- Akshardham
Akshardham is a homage to the Sarafan
DAa/ma in stone. The monument which is set in a 23-acre plot at
Gandhinagar (Gandhinagar district) is built in pink sandstone. It is
108 feet tall and 6000 tonnes of stone has gone into its making. A
point worth noting is that this modern monument to Hinduism was built
as per the injunctions of Vastu Shastra. Not a bit of steel
has been used.
The monument stands on $7
sculpted pillars, 210 single-piece stone beams, 57 window
grills, M domes, eight ornate zarokhas, etc. The sanctum
sanctorum contains a 1.2 tonne gold-plated idol of Lord Swaminarayan,
the founder of the sect that bears his name. The 7-foot idol is shown
in a sitting posture with his right hand raised in abhay mudra. He is
flanked by Swami Gunatitanand on his right and Swami Gopalanand Swami
on his left. Both of them were his disciples. Swami Gunatitanand is
called Swaminarayan's Akshardham the eternal abode. According to the
Swaminarayan philosophy whenever Lord Swaminarayan incarnates on this
planet he brings with him his Akshardham.
Gunatitanand Swami is also called
Aksharbrahma and ranks second in the hierarchy of the Bochasanvasi
Akshar Purushottam Sanstha which built the Akshardham monument.
Inspiring episodes and incidents from
the glorious history of Sanatan Dharma are presented in sound
and light form for the benefit of the visitors. The show takes the
visitors through various facets of Hinduism. So far millions of people
have visited the monument since its inception on November 2,1992. They
have been able to savour the story of Hinduism and to imbibe the
message of universal peace and brotherhood.
The wisdom of the Vedas, the
epics, the Puranas is depicted on a crowded canvas by the
exhibition. The visitor comes face to face with personages who have
made this land what it is.
It is a perfect mix of
modernity and ancient values. Apart from Lord Ram going in search of
his kidnapped wife, the visitor can see Shravan, the dutiful son, the
Pandavas losing the game of dice in the Hastinapur palace, etc.
Besides the visitors can see Sabari's long wait for Ram and Draupadi's
humiliation in the Kauravasabha.
The Hall of Harmony projects world
religious side by side. The monument is ringed by aparikrama
containing 365 stone pillars.
- Ambaji
Ambaji (Banaskantha district) is the
seat of Ambe Mata, the mother goddess. Hers is a household name in the
state. People pay homage to her during Navratri in song and
dance. She is an aspect of goddess Parvati Shiv's consort. Amba or
Ambe Mata is shown riding a tiger during the Navratri
celebrations. Navratri in Gujarat is comparable to the
worship of Saraswati in Bengal.
Hindus do not believe in gender bias
where divinities are concerned. Krishna says in the Gita, "I
am the father of this universe and even the source of the father. I am
the mother of the universe and the creator of all." The logic is
simple. If god is our father why can't he be our mother? Ambe Mata is
the Adya Shakti- the primordial female power the mother goddess.
The Ambaji temple which is situated
on the Arasur hill in the Aravali Range does not contain any idol. It
has only a yantra engraved in a niche. The shrine is made of
marble. Large number of devotees visit the shrine during the Purnima
fAirs held on the full moon day oiKartik, Chaitra, Bhadrapad
and also Navratri is celebrated on a grand scale here.
Ambaji is one of the 64 Shakti Piths.
The Shakti Piths have been established at those places where
the pieces of Sati's body fell. It came about this way. Shiv's
father-in-law Daksha Prajapati felt
insulted when the son-in-law did not
stand up to receive him. In order to slight him he organized
ayagna and did not invite Shiv. Sati went to the
yagna uninvited. She too felt slighted when people failed to take
note of her presence. According to Puranas she fell into the
sacrificial fire. Shiv picked up her body and rushed about in great
grief. Vishnu had to intervene. He cut up the body with his discus, so
that Shiv may regain his composure. According to tradition one of the
pieces fell at Ambaji.
A short distance from Ambaji is the
Gabbar Hill. It is said that the goddess revealed herself on the Hill
and left her footprints.
- Dakor
An interesting legend relates how
Lord Krishna came to reveal himself at Dakor (KAira District) leaving
his Dwarka abode. In olden times a Krishna devotee named Bholanath
used to walk all the way to Dwarka from Dakor on every full moon night
to worship his beloved Krishna. The all-knowing God noticed the
difficulties which his devotee was undergoing. The god told Bholanath
when he was visiting Dwarka that he need not walk all the way to
distant Dwarka as he had decided to stay at Dakor (Dhankpuri of olden
times). So God accompanied him to Dakor.
The priests at Dwarka temple were
naturally upset at the turn of events. They somehow or other wanted to
get backthe stone-idol of Ranchhodrai (Krishna). Both at Dwarka and
Dakor Krishna is known Ranchhodrai. It is said that he ran away from
battle when Kalyavan attacked him as an ally of Jarasandh. So Krishna
is called Ranchhodrai - one who ran away from the battle. The priest
of Dwarka knew that Bholanath was a poor man. So they told him that he
should either pay for the stone idol in gold or return it. The
only golden ornament the poor devotee
had was his wife's nose ring. When the idol and the nose ring were
placed in the scales they were found to be equal in weight. That is
how Krishna changed his residence from Dwarka to Dakor for the
convenience of a devotee. The belief is the Krishna idol of Dakor was
originally from Dwarka.
