Bhalka Tirth Mandir- Gujarat

Address

Bhalka Tirth Mandir- Tirth temple, Bhalka, Veraval, Gujarat 362265

Diety

Krishna

Introduction

Bhalka Tirtha, located in the Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the place where Krishna was killed by an arrow shot by a hunter named Jara, after which he worshipped Shiva, an act referred to in the Puranas as Shri Krishna Nijdham Prasthan Leela. Bhalka Teerth is one of the most magnificent temples of Somnath city. The temple at Bhalka Teerth is known as Mahaprabhuji’s Bethak, and a tulsi tree has been planted in Lord Krishna’s honour. Banyan trees dot the courtyard of the spectacular Krishna temple that is built in sandstone. Inside the shrine is an unusual idol of Shri Krishna in a semi-reclining position. The temple also contains a beautiful tribhangi idol of Lord Krishna playing his flute.

Puranic Significance

According to Mahabharata, the Kurukshetra war resulted in the death of all the hundred sons of Gandhari. On the night before Duryodhana’s death, Krishna visited Gandhari to offer his condolences. Gandhari felt that Krishna knowingly did not put an end to the war, and in a fit of rage and sorrow, Gandhari cursed that Krishna, along with everyone else from the Yadu dynasty, would perish after 36 years. Krishna himself knew and wanted this to happen as he felt that the Yadavas had become very haughty and arrogant (adharmi), so he ended Gandhari’s speech by saying “tathastu” (so be it). After 36 years passed, a fight broke out between the Yadavas, at a festival, who killed each other. His elder brother, Balarama, left his body through Yoga. Krishna retired into the forest and started meditating under a tree. The Mahabharata also narrates the story of a hunter who becomes an instrument for Krishna’s departure from the world. The hunter Jara, mistook Krishna’s partly visible left foot for that of a deer, and shot an arrow, wounding him mortally. After Jara realised the mistake, while still bleeding, Krishna told Jara, “O Jara, you were Vali in your previous birth, killed by myself as Rama in Treta Yuga. Here you had a chance to even it and since all acts in this world are done as desired by me, you need not worry for this”. Then Krishna, with his physical body ascended back to his eternal abode, Goloka and this event marks departure of Krishna from the earth. The news was conveyed to Hastinapur and Dwaraka by eyewitnesses to this event. The place of this incident is believed to be Bhalka, near Somnath temple. According to Puranic sources, Krishna’s disappearance marks the end of Dvapara Yuga and the start of Kali Yuga, which is dated to February 17/18, 3102 BCE. As per the writing in Ramayana, Rama, i.e. Krishna in his earlier Rama Avatar (Avatars) is supposed to have given a boon to a monkey king Vali (Hindu mythology) whom Rama killed stealthily by shooting an arrow, while hiding behind a bush when Vali was engaged in a battle with his younger brother Sugriva, thus fulfilling his promise of protecting Sugriva’s life. The above action of the hunter in Krishna avatar (Avatars) is supposed to be in compliance to the boon of Rama i.e. Krishna in his earlier Avatar. It is believed that Krishna left his footprints. It is a common site of pilgrimage for people who visit Somnath.