Dakor is a temple town, which was originally called Dankapur. It is said that Lord Dwarkadhisji migrated to this town in order escape from the decadent priests of Dwarka. According to the legends, there was a devotee of Lord Dwarkadhisji called Bodanaji, who frequently visited Dwarka to pay reverence to the titular deity. However, as the roads leading to Dwarka were very dangerous, it began difficult for him to visit the Lord regularly. Therefore, on his last pilgrimage, he prayed to the Lord that as he had become old, it would not be possible for him to visit the Lord any more. Bodanaji invited the Lord to stay with him and his wife. Lord Dwarkadhisji was reluctant to part with his devotee and so he agreed to join him. Bodanaji arranged a cart to take the Lord along with him. Subsequently, when the Lord was missing from the Dwarka temple, the priests of Dwarka suspected Bodanaji. The Lord asked Bodanaji to hide him in a lake outside the city. He hid the Lord, but the priests found him and tried to carry him back to Dwarka. When the priests found that the Lord was reluctant to return back to Dwarka, they asked Bodanaji to pay them gold equivalent to the weight of the deity. The priests knew that Bodanaji will not be able to pay them and they would win. However, the Lord was supporting Bodanaji and therefore, he won. The idol of Lord Dwarkadhisji was installed at Dakor. Thousands of devotees come to Dakor to pay reverence to the deity. A weekend trip from Vadodara to Dakor during the festive season enable the tourists to participate in the festivities of Holi.
Last Updated on: May 8, 2013
