History
In times of Mahabharata, the surrounding area of Dakor constituted the 'Hidamba'
van (jungle). It was a very dense jungle. It was pleasant and rich with streams
and lakes. It had become an attraction for the sages to establish their
hermitage for penance. Likewise, Dank Rishi had his hermitage (ashram) in this
area. During penance Lord Shiva was pleased with him and asked him to demand
something. Thereupon, Dank Rishi requested Lord Shiva to remain permanently in
his hermitage. Lord Shiva agreed to his request. He disappeared and left behind
him His replica in the form of Ban (Ling), which is known as Danknath Mahadev.
Thus in ancient times, Dakor was known as 'Dankor' after the name of Dankanth
Mahadev. It was also known as khakhariya because of many khakhra(palash) trees
in the vicinity.
Legend
The present Dakor owes its raison not to Dank Rishi but to Bodana, a
great devotee of Lord Krishna. In his previous birth, he is supposed to have
lived in Gokul and been a cowherd called Vijayanand. On one Holi day, all the
cowherds except Vijyanand worshipped Lord Krishna. His wife too worshipped Lord
Krishna. But Vijayanand was proud and stayed at home. Lord Krishna came to his
house in disguise of his friend and sent him to perform 'Holi' puja. Coming
back, he realised that his friend was none else but Lord Krishna. Next day they
fought a battle of colour. Lord Krishna lost and fell into the river. Vijyanand
went after him where Lord Krishna revealed his true self. Vijyanand begged
forgiveness. Lord Krishna took pity on him and solaced him with a boon that he
would be born in Gujarat again in Kaliyug after 4200 years as Vijayanand Bodana
in the house of a Krishatriya and his present wife Sudha would again be his
wife, called Gangabai, when he will give them a glimpse (darshna) and relieve
them by offering them emancipation (Moksha). So as the legend would have it,
'Vijayanand Bodana', a rajput of Dakor, becomes a staunch devotee of Lord
Krishna. He used to let the basil plant (Tulsi) grow in an earthen pot with him
on his palm and used to go every six months to Dwarika to worship Lord Krishna
with the said Tulsi leaves . He did this continuously, unfailingly and
untiringly till he was 72 years he then began to find it increasingly difficult
to pursue this ritual. Seeing his plight, Lord Krishna told him that on his
ensuing visit to Dwarika, he should bring a bullock-cart with him and Lord
Krishna would accompany him to Dakor as he was exceedingly pleased with his
devotion. Accordingly, Bodana went with bullock-cart to Dwarika. The hereditary
priests of Dwarika (Gugli brahmins) asked him as to why he had brought a cart
with him. Whereupon, Bodana replied that he had done so to take away Lord
Krishna. Looking to the ramshackle cart, they did not believe him but
nevertheless locked and sealed the sanctum sanctorum of Dwarika Temple for the
night. At mid night, Lord Krishna broke open all the doors, awoke Bodana and
told him to take him to Dakor. Shortly afterwards, Lord Krishna called upon
Bodana to rest in the bullock-cart and drove the cart himself till reached the
vicinity of Dakor. Here (near Bileshwar Mahadev on Dakor-Nadiad road) they
rested for some time, touching and holding a branch of neem tree. He woke up
Bodana and asked him to take over. Since that day, this neem tree is found to
have one sweet branch though the rest of the branches are bitter and it forms
the subject of a well-known Gujarati song (bhajan). In Dwarika, the Gugli
brahmins finding the image missing chased Bodana and came to Dakor in pursuit.
Bodana was frightened but Lord Krishna told him to hide the idol of the deity in
the Gomti tank and meet the Guglis. Accordingly, Bodana hid the idol and went to
meet the Guglis with a pot of curd to pacify them. They became angry and one of
them threw a spear at him. He fell down dead While hurting Bodana with a spear
it also hurt the image of the deity hidden in Gomti tank and the water turned
red with Lord Krishna's (Ranchhodraiji's) blood. It is said that even today the
earth of Gomti tank where the image lay is red while rest of the tank is of
brown mud. In the midst of Gomti tank, over the place where Lord Krishna was
hidden, a small temple having the Lord's foot-prints is constructed and this
temple is linked with the bank of Gomti Tank by a bridge. Even with the death of
Bodana, the Guglis were not appeased. Requesting Lord Krishna to return to
Dwarika, they sat on the bank of Gomti tank and went on a hunger strike. At
last, Lord Ranchhodraiji (Krishna) directed Gangabai, wife of Bodana, to give
gold equivalent of his weight and ask the Guglis to return to Dwarika. Poor
lady, the widow of Bodana, was a pauper and could not afford doing so. By a
miracle, the idol became as light as a golden nose-ring (1, 1/4 val i.e.1/2 gram
in weight) which was all that the widow of Bodana, Gangabai, had . The Guglis
were disappointed but the Lord mercifully directed that they would find after
six months an exact replica of the idol in Sevaradhan Vav (well with steps) at
Dwarika. The impatient Guglis looked for the idol sometime earlier than they
were told and as a result, found an idol which, though similar to the original
one, was smaller, Pilgrims to Dakor still visit the places stated to have been
associated with the legend viz. Where the branch of neem tree under which Lord
rested while coming to Dankpur subsequently turned sweet; where the idol was
hidden in the Gomti tank; whereon the balance was set up to weigh the original
idol which Bodana had enshrined.
