Dakor - A Sacred Land

Shantakaram bhujagshayanam padmanaabham suresham

Vishwadharam gagansadrisham meghavarnam shubhangam

Lakshmikantham kamalanayanam

Yogibhirdhyangamyam

Vande Vishnu bhavbhayharam

Sarva lok ek natham

This is based on the true story of my hometown which is narrated from the point of view of Gangabai- a devotee of Lord Krishna who along with her husband Bhakt Bodana had played a major role in one of the most beautiful Leela of Lord Krishna. 

Jay Ranchhodray. Har Har Mahadev. My salutations to Hidimbi Mata, Gomti Maiya, Danka Rishi, Bhakt Bodana and his wife Gangabai, Gopal Rao Tambekar and Peshwa Madhav Rao and also to all the various sages who meditated in the Dandak forests. Thank you to my parents, the people of Dakor and all those online sources and books which helped me in knowing about the history of my hometown without which I wouldn't have been able to write this. Thank you to Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni whose work inspired me. 

I heartily welcome my readers to Dakor. 

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 13th century, Bharat

"Let's go, Ganga '' my husband Vijay called out for me. I rushed outside and started walking with him. It was our first pilgrimage trip after marriage. We were going to Dwarka with my husband's Guruji. The Guruji had pledged to travel by foot to Dwarka from our hometown - Dankpur and we were accompanying him. I was very excited. I am an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. My excitement was evident on my face and my husband sensed it and smiled at me. He understood me as he is also a devotee of Lord Krishna. Ever since I had heard stories of Lord Krishna I wanted to visit all those places where he had lived. And Dwarka was the place where he had spent most of the later part of his life. When we reached there we saw the beautiful and magnificent temple of Dwarkadhish (King of Dwarka). It was made up of limestone and was painted with a shade of light brown color. We entered the Nij mandir where the idol of the Lord was present. There were 72 pillars in the Nij mandir. As soon as I saw the idol of Lord everything around me faded away. The idol was so beautiful that one could not take his/her eyes away from him. The black coloured idol with four hands carrying lotus, mace, conch and disc was so attractive that it felt as if Lord Krishna was actually standing before us. And then something happened. It was a vision. I felt that the statue moved. It was as if the statue had changed a bit. It was as if it was holding a flute also this time. And suddenly there was sand under my feet but it was a strange kind of sand. Somewhat moist and smooth. And then I saw colors in the air. It felt as if suddenly we were celebrating the festival of Holi. But then everything disappeared. I opened my eyes and I was back in the Dwarkadhish mandir. My eyes were filled with tears of love and devotion. I looked at my husband. His eyes were also filled with tears. I wondered if he also had some kind of vision or if it was just out of love and devotion. We chanted along with the crowd "Jay Ranchhodray." Ranchhodrai- name given to Lord Krishna when he left the battlefield when they were fighting with Jarasandha in Mathura and came to Dwarka. It was a part of many Leelas of Bhagwan. As it was the eighteenth attack from Jarasandha on Mathura, Krishna knew that wasting the lives of people was of no use. Also, Kalyavana was attacking this time. Mathura's end was near and that's why Lord shifted all the people to Dwarka. Also, Kalyavana was destined to be killed that day and Lord Krishna did that by performing one more Leela. He took him to a cave where a man called Muchkunda was sleeping for a long time. He was given a boon that whoever woke him and came first under his gaze would die. Kalyavana kicked him, mistaking him for Lord. Muchkunda's gaze fell on him. And Kalyavana died. This story taught us how every action of the Lord had a higher purpose for the betterment of the world.

After that we went to see the ocean. The real Dwarka of Lord Krishna which was made up of gold was under the sea. I wondered what it must have looked like at the time of Lord Krishna's reign. And then we went to Gomti river. Our village Dankpur had a lake with the same name. There is a legend behind it. My husband's eyes lit up. I knew he was going to narrate the same story that he had narrated to me many times after marriage. It was his favorite. I listened to it with the same excitement as the first time because of the way his eyes shone when he shared it. The story of his home town- Dankpur. 

