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DWARKA : Dwarka is one of the 4 principal dham yatras of Hinduism, the others being Puri, Badrinath-Kedarnath and Rameshwaram. It ranks with Ayodhya, Banaras, Mathura, Gaya, Kanchipuram and Ujjain among the holiest temple cities of India. Dwarka was the home of Lord Krishna, who moved to this pretty coastal town with the entire Yaduvanshi clan to set up capital. Marine excavations off the Dwarka coast have revealed important evidences of 4 ancient cities, which probably includes the Dwarawati of the Krishna lila. In the 15^th century, Dwarka was a major sea port. Today, it is not only a major pilgrimage but a pleasant spot for a beach holiday.

DWARKADISH TEMPLE(JAGAT MANDIR) : The ancient Dwarkadish temple, has often been renovated, and the carvings outside date from around the 16^th century, the walls to about 12^th century. A highlight of the temple is the 19^th century shikara tower. The multi-pillared sabha mandapa leads to a 60 pillared sanctum sanctoruim dated by scriptures 2500 years. Incredibly detailed sculpture decorates the entire temple. [ TIMINGS 6-12,17-21 hrs ]

RUKMINI TEMPLE : Dating to the 12^th-13^th century, the Rukmini temple has beautiful carvings, specially on the pillars of the Sabha Mandapa. The temple was built in honour of Rani Rukmani, princess of Vidharba, who was to be married to Sishupala, but eloped with Lord Krishna.

OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST : Nageshwar Mandir is a Mahadev temple, with one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in an underground chamber. Vasai has an ancient Sun temple. Ved Bhuvan is an institution teaching Vedic scriptures and philosophies. Shankaracharya, set up a Hindu monastry here in the 8^th-9^th century. Shardapith Math is another Hindu monastry complex with a museum. The Hanuman kund is a stepped tank. Gopi Talav Teerth is another tank associated with Lord Krishna and the Mahabharata. The Lighthouse has great views of the sea.

OKHA : 30 kms from Dwarka, the tip of the western coast of India, Okha developed as major port under the Gaekwad rulers of Baroda. It is a fishing port. There is a govt guest house at Okha facing the sea.

BEYT DWARKA : Offshore from Okha, the island of Beyt Dwarka is associated with Lord Krishna. The main temple here, built in the 19^th century, has several shrines and images of Lord Krishna and his 56 consorts. There are several other temples on the island. Excavations have revealed some Harappan period artifacts. There are some nice beaches and coral formations to the north and east of the island. Numerous dharamshalas and guest houses offer accommodations at the island. Another important Krishna temple is the Rachodji temple at Dakore.

Jetpur

An interesting excursion on the Rajkot-Junagadh road for those interested in textiles is Jetpur, approximately 30 kms from Junagadh, which is one of the largest centres in India for screen and block printed textiles. Here you can visit workshops which specialise in screen printing of textiles, artisans who work on the highly intricate process of printing fabrics using wooden blocks and yarn dyeing centres. Buddhist relics can be seen here too.

Dwarka - Jamnagar : The ancient shore temple town has many extant temples from the 13th century besides the extremely holy Dwarkadish temple with its beautiful arches and pillars. The Ved Bhuvan here is a good place to learn about Hindu scriptures. The beaches are reasonably attractive and rich in birdlife. Jamnagar also has splendid palaces, temples, mausolea, gateways and museums, worth seeing for their own sake, and is the gateway to the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park and the Khijadiya bird sanctuary. The historic temples of Ghumli, Gope and Bileshwar can be visited from Jamnagar for a glimpse of 8th-9th century architecture of the Solanki Rajput kings. Jamnagar is famous for it's brass cottage industries, bandhini tie-and-dyed fabrics and other crafts.