Chasing the Sun Down at Krishna's city of Dwarka

The imprint of the Hindu God Lord Krishna is there all over Gujarat. But it is in Dwarka - the believed Kingdom of the Blue God - does one see the mythology coming to life. The foremost of the Chardhams, the four holy pilgrim cities in Hinduism, Dwarka has also been referred to as 'Mokshapuri' (the place where one can attain Moksha or freedom from the cycle of life and death).

The city finds mention in the epic of Mahabharat. Krishna, termed as the 'purna avtar' or complete reincarnation of Vishnu- The Preserver, had founded the Kingdom after he left Mathura. Visitors should visit this intricately carved five story temple and thereafter visit Bhet Dwarka. Bhet Dwarka is located on an Island two kilometers away from Dwarka and is dedicated to Krishna's wife Rukmani Devi.

The excavation by Archeological Survey of India has yielded evidence of a city that has submerged into waters owing to coastal erosion. Visitors should also keep in mind that finding non-vegetarian food in the city is next to impossible. To get a taste of the different colours of Lord Krishna or termed Krishna Leela by his devotees, one should plan a visit near Janmashtmi - the day of Krishna's birth.

Here are some of the shots taken while chasing the sun down in Dwarka -

Dwarka Temple at Gujarat
Silhouette of Dwarkadheesh, the temple of Dwarka, against the setting Sun.



 
Virgin Beach in Gujarat
The sunset at Virgin Beach, few kilometers away from Dwarka.

And the sun finally braces itself to embrace the Arabian Sea.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A trip to paradise - Tirthan

Image
The little  MF Hussain in me has always drawn painting of a house with corrugated roof nestling in the cleavage of two mountains with a glistening and roaring river flowing next to it. It was three decades post my coming into being did I find something similar to my dream house – Tirthan Anglers’ Retreat. Symphony of nature It was an impromptu plan made with a group of avid travelers. I had never heard about the place and I don’t regret taking the leap of faith. A fauji brat and a corporate honcho gave it all up to start this little paradise tucked in the serenity of mountains in Himachal Pradesh. Far from the din of Delhi, its six rooms give you a breath taking views of the lush green mountains. The first day we were greeted by rain-laden clouds, which it seems had descended to earth just in our honour. The tiredness of overnight bus journey vanished in a jiffy as we made 800 metres trek to reach our destination. The Palachan river, a tributary of Tirthan,
Read more

Siachen Trek - the experience of a life time

Image
The Gateway to Siachen Glacier Siachen Glacier : It was for me the experience of a lifetime: an eight-day trek up the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir, once regarded as the world's highest battlefield at 22,000 feet where the guns have been silent since 2003 after an India-Pakistan truce. The 80-km trek from the Siachen Base Camp to Camp 3 and back by a 32-member group of defence personnel, military school students and journalists served to vividly bring out the hazards and pitfalls Indian Army soldiers have to face on what was also the world's coldest battlefield where temperatures dip below - 65 degrees Celsius. Getting bit of training at the Siachen Battle School Food goes stone cold as soon as it is taken off the burner, washing your face becomes a luxury, and drinking water smells of the kerosene used to melt the ice. Yet, the soldiers stoically endure this, serving for a minimum of three months on the glacier in a two-year ten
Read more

From Jatland to Germany- Tale of a lost cow!

Image
I was born in Panipat (Haryana), the place has been famous for three epic battles that have been fought on its soil. And the state of Haryana is the leading state in the cow belt – I refer to it so as the people here love their cows more than their daughters, after all cows give milk! The state has been in news for the past few years for its people’s superhuman feats of removing railway tracks or burning petrol pumps either for reservation or to show solidarity with a rapist Godman masquerading as everyone’s ‘father’. But that is a story for another time. So my journey of life began on a fine evening when my mother bogged down by household chores sought to ignore her labour pain until she could not any more. She asked her mother-in-law – my grandmother - to take her to hospital. Even before the cycle rickshaw could take my mother to a hospital, the impatient me forced myself out in the world. The rickshaw ride marked my first travel journey! Since then I have been traveling acros
Read more

Bikerni in Mountains!

Image
View from my stay on the first day in Leh I had been Leh’d for three times already and knew Ladakh like the back of my hand. So I approached the fourth trip that came after a gap of nearly seven years with a bit of trepidation sparked by reports of tourism boom spoiling the pristine cold desert. Moments after landing in the “Land of Passes”, I realised the misgivings about the callous tourism were not unfounded. I was staying at a place just short of Nimu. So next day after 15 minutes of mild Yoga I headed to Indus-Zanskar confluence. That was the first spot that made me fall in love with Ladakh when I came here back in 2008. Now trash marks the spots along these two mighty rivers – one of them gave India its name. The bevy of ‘selfie-tourists’ have reached this place too. Also present was an edifice selling eatables and promises of adrenaline rush through river rafting. The next pit stop was Magnetic hill, where revving of All Terrain Vehicles reverberated through th
Read more

This summer vacation plan a return to your Childhood, Travel to Germany

Image
So kids’ summer vacation is commencing soon and all you have are clichéd holiday destinations to go to? How about living through the fairy tales and legends of your childhood with your children? Germany, the country which people generally associate with cars and world history, has a 'Maerchenstrasse' or a Fairy Tale Route that can regale kids and adults alike during the summer months. The world famous Grimm brothers had gathered the plot lines for their fairy tales from these mofussil towns of Germany.  Who is who!!! The rat bread! The notorious rats everywhere! The Pied Piper in action- the musical show at Hameln. Remember Pied Piper - the musician who led the hypnotised children of village far away after elders of the village refused to pay him remuneration for getting rid of the rats becoming a menace in the town?  I used to think it was the figment of imagination of some author unless I visited Hameln. This story from
Read more