Dankpur was surrounded by various forests in ancient times. They were called Dandak vans. In one of these forests Mata Sati, wife of Lord Shiva and an avatar of Goddess Shakti in human form, had taken Lord Rama's test by disguising as his wife Sita. But Lord Rama immediately recognised her and folded his hands and called her Maate (mother). Lord Shiva also appeared there after knowing what had happened. Sati Mata realized her mistake and accepted that Lord Rama was indeed an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Also, this is the same place where Hidimbi, wife of Bheem from Mahabharata and her brother Hidimba used to live. Because of this reason these forests were also called Hidimba van. Dank Rishi (sage) of Kashi who had impressed Lord Shiva with his devotion decided to pay a visit to this place when he found out that Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Mata Sati and Mahadev had come to this place. He gave the responsibilities of his hermitage to his brother and came to Hidimba van. He meditated for many years in these forests. He performed severe penances and renounced food and water. Being happy by his devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before him. 

"I'm impressed by your devotion. Ask for any boon you want, my dear devotee." Lord said.

"I want you to stay here with me forever so that I can worship you every day. " Rishi said. 

Lord Shiva smiled. He touched his trident to the ground and a Shiva Linga appeared at that place. 

"I'll always remain here with you in this form." Lord said and disappeared. 

Rishi Dank was very happy. He called other Rishis and together they built a Shiva temple and installed the Linga in the temple. The temple was named Danknath Mahadev temple. All Shiva devotees came to worship Lord Shiva. The town was named Dankpur after this temple. Thereafter, surrounding temples were built by other sages that had come here after the invitation from Rishi Danka. Galav Muni built his ashram(hermitage) to the east of Dankpur. He erected the Shiva Linga known as Galaveshwar which came to be known as Galteshwar with time and called for Ganga to participate in the worship of Lord Shiva. Galavi Ganga was the name of the Ganga. Khalaka Muni erected Lord Nilakantha Mahadev and worshiped him in the west. Sura Muni founded Sri Sureshwar Shankar in the north-west, and the village came to be known as Surapura (present day Sui). Nilakantha Muni founded Sri Ranamukteshwar Shankar in the East, a short distance from Galteshwar. Naishh Muni built a shrine for Lord Hanuman and gave the forest in the south-east his name, Naishh (a famous present day pilgrim town with the temple of Lord Hanuman). Thus this place was also named Pancha Tirtha (five pilgrims). 

It is said that once Bheem and Lord Krishna were traveling through these forests when a worker of Rishi Dank's hermitage saw them. He immediately went to Lord Krishna and bowed down to him. "We are truly lucky that today Lord Krishna has also set his foot on this land of ours. Rishi Danka lives nearby and has made a Shiva temple where Lord Shiva resides in the form of Linga after he was impressed by devotion of our respected sadhu maharaj. He would be very happy to see you and meet you." he said.

"It would be my honor to meet him. And also I want to have Lord Shiva's darshan." said Lord Krishna. 

"Sure." The worker said happily and ran towards a lake where Rishi was bathing. Rishi became happy by this news and got ready immediately and went to meet Lord. He bowed down to God. Then they went to Shiva temple. Lord Krishna sang and performed the aarti. Bheem played the drums. The entire atmosphere of the temple was ethereal. Many people gathered to have this view of Lord Krishna singing for Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva became happy and appeared in front of them. Lord Krishna thanked Rishi Danka for this temple as it was because of him that he could have Lord Shiva's darshan. He told Rishi Danka to ask for whatever he wanted as a boon. Rishi Danka was happy. But he knew Krishna was not as easy to please as Lord Shiva. He asked Lord Krishna to promise that he will give him whatever he asks for. Krishna hesitated. But Lord Shiva told him that he had full faith in Rishi so he need not to worry. Lord Krishna agreed. 

"I want you to stay here with me in the same way as Lord Shiva." Rishi said. Krishna was taken aback. It was not possible. But then an idea came to his mind and he agreed. Lord Shiva was happy and then disappeared. Then Lord Krishna said "I promised to stay with you. So I'll stay here tonight as you didn't mention the duration. But tomorrow I'll go."

