Bhavani temple holds a unique blessing

Bhavani Mandir, a temple believed to be thousands of years old and visited by both Hindus and Muslims for centuries, is situated on the coast of the Arabian Sea in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region. Natural beauty is in abundance in this place and the temple is mostly visited by childless couples. <br><br> According to priests of the temple this is the place where Krishna carried out the Leela of abducting Rukmani. Another distinctive feature of this temple is that Muslims also offer their <i>namaaz</i> in the courtyard of the temple. <br><br> Mahua, a place which is often referred to as the Kashmir of Gujarat’s Saurashtra, is surrounded by small hills and coconut trees. Arabian Sea is some five kilometres away from it. The journey from Mahua to the Arabian Sea is a visual treat. We used this road to get to the Bhavani temple. After Mahua, comes Bhavani village where the temple is situated. <br><br> The priest of the temple claimed that his ancestors have been performing rituals for the past 1,200 years in this over 7,500 years old temple. In Dwapar yug this place was known as Madhuban and Lord Krishna frequented this place. <br><br> After entering the temple we noticed the exhibition of excellent art and sculptures as also the beautiful idol of Goddess Bhavani. <br><br> Inside the temple, the walls have the photographs of some little kids. These pictures have been pasted there by those couples who had prayed for a child in this temple and were in turn blessed by Goddess Bhavani. <br><br> This is probably the only temple in India where devotees offer snakeskin. After their wish is granted by Goddess Bhavani devotees bring snakeskin as offering. <br><br> Situated in a calm place as the Arabian Sea shore the temple is now in a dilapidated condition. In the pre-Independence era, it was Bhavnagar’s King who patronized the temple and the priest. With the end of his reign, his progeny lost interest. Now it is Hetal Bhai Rathore, a businessman from Gujarat’s Alang sea port, who is taking care of the temple. <br><br> With sustained efforts from his end, the temple is expected to regain its lost glory in the days to come. <br><br> Adaptation by: <b>Abhishek</b>