Bet Dwarka an island is situated next to the shores of Okha which is about 29 km from Dwarka, in the Gulf of Kutch , also known as Bet Shankhodhara and Ramandeep , It was a residence of Lord Krishna while Dwarka was his ruling / political seat , the name Bet Dwarka came from the incident of Lord Krishan’s childhood friend Sudama meet him and gave Bhet (Gift) of Tandul-Poha (Rice).
Ferry from Okha port to Bet Dwarka
After crossing the 5 km creek by a ferry one is to walk about 10 minutes to reach the temple.
It is believed that Lord Krishna stayed at Bet Dwarka with his wife to save himself from scorching heat. The temple has a huge statue of the Lord Krishna platted in gold. The Temple’s shikhar is in one straight line with Sharda shakti temple and Devki ji (Krishna’s mother) temple sikhar. It is also the seat of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. it is said that Bet Dwarka is the holiest pilgrimage place for the Vaishnav’s Hindus . Bet Dwarka now is abode of 20 Vishnu temples, 23 shiv temples, including well known Dhingeshvara , Nilkantheshwar, Abhaya , Dhara shakti peeths along with other 14 Devi temples. Nine Hanuman temples including well known Hanuman Dandi
Main entrance Lord Krishna Temple Bet Dwarka Beyond this gate photography is prohibited inside
The lane in which this temple is , flooded by small shops selling shells, rosary beads , old coins , photos , idols of Lord Krishna, local crafts and refreshments . 500 year old temple is built by Shri Vallabhacharya, it enshrines an idol of gold believed to be made by Lord Krishna ‘s wife Rukmini , tradition is to present the Brahmins here with donations of rice.
Lord Buddha also stayed in Bet Dwarka, there is a Stupa and on one of the chajja ( Gallery) in the main temple there is an image of Lord Buddha . Bet Dwarka has glorious history as Meera Bai of Chittor , arrived from Rajasthan and merged with the graceful image of Lord Krishna. Nana Saheb Peshava ( leader of 1857 war with British forces ) spent the last years of his life in Bet Dwarka.
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