Rishi Danka had been tricked. 

"That's not fair. Please my Lord be here with me. I want to worship you every day." he said.

Lord Krishna finally gave in. "Respected Rishi, I can't stay here right now as I have many duties on earth but I promise that in Kalyug after 4222 years from now onwards when my duty will be over in Dwarka, I'll come here and will stay here forever." he said

"But till then, I won't be alive." Rishi said sadly. 

"I'm giving you a boon that you'll be alive till that time and you'll get to see me and worship me." said Krishna.

"Thank you, my Lord," said Rishi.

That night Lord Krishna stayed there. Next morning Krishna asked Bheem to dig a larger lake out of a small pond in Dankpur near the temple. Bheem started doing that. Lord Krishna closed his eyes and called upon waters of Gomti river of Dwarka to be present in Dankpur also. After that Lord Krishna named it Gomti and took a bath in it. Also, he performed Shiva Linga abhishek in Dankpur temple with the holy water of Gomti Lake. This is how our town also has Gomti lake. And our town is sacred and pious. We are very lucky that we get to live there. 

My husband concluded. 

"How many years left till the time Lord Krishna will come to our city." I asked him even though I knew the answer just to show that I was eagerly listening what he was saying.

"60 years more." he said " I wish I'm alive till then to see him once." my husband continued. 

"Of course you will be. And I hope I'll be alive too." I said.

"I had decided something," he said.

"What ?" I asked. 

"I'll come to Dwarka every six months by foot to worship Lord." he said 

"That's a very good thought. But won't it be too tough. It is very far from our town." I said 

"No matter how tough it is. I'll do it. There is nothing more joyous than to undergo penances for your beloved. He is my beloved, my Krishna." he said. 

I was moved after hearing that. I had truly been married to a great man.

"I'll always accompany you." I said.

He smiled.

After coming home we started growing a Tulsi plant in a pot. We decided to dedicate that Tulsi plant to Lord everytime we go to Dwarka as Tulsi plant was his favorite. After six months we again traveled by foot and visited the temple, worshiped the Lord and gave the Tulsi plant as a token of love to our god. We were from a lower middle class Rajput family. We didn't have much to offer to Lord Krishna except our devotion and this Tulsi plant. But we knew that Krishna himself had said in Bhagwad Gita that whoever gives him with love a flower, a leaf, a fruit or even water, he accepts it. I felt that I was the luckiest woman. My husband and I had the same values and beliefs. The journey that we did every six months was tough but with each other's company it became beautiful. We also had a unique way of calling each other. I would call him Swami and he called me Sarkar. Life was beautiful. 

One night I had that dream that I had seen many times before. In it my husband was trying to stop me from going outside. And as always I woke up in the middle. I wondered why I had such weird dreams as my husband had never behaved like that. But then I thought that dreams do not mean anything and I put it all aside and went back to sleep. 

On some days we went to Rishi Danka's ashram. I couldn't believe that the man had lived for so many years but it was true. It was as if he had stopped aging. With God's blessings everything is possible. But what I truly admire is the level of patience that this Rishi had. He must have seen so many things. He must have seen all his companions dying whereas he had to live and wait. Waiting is truly a difficult thing. It feels as if time has stopped or slowed down when we are waiting for something or someone. But in his case the duration was actually very long. I wonder how much longer it would have been for him than it actually is. I wonder if I could ever reach that level of devotion. It truly required a huge amount of patience, devotion and love. We bowed down to the respected sage. I had immeasurable respect for him. He blessed us and looked at us. There was something in his eyes, I couldn't guess what. It was as if there was suddenly some sort of shine in those eyes. My husband told him about our trip to Dwarka. He gave a wide smile. It felt nice to see him like that. Then my husband told him about his pledge. The sage was filled with pride and happiness. He blessed us and told us to always be such ardent Krishna devotees. We thanked him and then went to Shiva temple and at last returned to our home.