Shri Gopal Jagannath Tambwekar
approached Peshwas and Gaikwars and requested
them to grant lands for the
maintenance, (puja, worship, prosperity, naivedya
and services and ceremonials
etc) for the expenses of the deity from the State .
Thereupon, Peshwa Madhavrao
Ballal Pradhan, Peshwa of Poona granted the entire
village of 'Dakor' of Taluka
Thasra, District Kaira and Damaji Gaikwar's son
Sayajirao Gaikwar of Baroda
granted in Inam (Offered as prize) village
'Kanjari', Prant Madhudha of
Gujarat. At that time i.e. in 1769 A,D. half of
Kaira District was with
Peshwas of Poona and half was with Gaikwars of Baroda.
At present, village Kanjari is
in Nadiad Taluka of Kaira District. The two
entire villages of Dakor and
Kanjari were given in Inam to Shri Gopal Jagannath
Tambwekar hereditarily for the
services of the deity, Shri Ranchhodraiji. Both
these villages are known as
Dakor Sansthan. Sansthan Scheme was framed in the
Year 1879 for the necessary,
essential and entire expenses, services and
ceremonials of the deity Shri
Ranchhodraiji and Goddess Laxmiji which were
exclusively met with from the
fixed income of the revenues of the two villages
of Dakor and Kanjari and was
later on registered as a Public Trust. It is the
original foundation trust of
Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj. Since 1905, the
management of the temple rests
with the Temple Committee. In pursuance of a
decision of the Privy Council,
Dakor Temple Scheme was finally approved by the
Privy Council in 1916. In
1952, it was registered as a Public Religious Trust.
Thus the Temple Trust is not
administered by the Government, but a Committee
consisting of vaishnav
devotees of Lord Krishna conducts its day to day
administration under the
supervision of Manager as per the provisions laid down
under the Dakor Temple Scheme.
The Committee consists of three nominees of the
District Court from Vaishnavas
. one hereditary representative of Tambwekar
family and one from the Sevaks
(priests). The priests are of three sub-castes of
Brahmins, Tapodhan, Khedaval
and Shrigod. At present families of these
priests are about 232 in
number. The term of the trustee expires every ten year.
Temple committee also
maintains a Gaushala. It's strength is round about 1200 cattle. Cows
are not sold. They are
maintained throughout their lifetime. Bulls are given
free of cost to needy Gram
Panchayats for breeding purposes. Milk of the cows is
utilized for the purpose of
the deity and the surplus is disposed off by turning
it into curd-butter milk and
distributing it free of cost amongst the
inhabitants of the town and
vaishnava visitors and padyatris during full-moon
days . The Temple Committee
intends, making the temple self-supporting for its
daily requirements of ghee, in
preparing food articles as offerings to the deity
and has chalked out a plan for
increasing the strength of the cowherd from 600
to nearly 4000. Keeping this
in view, the grazing land of 1800 acres at present
at the disposal of the Temple
Committee will fall short. It is also planning to
construct a new Gaushala
Complex with all necessary facilities. The cost would
approximate roughly to rupees
ninety lakhs at the present rates. Out of the net
surplus of total yearly income
after deducting the expenses for bhog, prasad,
naivedya and establishment
fifty per cent is distributed amongst priests'
families and remaining percent
is carried over to the reserve fund . Fixed
properties, trust funds,
ornaments, utensils and dress of the deity are carried
over to Capital. The temple
has an annual income of over one crore of rupees and
the expenses are also round
about the same amount. The accounts are statutorily
audited by an approved firm of
Chartered Accountant and submitted to the Charity
Commissioner and District
Court The Temple Committee also administers its two
sister Trusts namely, (1) Shri
Ranchhodraiji Maharaj Mandir Gaushala Trust and
(2) Thakorpura Trust.
Donations, received by Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj Mandir
Gaushala Trust are exempted
under Section 80 G of income Tax Act.
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