On every Sharad Purnlma a big fAir Is
held at Dakor. Gujaratis venerate Krishna and Dakor provides an
important link in this.
- Dwarka
Dwarka (Jamnagar district) in ancient
Anarta (Saurashtra) was the capital of Lord Krishna's terrestrial
kingdom. He shifted to Kusasthali which was the old name of the region
to escape the harassing raids of Kamsa's father-in-law Jarasandha on
Mathura after Krishna had killed Kamsa. Kusasthali was Krishna's
ancestral place on his mother's side. It was founded by Raivata, his
Yadava ancestor after he had lost his kingdom to Punyajanas and
migrated to Mathura for safety; then he came back to found Kusasthali.
So Krishna's migration to the Dwarka was in the reverse order.
Dwarka which was known as Suvarna
Dwarka (the golden Dwarka) had been very prosperous and hence got the
name. The Dwarkadhish temple honours Krishna Bhagwan and attracts
thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the country. The Dwarka
of Krishna's time lies submerged under the Arabian Sea. Tradition has
itthat Krishna's residence was at Bet Dwarka, a few kms from the
mainland Dwarka.
The Dwarkadhish temple (also known as
Jagat temple) and its Sikhar rises to 170 feet. The pataka or flag of
the temple is changed three times a day. Pilgrims and devotees vie
with one another to pay for the flag. There are special tailors to
stitch it. Before hoisting the flag it is taken round the temple by
the donor. The five-storeyed temple stands on 60 pillars. The pilgrims
enter the temple by Swarg Dwar (the gateway of heaven) and leave by
Moksh Dwar (the gateway of salvation).
The temple has rich carvings. The
ancient shrine has been supported by kings and commoners alike from
its inception. It is one of the important moksh dhams. The
Gomti River flows nearby.
The other temples in Dwarka are the
Trikamji temple, Kalyanrai temple, the Patrani temple, Durvas temple,
etc. Sharda Pith set up by Adi Shankaracharya imparts instruction in
Sanskrit. Darukvan in the region is one of the Jyotirlingas.
-
Girnar
Mt.Girnar (Junagadh district) is a
sacred hill both to the Hindus and Jains. The Jains call it Mt.
Neminath. According to traditional history, Siddhas have used it as a
retreat to undertake tapasya since ancient times. The 3660
feet hill is connected with Lord Krishna. When Kalayavan, apparently a
warrior of foreign origin, was chasing him, the Lord got the better of
the powerful adversary in a curious way. Raja Muchkund was sleeping in
one of the caves of Raivatachal mountain (the ancient name for Girnar.)
He was taking rest after fighting on behalf of the gods. After his
exertions Muchkund had only one desire rest and repose. He got a boon
that whoever disturbed his sleep would be reduced to ashes when he
opened his eyes. This boon Krishna knew. What better way to get rid of
Kalyavan. So he pretended as if he was running away from Kalyavan and
led him to the cave where the king was sleeping. Krishna covered
Muchkund with his upper cloth. Kalyavan after the long chase mistook
the sleeping figure for Krishna and woke him up and was reduced to
ashes.
Girnar was known by different names
at different periods-Ujjayant, Manipur, Chandraketupur, Raivat Nagar,
Puratanpur, Girivar and Girnar. Of the sever peaks five are important
Amba Mata, Gorakhnath, Augadh, Guru Datatreya and Kalika.
The pilgrims have to climb 4000 steps
to reach the top. There are five important Jain temples, besides
several Hindu shrines.
The most prominent Jain shrine is the
rectangular Neminath temple which was completed between 1128 CE and
1159 CE. Neminath (the 22th Tirthankar) is carved in black
marble with jewelled eyes. The courtyard is filled with sculptures.
Further up is the Amba temple. Newlyweds who seek Mataji's blessings
for a happy married life frequent it.
The Mallinath temple dedicated to the
19th Tirthankar was built in 1231 CE by Vastupal and Tejpal.
Neminath is shown in blue colour. The Rishabhadev temple in golden
colour has 24 Tirthankars. The Parshwanath temple was built in the
15th century. It is known as Meravasi. The Dattatreya hill is half way
down the temple cluster.
It is best to start the climb in the
morning. Bhavnath Shiv temple is the first shrine on the upward path.
Bhartruhari cave, Sorath Mahal, Bhim Kund and Suryakund are the other
important places. Gomukkhi Kund has pellucid water fed by a mountain
stream. Hanuman Dharaand Kamandal are the other/rumfe.
- Palitana
Imagine two peaks covered with
shrines you have the Jain pilgrimage centre of Palitana (Bhavnagar
district) atop the Shatrunjay Hill. There are 900 temples big and
small on the two summits. The sculptures that adorn the marble temples
present a feast to the eyes. You need not be a Jain to admire the
spectacle. Generations of Jams all over the country have contributed
their mite to make Shatrunjay Hill what it is today.