Years passed. We never broke our pledge. No matter what the weather or our health condition was, we always walked to Dwarka with our Tulsi pot. And whenever we used to reach the temple it was as if all our hardships vanished. It was all worth it. Whatever problems life threw at us somehow it always got solved. We knew it was all because of Raja Ranchhodrai.

Slowly, we started aging. I'm now in my late 70's and my husband is 80 years old. 

I had a dream one night that cleared all my doubts. In that dream I was telling my husband that I want to go out and play Holi with my little Krishna. But my husband refused. He told me that he didn't think that Krishna was divine or something powerful. He is just some sort of magician. I told him not to say such words but he would not listen. He said many wrong things about Krishna. He said he would sit at the gate so that I couldn't go out. I prayed to the Lord to let me meet my little Krishna. Suddenly a man entered our house. My husband greeted him. He called him Sunand bhai. I realized that he was my husband's brother. He asked my husband why he was not going for Holi celebrations. My husband shared everything. Sunand told my husband to go and have fun while he would make sure that neither I went outside nor Krishna would enter the house. As my husband left Sunand changed into someone else. I realized that it was Lord Krishna. He looked exactly like the idol that I had seen in Dwarka but a bit younger and was holding a flute in his hand. "It is me, aunt Sudhamani, please apply color to me. You have the first right to apply color to me then only I'll play Holi with anyone else." he said. I was overjoyed. I applied color on his face. After some time my husband returned and Lord again turned into Sunand. He didn't let my husband enter the house.

He said "I know you are Krishna in Vijayanand's disguise. My brother has told me about your magic tricks, I'm not going to be trapped." 

I tried controlling my laugh. Krishna and his leelas are wonderful. My husband tried convincing him a lot but he would not agree. Then he said that the only way to confirm is to go to Yamuna as she always tells the truth. We went to Yamuna. Both of them started walking deep inside Yamuna waters. I felt bad. I prayed to the Lord at that instant that please make my husband your devotee. Forgive him and give us your darshan. Just then Sunand changed into Krishna and then into Lord Vishnu. My husband was awestruck and so was I. My husband realized his mistake and apologized many times. 

Lord spoke "Because of your wife's devotion you could get my glimpse. Be thankful to her." 

My husband thanked me and then told the Lord that he wants to correct his mistake. He wants to be called a devotee just as his wife. 

"Sure. I bless you that both of you will be reborn as Vijay Singh Bodana and Ganga bai Bodana in Kalyug and you will be my devotees. You will play a very important role in one of my Leela." Lord said. I woke up. Now everything was clear to me. In my last birth in Dwapar yug I was Sudhamani- Lord Krishna's aunt whereas my husband was Vijayanand- Nand's brother. But I wondered in which Leela we had to play a role. Next day I shared everything with my husband. 

He thanked me and said "If it hadn't been for you, I would have never got Lord's darshan and I would never be a devotee in this birth. You truly are the reason behind all these. I think I have the idea about the Leela that Lord had told. The year which Lord had told that he would come to Dankpur is this year. Is it possible that we may play any role in this ?" 

I didn't have an answer. 

As always we went to Dwarka by foot. It is very difficult for us to walk now. On our way a bullock cart rider offered us a lift but we refused as it was against our pledge. Then we met a young couple who offered to lift our Tulsi pot for us but we politely declined that offer too. We reached Dwarka. My husband prayed to the Lord "I don't know if we will be able to come here on foot next time or not. I have become too old. So, I request you to come to my home and my town."

