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Sitting on the western tip of India and meeting the sea, Dwarkadhish Temple is one of the largest temples in the ancient holy city of Dwarka. It is located where River Gomti meets the Arabian Sea and one can see the temple from many miles due to its large structure and the vast empty stretch of lands that surrounds the temple. The temple is active all day long where daily activities will be happening from the early morning hours to late evening hours.  History The history of the temple goes back to many centuries where people believed that the temple is constructed by Vajranabh, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna and this is where the Hari Griha or the home of Krishna once stood making Dwarka a holy land. The current structure of Dwarkadhish temple is an amalgamation of changes and construction for over a few centuries from the 8th to the current year where changes and renovation works have been done. The giant temple stands tall for over 80m which is equivalent to the current 25 storey building. And on top of the building is 25ft long flagstaff. The tall tower over the main sanctum is built in Nagara Style and there are 7 visible stories which are constructed keeping in mind 7 ancient cities in India. The 7 cities that are depicted here include Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kashi, Avantika, Kanchipuram, and Dwarka. If you notice this, the whole of India is represented here and this is an intriguing factor. Mandapa of the temple is carved out of a single stone and it stands on over 72 pillars. It has 4 stories that represent the Char Dhams of Vaishnava Temples, Dwarka being one of the 4 Dhams of the western corner of India. Style of Architecture The temple has been constructed in general Solanki style which was a prevalent style of architecture in Gujarat. As per archaeologists, the main temple is said to be constructed around 12-13th CE while the Sabah Mandap is said to be constructed around 15-16th CE. During the excavations, it is revealed that this is the 4th temple and the oldest temple should have been around 2000 years old.  Dwarkadhish temple is home to one of the 4 Shankaracharya Peetas or Shardha Peetas. Shardha Peetas are part of temples that are dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya and in the evenings one can hear students chanting Sanskrit Shlokas from Vedas. Dwarkadhish Group of Temples Dwarkadhish Temple is big and full of small temples however, at the inner sanctum or Girbha Gruha, the idol of Lord Krishna as four-armed Vishnu where the experts call this as Trivikram. The temple of Dwarkadhish here is also known as Jagat Mandir. The idol or Murti of Dwarkadhish is 2.25ft high and is carved out of Black Stone. The current murti is the third one. The first Murti is now at Beyt Dwarka which was bought here to protect it from foreign invaders, the first Murti was believed to be worshipped by Rukmini herself. The second murti is at Dakor. The story goes that there was a little girl who was a devotee of Sri Krishna who used to travel from Dakor to Dwarka. Pleased by her devotion, Sri Krishna decided to go along with her and priests suspected that the girl had stolen the idol and when they approached the little girl, she paid them with gold coins and now the second idol sits at Dakor. Priests suspected that there is another idol at Savitri Taalav and when they dug the place in a hurry an incomplete idol came out. This is the current image of Sri Krishna that is being worshipped. The idol of Sri Krishna faces the western direction which suggests that he might be looking at the sea where his city has been submerged. Other temples are located at the Dwarkadhish temple complex.  As Dwarkadhish temple is a collection of the temple, one can notice smaller temples here such as Kusheshwar Mahadev Temple – A shiva temple Navagraha Yantra Kashi Visvanath Shivalingam Gayatri Devi Temple Aniruddha and Pradyumna Temple Rishi Durvasa Temple Amba Ji Temple Devaki Temple Radha Krishna Temple Shankaracharya Samadhi Gates of Dwarkadhish temple Dwarkadhish Temple has 2 entrances, they are titled Moksha Dwara and Swarga Dwara. From the Swarga dwara, 56 steps lead down to Gomti Ghat and stories suggest that 56 steps represent 56 crore yadavas. Ceremonies As mentioned before, the temple is busy all day long where they follow a strict routine. During the day, there will be aarti, darshans, and bhogs. The activities mean, devotees converse with the deity and offer food.  Throughout the day, the Shringar of the deity is changed and every time the shringar is changed, the backdrop of the deity is changed where the deity is put on with amazing jewellery. Flag Hoisting Ceremony One of the striking features of the Dwarkadish temple is its flags. And every time you look, a different colored flag will be visible as it is changed 3 times in morning hours and twice evening hours. There is a waiting list of 2 years for a person to sponsor flags. The flags itself hold great importance here. The family sponsoring the flag should feed all the Brahmanas in Dwarka and they bring the flag singing and dancing to the temple premises. The flag is then offered to the deity where a person from the Brahmin community goes up and changes the flag. The flag that is sponsored comes with a lot of rules where it should measure 52 yards. 52 smaller flags are attached to the large flag representing 52 sub-casts of yadavas. Another theory says 52 represents the 52 doors that Dwarka once had. The flag can be of any color except black and the flag should have a sun and a moon emblem on it. Add to Bookmarks

