A weekend in Dwaraka - 21 April 2024

After excellent overnight rest and a superb breakfast I left for the Shivrajpur Beach, which has recently received the Blue Flag beach accreditation. The beach is 12 kilometers from Dwarka along the Dwarka-Okha Highway. There is an entrance fee of Rs. 30 per adult. The Shivrajpur Beach is well-maintained and is one of Gujarat's most well-known beaches. One can walk along the rocky shoreline to the lighthouse nearby. Infrastructure facilities are being put up by the government to attract more visitors.

The CM is on record that the beach and facilities will be developed to rival Goa! Even a caravan park is on the anvil. There are a variety of activities one can enjoy with friends and family like snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, island tours and sea bathing. One can even sit idly by the silent sea in the evening and watch the sun bid adieu to the day! One good thing is that the public beach and water sports are in two different areas so as not to interfere with each other.

While researching places to see in and around Beyt Dwaraka, Tiger Hill was always popping up. It is located at one corner near the Okha Port. When I reached there after detours and deviations due to ongoing road works, I was told by an armed guard that the place is not open to tourists as it a defense establishment belonging to the Indian Navy. With that plan spiked I took a long drive along the fishing harbour of Okha. I also took time to explore the Shiva Temple by the seashore in Okha. The setting is awesome, and the premise is neatly maintained.

I took the Sudarshan Setu cable-stayed bridge, which connects Okha to the Beyt Dwarka island in the Gulf of Kutch. The total length of the bridge is 2,320 metres and was built at a cost of Rs. 980 crores. It was inaugurated on 25 February 2024. The bridge serves the people living on the island as well as about two million pilgrims who visit the temples on the island.

Beyt Dwaraka, the sacred Hindu pilgrimage destination, is believed to have been the original home of Lord Krishna during his years spent in Dwarka as king. Known also as Shankhodhar, the island which is just 2 km wide, and 8 km long is said to have been a gift from Sudama to Lord Krishna. Bet Dwarka is considered to have been part of the ancient city of Dwaraka.

On the way back from Beyt Dwaraka I took a detour to Gopi Talav, a pond believed to be the divine place where all the Gopis performed their last raas leela with Lord Krishna. Many believe that the Gopis of Vrindavan met Krishna one last time here in Dwarka and danced in complete divinity. After the Lord moved to Dwarka, the Gopis of Vrindavan could not bear this separation and came to meet him one last time.  After the last raas leela, all the Gopis offered their lives to the soil of this land and attained salvation.

The last halt was at the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga Temple. It is one of the legendary temples mentioned in the Shiva Purana. Legend has it that the jyotirlingas are the outcome of a disagreement between the Vishnu and Brahma about their supremacy and the intervention of Shiva. It is believed that there were originally sixty-four jyotirlingas, of which twelve are considered to be especially auspicious and holy. At all these sites, the primary deity is a lingam.

Indeed, the weekend sojourn in Dwaraka was educative and most enjoyable.