Another six months passed. Now, I didn't have the strength to continue but my husband was ready to go for one more time. My husband went to Dwarka. A few days passed. I remember it was Sharad Poornima. I had woken up early and was ready to go to the temple when I heard some commotion outside. I went outside and I saw many people from our town coming towards our house singing and dancing. I couldn't figure out what was going on. One woman came up to me and told me to take some sweets and go with her. Nobody gave me a proper answer. I went inside. I didn't have any sweets at home. So I mixed homemade butter with some sugar cubes. I went out with Makhan Mishri and after some time I reached a place near Gomti and what I saw I could not believe. My husband was standing there with Lord Krishna's idol. It was the Dwarkadhish temple's idol. I was overjoyed. The legend that we had heard came true. My husband had come with Lord Krishna to Dankpur. Dank Rishi also came to see the Lord. Everyone was singing, praying and dancing. I offered Makhan Mishri to Lord as Prasad. (That place is still present in Dakor.) We brought the idol home. When everyone had gone to their home after worshipping and celebrating, my husband told me how all this had happened. He told me that when he visited the Lord and prayed to him, he heard the Lord's idol talking to him. Lord told him to come at night with a bullock cart and take this idol with him. He asked Lord how it would be possible as at night gates will be closed and also guards won't allow him to go inside. Lord told him not to worry and just follow as Lord's instructions. My husband agreed. At night when he reached the temple he was shocked. The gates were open and all the guards were sleeping. It was all because of Yoga Maya's potency. It was the same that had helped Vasudev take Lord Krishna to Gokul from Mathura. Bodana went inside and took Lord's idol and kept it in a cart.

"But wait. You reached Dwarka on Chaturdashi right? Then how did you reach Dakor this morning ?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Listen, Sarkar. As soon as I caught hold of the rope of the cart, Lord Krishna told me to give it to him to ride. I told him that's not right. He is Lord. But then he said that we need to reach Dankpur early otherwise the guards would come searching. I agreed. And then he drove the cart." he said

"You mean that Lord himself drove you in a cart here. You are so lucky. I feel blessed." I said.

"Thank you. All this is just because of you. Lord told me that the bullock cart man that we had met last time was Lord himself and also the couple that told us that they can help with Tulsi pot was Lord Vishnu and Mata Lakshmi. He said that we had passed all his tests." he concluded happily. He had tears in his eyes. 

"Then he told me to take a nap. When I woke up I saw that Lord was cleaning his teeth with a branch of neem tree. I looked around and figured out that we were in Simlaj- a village near Dankpur. I was surprised how we had travelled from Dwarka to Dankpur in just one night. (The place where Lord Krishna had brushed and cleaned his teeth is now called Mithi Limbdi. The neem tree is still there. The one branch that Lord had used bears sweet leaves whereas all other branches bear bitter leaves.) After that Lord told me to drive from there onwards and he went inside the idol. 

We felt happy. It was as if our life's purpose was finally over. Every day many people gathered at our house to worship the Lord. Ten days had passed since then. In the morning I saw my husband taking the Lord's idol. 

"Where are you taking Lord's idol, Swami ?" I asked 

"This morning Lord Krishna came in my dream and told me that Dwarka's King had found out about me. All of them knew about Dank Rishi's legend. And also they know we were devotees of Lord Krishna from Dankpur. Also, one common man saw me with a bullock cart at night so they figured out that the idol was with me. So they are coming to take away the idol. Lord told me to hide the idol in Gomti and then go to meet the soldiers and King with a bowl of curd. Also, he told me…" he stopped while speaking. 

"What did he say further ?" I asked. 

"He told me that my time on earth was to end soon. But he also said that now I'll be free from the pain of birth and death and will always remain with him," he concluded.

I felt pain inside my chest. " And what about me? Won't we go together from this world ?" I asked in tears. 

"He said that you still have some role to play. But soon you'll be with us too," he said.

I cried and finally let him go with Lord and a bowl of curd. In the afternoon some people came to my house with bad news. Bodana had left this world. This morning when he went to meet soldiers he told them many times that the Lord was not with us. He also told soldiers that they could check his home. But they didn't believe him and at last in anger one soldier killed him with a spear. My world came crashing down. It was as if nothing was left for me in this world. I went near my husband and kept crying. His body was taken for last rites. My life turned white. 