Things to do in Dwarka Dwarka is an ancient city in the Northwestern state of Gujarat which is also an important pilgrimage site. It is located on the banks of the Gomti River. Dwarka is one of the 4 Chardham and one of the 7 religious cities in India. Dwarka was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Krishna and is believed to be the first capital of Gujarat. Being an historic city, you can explore many things to do in this ancient city. Dwarkadhish Temple default default default default One of the famous temples in Dwarka is Dwarkadhish. When you visit this ancient city of Dwarka, you should not miss visiting this temple and make sure you visit the temple once in the morning and once in the evening. One of the striking features of the Dwarkadhish temple is that the flag of the temple is changed 5 times a day. The flag will be sponsored by a family and it is a huge affair here. Dwarkadhish Temple is situated on the banks of the Gomti River and the temple worships Lord Krishna who was King of Dwarka. The temple is supposed to be built by Vajranabh, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna. Nageshwar Temple One of the jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, Nageshwar jyotirlinga is one of the 12 jyotirlingas and is located around 15kms from the city center. Nageshwar temple is one of the oldest temples mentioned in Shiva Purana and is believed to be the first of all 12 jyotirlingas. The swayambhu lingam is enshrined in the underground chamber of Nageshwar Temple and thousands of pilgrims visit this location all-year-round. The temple is built with the typical Hindu architecture. This is a unique temple as Shiva Lingam faces south and the gomugam faces the east. The Shiva lingam at Nageshwar temple is a tri-mukhi rudraksha and is around 40cms in height and 30cms in diameter. The Ghats have an important place in Hindu mythology where people worship, Gomati Ghat is one of the sacred ghats located on the banks of River Gomti in Dwarka and is located behind Dwarkadhish temple. Gomati Ghat is located at the mouth of the Gomti River, which is one of the important tributaries of the sacred River Ganges. According to the myths, River Gomti is a daughter of Vashistha Muni and her waters are enough to purge one’s sins. There is a space of 56 steps from Dwarkadhish temple and Gomati Ghat and taking a dip here is believed to be sacred and will liberate one’s sins committed in previous births. It is also said, Lord Krishna, himself took bath several times here. Rukmini Temple One of the important sites to visit in Dwarka is Rukmini Devi Temple.Rukmini Devi who is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. and this temple is dedicated to the beloved wife of Lord Krishna. The temple is believed to be constructed for more than 2500 years but its domed mandapa and stepped sanctuary belong to the 12th Century. The sanctum of the temple has a marble idol of Devi Rukmani and is an architectural marvel in itself. On the walls, there will be rich paintings on the walls depicting Rukmini and Krishna. The Rukmini Devi temple is located on the banks of the Bhagirathi river and never miss out on visiting this temple while you visit the ancient city of Dwarka. Shivrajpur beach is one of the famous beaches in Gujarat and is a must-visit location. It is a beautiful beach with white sands which offers stunning sunsets and picturesque views to the tourists. The beach is not much commercialized which makes it ideal for tourists to visit and spend some quality time off away from chaotic city experience. If you are lucky, you can spot Dolphins and beautiful birds on the sea here, recently, beach management has introduced water sports, food, and shopping areas for visitors. Recently, Shivrajpur Beach has been certified with Blue Flag which means it is one of the cleanest beaches in the world. To get a blue flag certification, a beach should have 33 stringent criteria approved which are based on environmental education and information, bathing water quality, environmental management, and conservation of the beaches. The Blue flag is one of the world’s most prestigious voluntary awards for beaches and getting a blue flag certified will help to increase tourism to the state. Shree Nath Dining Hall is a local Restaurant Run by an elderly lady  and her family that offers local authentic Gujarati Food with personal care and touch by the lady who personally visits every table and serves us food and are treated like house guests. All the spread is for Rs 130 for the thali and generally takes 1 hour waiting time during peak hours. Add to Bookmarks

Seychelles will be reopening its borders from the end of this month as the island nation gears up to welcome tourists and is hoping to resuscitate a sector for the economy which has been battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. When the coronavirus started spreading all across the world, authorities sealed off the archipelago to the rest of the world and thus bringing losses to travel, resorts, cruise ships, and nature reserves of the customers. “Seychelles will reopen to tourists from all over the world … on March 25,”  said a state-owned news agency according to the statement provided by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde. Tourists from all over the world except South Africa can enter the archipelago. Revenue from tourism fell over 61% as anti-coronavirus restrictions cut arrivals by 70%. The Island nation would be open to tourists however, it comes with rules where the tourists need to undertake coronavirus tests within 72 hours before entering the country. Tourists who are tested negative need not quarantine, however, they need to stay at hotels that are certified by the government and need to comply with coronavirus measures. Wearing masks, hand sanitizing, and social and physical distancing will be mandatory. “We are hoping that this will give the economy the breathing space that the economy needs, the country needs,” said the minister as quoted by the agency. The country so far has at least 2,618 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 11 deaths, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) data. Add to Bookmarks