Panda's.

The cabby muttered derisively under his breath whilst warning us of the Panda's menace at Dwaraka.
I remember being similarly warned in Puri Jaganatha temple Orissa of the persistence f Panda's to extract money from pilgrims in the garb of conducting rituals ,on a visit to that temple decades back.

The panda's of Dwaraka are quaintly dressed ,with sleeveless colourful brocade waist coats over equally colourful silk dhoti's and adorned with ear rings ,a tiny tuft of protruding hair at the back of their heads and their forehead smeared with a red tilak.They were all around the place and at the temple.They reminded me of the Pottu dikshitars of Chidambaram koil at Tamilnadu ,whose life and livelihood is also similarily entwined with the temple.

No panda approached me.In fact it was i who approached them enquiring them about the availability of any special tickets for quick and easy darshan.They said that no such thing like special darshan, existed in this temple.In fact one young panda very kindly showed me the place where i could feel the arti after it is shown to Dwarkaadeesh.He said that he was a Brahman like all pandas are and that he had studied only upto 10 th and knew only a dash of Yajur Veda and that it was their duty and privilege since time immemorial to guide the devotees around this hoary place and enlighten them of the traditions associated with this temple.He didn't charge me for conducting me around.

My encounter with the young panda's was quite pleasant.They answered all my questions with a smile and wern't pushy or mean like the harassed middle aged panda's ,like any middle ager tends to generally be in their given professions..
Photos:On top Rukmani sthal.This is the place where the mariage of Krishna and Rukmini took place .It is 4 kms away from Dwaraka.The presiding deity of this marvellously sculpted temple is Rukmani.
Below.An young panda at Rukamni stahl.