The next day the soldiers came to my house but they couldn't find the idol. All the men of the town were ready to fight till their last breath with soldiers. The king warned me that people won't be able to survive his army's wrath and then I would be the reason for all the mishap. I couldn't bear that. I didn't want more bloodshed. I told them that the idol was in the Gomti River. As they went I cried. What other option did I have? Raja Ranchhodrai had left the battlefield to save his people. I was just walking in his footsteps. My people could not have survived such a huge army. But still, the pain of the fact that Lord will be taken away was unbearable. All this was for nothing. My husband's sacrifice should not go in vain. I prayed to the Lord. After some days he appeared in front of me.

"Do not cry, my dear child. Your agony is going to end soon. The attack that was done on your husband was taken by me. You can see if you go to Gomti it has turned red with my blood. (The place where the idol was hidden has a temple built at that place now with Lord's footprint. Also, the mud at the bottom of Gomti at that place is red whereas at other places it is brown.) The soldiers went to take the idol but couldn't pull it. They went on a hunger strike. Then Dank Rishi told them it was all destined. I was destined to come here. And I had come here on my wish. But the soldiers demanded that if not the idol then they want gold which is equivalent to the weight of the idol. They think that all the village people, no matter how much they try, won't be able to gather that much gold. They had forgotten the power of love and devotion. They are trying to weigh me with gold. So now it is your duty to show them and the world the power of love and devotion, Ganga Bai. You will be an example of this to all the people who will come here. Soon the Dank Rishi will be coming to ask for your help along with the soldiers. My idol will only come out when you bring it. And then weigh me with all the gold that you have." he said. 

"But Lord, I do not have that much gold. I just have this nose ring." I said. 

"That would be enough as the real gold is the amount of love that you have in your heart for me." He said and disappeared. 

Soon, the people came asking for my help as foretold by the Lord. I took out the idol. The lord's idol was kept on a weighing pan. The soldiers were laughing. I kept my nose ring on the other side of the weighing pan and chanted "Jay Ranchhodray" with all the love I had in my heart for him. The pan tilted. The lord became lighter than my nose ring. My eyes were filled with tears. I remembered how the Lord had become lighter than a Tulsi leaf when Mata Rukmini had kept it on a weighing pan as a token of her love. The love that God has for his devotees cannot be compared to any other happiness in this world. (The weighing pan is still there. And also, the place where the Lord was weighed is still there near Gomti.) 

All the people of Dwarka were shocked and sad. Then one Brahmin of Dwarka said " What about the devotees of Dwarka ? What about the temple of Dwarka ? How will we Brahmins survive without serving our lord ?" he asked. 

"After six months you will find an exact replica of this idol in Savitri Kund in Dwarka," Dank Rishi said.

All the people of Dwarka went back dejectedly. It is said that they could not wait for six months and took out the idol before the time from Kund and that's why the idol in Dwarka is smaller than the original one. 

I brought back the idol at home. Soon, my house turned into a temple. Many devotees came regularly for darshan. One of the other name of our town was also Dankor which has slowly change to Dakor. Our town is called Dakor now. I served the Lord till my last breath. When my soul left the body I saw Lord standing there along with Mata Lakshmi and my husband. I was finally done with my duty on Earth. I went on to be united with them. That was the story of my town Dakor. 

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After Ganga bai left the world the idol was shifted to Lakshmi Mata Temple. In 1772 AD, Gopal Rao Tambekar who was a minister in the Maratha empire, while travelling from Pune to Dwarka had a dream in which Lord Krishna told him to build a temple in Dakor. He went to Peshwa Madhav Rao and told him about his dream and asked for some land. Peshwa immediately agreed. And then a beautiful marble temple was made in Dakor. The Nij mandir was painted with different events from Lord Krishna's life. The idol was shifted to the temple. Dakor is a major pilgrimage site in Gujarat. Many devotees visit it every year. Many festivals are celebrated here annually. Anyone who had even visited it once would know what kind of magic this place actually holds. It is my home town and I'm grateful that I was born in such a pious place. As Lord Rama had said "Janni janmbhumishcha swarga dapi gariyasi'', it is truly more precious than heaven for me. This is just a small token of love from my side to my hometown and my dear Lord Krishna. Jay Ranchhodray 🙏