Beyt Dwaraka.

After an early morning darhan at the Dwaraka temple the next day, we travelled by road to Okha port ,32 kms away to catch a boat there to reach Bet dwaraka .A huge factory of TAtAs ,manufacturing salt was on the way.

Bet Dwaraka is said to be the actual place of residence of Sri Krishna whilst Dwaraka was his seat of power.IT once held his palace. It is separated from the mainland by a strip of Arabian sea .May be the effect of an ancient tsunami.Pieces of ancient masonry whose carbon dating corroborates with Lord Krishna's reign as per ancient Hindu traditions has been found by archaeologists with the aid of under water swimmers .There is a move to exhibit them in a museum.

We caught a boat,literally!I am sure it was Dwarakanath who made me board and disembark the bobbing boat with a wobbly and painful knee,without a hitch! A powerful deity,indeed! The boat was put to the sea only when it was packed with devotees and locals to the brim . As we set forth pure white sea birds hovered around and above us, in thrilling formations and with enchanting fluttering of their snow white wings ,catching the nuts tossed in the air by the passengers.
A tour guide explained that these winged entertainers were migratory birds that flew away in the hot summer to return only in the winter.

What was amazing was their total lack of fear of human beings .Nearly pecking seeds from outstretched palms!What struck me on the whole about Gujarat is that it is a very bird friendly place .There are variety of birds flocking very near human beings, fearlessly .And the people feed them all ,lovingly with seeds.

Could it be that the birds know by instinct and historically that they needn't fear for their lives from a population that is mainly vegetarian?

The boat ride was barely 15 minutes over calm blue waters of the Arabian sea.But the walk to the temple was more time consuming .Many old women preferred being pushed on a hand cart by fierce looking locals for a fee ,on the long jetty.

Had a nice and peaceful darshan of Krishna as well as of the beautiful form of Lakshmi in an adjacent shrine.
But the temple is a disappointment.It is crumbling and looks totally run down though some renovation work is going on ,amidst a lot of encroachments.

As usual the security is very tight, efficient and meticulous at the entry like every where else be it at a temple or at the airport.

However more need to be done to restore the past glory of this temple and provide facilities [that are non existent] to 1000's who cross the sea to have a darshan of Krishna every day.

The trip back by boat was once again enlivened by the presence of the fearless and energetic sea birds.

Note:SinceRS. 200 crores has been allocated by the state govt for the upliftment of Dwaraka i am sure this temple and place will also get a face lift.
Bet dwaraka.
The boat on the seas between Okha and Bet Dwaraka
The dilapidated krishna's temple at Bet Dwaraka.This photo is of the outside.Cameras are strictly prohibited within.

Photo on top:The calm blue waters of Bet Dwaraka.