknown if these were formed naturally or created by man. The evening sun making its way to the caves through the bushes created a wonderful sight. It takes around 30-45 mins to explore the caves.
From here we went to the more popular Diu Fort. We were there at just the right time to catch the golden rays of the sun and then watch the beautiful sunset. The Diu Fort was built in the 16th century by the Portuguese. The Fort is a huge structure located at the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat, with other beautiful churches and memorials adorning the place. We made our way to our hotel after viewing the sunset at Diu Fort.
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Naida Caves |
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Naida Caves |
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Diu Fort |
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Diu Fort |
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Diu |
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Diu Fort |
Day 4: Dwarka - Porbandar - Bhalka Tirth - Somnath - Mul Dwarka - Diu (327 kms)
Beautiful ..
ReplyDeleteThis is the classic beauty. Truly adored every picture of yours. The land is full of festivals throughout the year
ReplyDelete