TEERTHAYAATRA TO PANCHA DWARAKA - Day 7

  

Om Namoh Narayanaya

TEERTHAYAATRA TO PANCHA DWARAKA

(2nd to 12th Aug 2023)

Author:  Sindhu Satish (Architect & Professor)

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Every inch of my Bhaarat is a Teerthabhumi!

- Swami Vivekananda

DAY 7 - AUG 8th, 2023

Kankroli 

The day started with our usual Piping hot strong coffee at 5.00am. We got ready by 6.00am to assemble at the reception. Tucking all our handbags we loaded ourselves into the bus and set off to Kankroli by 6.45am. It was just 20 min from Nathadwar. 

Kankroli: Similar narrow roads most of the buildings at crossroads... open drains yet, creating an engaging street scape with people, cattle, carts, few tourists’ vehicles all on the streets. Some of the houses around the temple precinct held the vernacular architecture in pride. The lime plastered thick walls, defined windows with floral arches, Jarokhas, low height doors reflected the climate & culturally sensitive built forms. 

As we got down from the bus there stood about 10 Rikshaws in a row with the drivers standing out as though to welcome some Maharaja’s pariwar so straight, that I am sure I could have drawn a straight line without a scale. Group of 6 or 7 we got into those rikshas which took us to the hilltop temple. We entered the palace or Haveli like Gate. The entrance courtyard had the semi covered waiting sheds on the left and on to the right had a small museum which housed few part krishna charitha painting and few of sthala Guruji's with seating benches in the center. The center stairs led to the temple. 

TEMPLE AT KANKROLI

Just like the Nathadwara temple this too turned out to be a palatial Haveli type. Walls exquisite decorated with bright coloured paintings, Elephant procession scenes particularly were the highlights. As we climbed up the front wide stairs, we entered the courtyard and then through passages into a huge hall overseeing the sanctum a large room when compared to the typical Garbaghriha of a traditional temple down south which are agama based.  There stood in Quintessential attire, petite Lord Krishna. Seeking his blessings, we moved through a stair and some more passages and small rooms into yet another hall in anticipation wondering how Mathura Balkrishna would look like. A modest sanctum decorated in plain baby pink backdrop in the velvet thrown which is mostly the Gaddi sat a Mathua Balakrishna tiny yet undoubtedly capturing everyone’s attention. The challenge of placing a tiny idol in the large space was well managed. Despite the crowd we got a heart content darshanam. Unhurried walk back out of the palatial temple we exited on the other end. This led to the Lake. We come out of the arched passages into the balcony. A beautiful, vast Rajsamand lake also known as Rajsamudra lake stretches out before you as picturesque frame of nature. This pleasing sight with cool breeze greeted us. We stood there for a long while spending the most precious moments of realization of completing all the darshans of Pancha Dwarka with nature. 

Kanlroli : Mathura Balkrishna temple 

Enjoying Hot coffee after breakfast @ Kantroli

Rajsamand lake

Museum 

ARCHITECTURE :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarkadhish_Kankroli, https://www.udaipurian.com/blog/kankroli-temple/

After darshan at 8.10 am we were guided by the catering team into another Haveli entrance a narrow foyer and then into an open paved courtyard. An ideal place to have breakfast. We all enjoyed the relatively hot pongal, kesaribath and coffee. We then came out into the Temple front where stood the rickshaws standing in row, this time in an L-shape. We quickly got into them and were dropped at bus stand. From there we could see the palatial temple of Mathura Balkrishna standing atop on the hill dominating the skyline of Kankroli. This scene was captured in my mind. 

Huddled into the AC " bus SriHari " at 9.15 am, done with Darshanam and breakfast we were now on the road to Pushkar. 

With god’s grace Pancha Dwarka yaatra was devoid of any unsavoury events and smooth. I felt extremely lucky to have got this opportunity and heartfelt thanks to my Guru Ravi Maama who took us all and to the rest of the teammates who became reason for me to carry back mindful of colourful cherished memories from this Yatra. For me this Yatra meant Unification of time and space casted by a mould of imagination of Dwapara yuga. Unforgettable and rich experience to remember all my life.