It is said all the Jain
Tirthankars, excepting Neminath, had attained nirvan on
Shatrunjay Hill. This fact adds to the veneration the devout have for
the place. The place is therefore called Siddhakshetra where one
attains moksh.
The mountain is associated with
Rishabhdev, the first Tirthankar who is also known as Adinath.
The main temple at the top contains his idol in padmasan. He
belonged to the Ikshvaku Dynasty of Ayodhya. So Rama was his ancestor.
Adinath visited the Shatrunjay Hill 93 times.
The temple chain starts with the
shrine constructed by Babu Dhanpatsinh of Murshidabad at the foot of
the hill. The pilgrims have to ascend 3745 steps to reach the 1800
feet hill. It takes between one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours to
reach the summit. Those who cannot climb can use sling chAirs. The
steps were hewn out of the rock in the 13th century CE during the time
of Jain minister Vastupal. The visitors cannot take any eatable on way
to it. They can, however, drink water and water posts are provided all
along the route. They have the footprints of Tirthankars.
They can eat only after coming down the hill. Every shrine has idols
of Tirthankars adorned with jeweled eyes.
Pilgrims make their offerings at the
main temple containing the Adinath idol. The temple has been renovated
and rebuilt several times since its inception. A Jain merchant Javad
Shah renovated the shrine in Vikram Samvat 1018 forthe 13th
time.
Originally the temple was built of
wood and Siddhraj Jaisimha's minister Udaymehta got it built in marble
at the fabulous cost of Rs. 2.97 crores. Siddhraj's descendant
Kumarpal extended the temple.
The present temple was constructed in
1618 CE. The Adinath temple is situated on DadaniTuk. There
are nine tuks all along the route containing shrines.
The most famous temples are those of
Adinath, Kumarpal, Vimalshah, Samprati Raja and the Chomukh which is
the highest. Besides there are temples dedicated to Hindu gods and
goddesses like Saraswati, Shivji, Hanumanji, etc. The Saraswati temple
is nearthefootof the hill. Angar Pir's shrine is situated at the top
of the hill. Barren women pray for children at the Muslim saint's
shrine.
-
Somnath
The Someshwar Mahadev temple
stands tall among the temples of India. The construction of the
present temple in Junagadh district began in 1950. It is the seventh
temple built to commemorate the glory of Lord Somnath who was known as
BhAiraveshwar in the Sa(ya Yug, Shravanikeshwar in Treta
Yug and Shrigaleshwar in DwaparYug.
According to legend, Soma, the moon
God built the temple in gold, Ravan in silver, Krishna in wood and
king Bhimdev of Anhilwad in stone. Soma constructed the temple as a
gesture after Lord Shiva cured him of his illness. This illness was
caused by his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati's curse. Daksha cursed
him to wane as he was infatuated with Rohini and was neglecting the
other 26 wives, all 26 of whom were the daughters of Prajapati. It is
said that Brahma advised him to build the temple in honour of Shiva.
In the first phase of construction
the shikhar portion, the sanctum sanctorum and the sabha
mandap (assembly hall) were built. The nritya mandap (the dancing
hall) was built later. The temple has been constructed in the Solanki
style.
The pinnacle rides to a height of 155
feet. The kalash atop the shikhar weighs 10 tonnes.
The flag- mast is 37 feet long. These details give an idea of the size
of the temple. In historical times the temple, the third to be
precise, was raged to the ground by Sultan Mohmad of Ghazni. Then
Sultans Allauddin and Mohmad Begda too desecrated it.
After the Maraths took over Gujarat
Rani Ahalyabai of Indore constructed a temple near the old temple and
worship is offered there ever since.
The temple is so situated that there
is no land from here to the South Pole. An arrow indicates the
direction.
Dehotsarga
also called Balkh Tirth where Krishna shuffled off his
mortal coil is nearby which the pilgrims should visit. The tirtha
stands at the confluence of Hiranya, Saraswati and Kapila rivers.
Vallabhacharya's Baithak is also there at Prabhas Patan.
-
Sun Temple
Constructed in 1026-27 A.D. during
the reign of King Bhimdev I of Patan, the temple is dedicated to Surya
or the Sun God. Although it bears a dilapidated look, it is still a
magnificent specimen of superb artistry of Gujarat's architects of the
bygone days. Modhera's sun temple is positioned in such a manner that
at the equinoxes the rising sun strikes the images in the sanctuary.
It also incorporates an amusement
park, a museum, a cafeteria, picture gallery and library.
The canvas on the walls and pillars
depict the incidents from the Ramayan and the Mahabharat, and forms of
gods and goddesses and the way of life of the people of that time. An
interesting iconograph is one with three heads, three arms and three
legs.
The temple was ruined by Mahmud of
Gazni.
Adjoining the Sun Temple is the huge
'Sun Kund' (Rama Kund) surrounded by step-terraces with numerous
smaller temples numbering about 108.
