|
Sight Seeing
Koteshwar: (52 km from
Lakhpat)
Koteshwar is a famous place of
pilgrimage located at the farthest tip of western India at the Kori
Creek. A pilgrimage of Koteshwar and Narayan Sarovar is a must for
any devout Hindu. The Chinese traveler Hieu-en-Tsing (640 AD)
described the town as a flourishing port, 5 miles in circumference,
at the mouth of the Sindhu river. It had 80 monasteries and 5000
monks, out of which nothing survives today. The present day
Koteshwar is a fortified town with high wall and gates. The
inscription shows that the present fortification and temple were
renovated in 1820 AD by rich merchants - Jetha Shivji and Sheth
Sundarji. The Koteshwar temple complex is dedicated to Shiva. The
white painted high wall at the seashore, the high Shikhara with
saffron flags and series of domes make a perfect location for a
Shiva Temple. Within the temple there are mages of Hanuman, Ganesha,
Revati, Parvati and Swayambhu Shiva Linga.
The Kalayaneshwar Temple is
situated close to the Koteshwar Temple at the edge of a sacred
square kund. The kund gets filled up during high tide. Hindus bathe
here and perform shraddh (ritual ceremony after the death of
ancestors).
Narayan Sarovar: (49 km from
Lakhpat)
Narayan Sarovar is one of the five
holy lakes of India, the other four being: Mansarovar in Tibet,
Pushkar in Rajasthan, Pampa in South India and Bindu Sarovar in
Siddhapur. It is located 2 km away from Koteshwar on Kori Creek.
This lake finds mention in the chronicles of Alexander, the Great.
In 1550 AD, the temple priest constructed the embankments and ghats
on all three sides of the lake (320m X 300m) except on east. He also
constructed separate compartments for bathing, using carved stone
jails. The wife of Rao Desalji (1718-41 AD), Vagheli Mahakunwarba,
constructed the Laxmi Narayan Temple and Trikamrai Temple in 1734 AD
to put the Narayan Sarovar at par with Dwarka. She donated several
villages for the upkeep of the temples. Other temples at Narayan
Sarovar are: Adi Narayan, Govardhannath, Dwarkanath, and Lakshmiji.
 |