Ranchhodraiji
Temple is situated in Dakor that comes under the Kheda district of
Gujarat. Earlier Dakor was a small village, but with time it has grown
into a major commercial center. The small shrine of the initial
Ranchhodraiji Temple has now been enclosed in a huge complex. It was
built by Shri Gopalrao Jagannath Tambwekar in 1772 A.D. It has brick
walls and stones pillars, constructed at the cost of one lakh rupees.
The complex is square in shape and has four gates on the outer walls,
placed significantly.The main door faces the Gomati River of India. Apart from this, there are three more doors which lead to the main shrine. The door which faces the Lord opens in front of an audience chamber. The devotees spend a lot of time with the Lord here. The doors to the main Ranchhodraiji shrine remain open throughout the day, except for the afternoon time. This is the period when the Lord is supposed to sleep and take rest. There is even a bedchamber linked with the main chamber of the shrine.
Here, the bed of the Lord is lavishly decorated with fragrant garlands, soft mattress, blankets, gold and silver bedsteads in soft cotton and silk. The deity of the temple is known as Lord Ranchhodraiji and He is regarded as the manifestation of Lord Krishna. There is an interesting story behind the Lord' name as well as the temple. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna fled from the battlefield during a war with an ally of Jarasand and since then, he came to be known as Ranchhodraiji. Ranchhodraiji Temple, in contrast to this, was established here as a result of the Lord's mercy for his devotee.
In ancient times, Bholanath, a devotee of Lord Krishna traveled from Dakor to Dwarka to worship Him. The Lord noticed this and was overwhelmed by His devotion. He decided to shift to Dakor, to save his devotee from the troubles of traveling so far. This way, He accompanied Bholanath to Dakor. It is also believed that the idol at Ranchhodraiji Temple is originally from Dwarka. This has made the Lord an all time favorite of the devotees here. A huge fair is organized at Dakor every year, on Sharad Purnima (full moon day in winters).
