If you haven’t read the first part of my trip yet, you can check out Day 1: Delhi to Dwarka – Visit to Dwarkadish Temple & Rukmini Devi Mandir to know how our spiritual journey began.

🛕 Day 2 – Darshan at Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple

We started Day 2 (17th June 2025) much earlier than the previous day — sharp at 8:00 AM — feeling refreshed and excited to visit one of the most sacred Jyotirlingas in India: the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.

🌧️ Weather & Timing

By the time we reached the temple, slight rain had already started, but it lasted only a few minutes. Since we arrived early, the crowd (bhid) was minimal — which made the darshan more peaceful and quick.

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Rituals – “Naag-Naagin Joda Charana”

This temple has a unique belief (manayata) where people offer Naag-Naagin (snake couple) idols, as part of their wishes and prayers. You’ll find several vendors selling pooja thalis inside the temple premises — some genuinely helpful, others trying to upsell.

🔱 Darshan at Nageshwar Temple

When you enter the temple, there are two rows for darshan:

1. General Darshan Queue

• You get a close glimpse of the Shivlinga but from a short distance.
• No purchase required.

2. Main Sanctum Entry (Garbhagriha)

• You can enter the inner sanctum and perform a personal pooja with a priest.
• But there is mandatory requirement : purchase pooja thali + entry ticket per person.

The vendors might try to convince you to buy:

• ₹1,000 Thali (for couple) – ₹600 thali + ₹200 x 2 entry fee
• ₹2,000 Family Thali (for 3-4 people) with collective entry

📌 My Honest Suggestion:

• ✅ Don’t fall for pressure or emotional sales talk.
• ✅ Buy the thali that suits your pocket. The basic ones are more than enough for a heartfelt pooja. Because Naag Couple is mandatory which you even get in basic one.
• ✅ You can buy ₹200 entry ticket per person for entry into the inner sanctum, so who have not purchased thali can buy tickets.
• ✅ At least purchase one thali in the group, especially if someone wants to do a proper pooja.

👕 Dress Code: Lungi Required for Main Darshan Area

If you’re planning to enter the inner sanctum (garbhagriha) at Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, there’s one important thing to note —

👉 Male devotees must wear a lungi (dhoti) inside the main pooja area.

You’ll have two options:

• ✅ Free lungis are available at the temple. But they are reused and shared.
• ✅ You can buy a new one from nearby stalls (inside temple area only).
  I personally chose to buy a new lungi for ₹200, as I wasn’t comfortable wearing the used ones.

It’s entirely up to your comfort and preferences — but if you’re particular about hygiene, buying one is a good idea.

🕓 Time Spent at Nageshwar Temple

We spent around 45 minutes here, including darshan, pooja, and some time exploring the temple complex. But your duration may vary based on:

• Crowd levels
• Visit timings
• Weather (remember, we had on-and-off rain)

Gopi Talav (Gopi Talab)

After our spiritual experience at Nageshwar, we headed to a nearby sacred pond Gopi Talav. Post this visit, we stopped for lunch at a local dhaba-style restaurant — again, simple but satisfying vegetarian food. After lunch, we headed back to our hotel in Dwarka to rest.

🌉 Evening: Journey to Bet Dwarka – Boats, Bridges & Rainy Blessings

After taking some rest in the afternoon, we resumed our journey — this time heading toward Bet (Bhet) Dwarka.

• We saw countless large boats docked along the coastline — possibly in the thousands. It felt like a massive shipyard or fishing hub.
• On the way, we crossed a bridge that reminded us of Delhi’s Signature Bridge, spanning beautifully over the sea — definitely photo-worthy!

Once we reached, we hired a shared auto, which is a convenient way to explore multiple spots on Bet Dwarka. The auto driver took responsibility to cover all the main points:

1. Magar (Makardhwaj) Hanuman Temple
2. Durvasa Rishi Temple
3. Bet Dwarka Main Temple (Shri Krishna)
4. Golden Dwarka Museum

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Magardhwaj Temple

Our first stop was Magardhwaj Temple — a unique temple dedicated to Hanuman’s son.

As soon as we arrived, heavy rain started pouring down. Thankfully, we managed to run into the temple just in time.

🙏 Blessing in Disguise: Just as we entered, aarti started — and we got the chance to attend the entire ceremony.
Even though the rain didn’t stop afterward, we had to move forward because our schedule was tight.

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Bet Dwarka

We then headed to the Durvasa Rishi Temple, another spiritual site. And finally, we reached the main Bet Dwarka Temple. Like most important temples:

📵 Mobile phones are not allowed inside.
There are locker rooms available, but here’s something you should know 👇

⚠️ Our Experience:
The locker room staff told us:

“Rain is heavy and the crowd is low — the security guard will allow you to take your phone inside.”

But in reality, once we reached the entry point, the security guard denied entry with phones, saying:

“They lied to you. They just wanted to close early due to rain and didn’t want to keep responsibility for long.”

Because of this misinformation, one of our group members had to stay outside with the phones, while the rest of us went inside.

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✨ Late Night Darshan + “Krishna’s Bedtime” Aarti

Since we reached the main temple slightly late, we got to witness a rare and beautiful sight — the final aarti, where:

• Lord Dwarkadhish is prepared to sleep, with rituals showing how Narayan is put to rest.
• Priests play chossar (an ancient dice game) symbolically with the deity — believed to be part of Krishna’s routine.

🙏 My Recommendation:
If possible, time your visit to coincide with this final aarti. It’s an emotional and unique experience you don’t usually see in regular darshan hours.

🛺 Auto Fare & A Note on Local Hospitality

Our auto driver, who took us around all the key spots on Bet Dwarka — including Makardhwaj Temple, Durvasa Rishi Temple, Golden Dwarka Museum, and the main Krishna temple — charged ₹100 per person for the full ride.

💡 Considering the number of stops, time spent waiting during rain, and the condition of the roads, the price was very reasonable.

🤝 And because of his cooperative and helpful nature — he waited patiently during temple visits and helped guide us around — we decided to give him a little extra as a thank-you gesture.

📝 Tip for Travelers: While ₹100 per person is a common rate, being kind to honest, helpful locals goes a long way. A small tip can make their day, especially in seasonal tourist areas.

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🎒 Back to Hotel – Packing Up for the Next Leg: Porbandar

After an eventful and spiritually fulfilling day at Bet Dwarka, we returned to our hotel in Dwarka by late evening.

With tired feet but happy hearts — and clothes still damp from the rain 😄 — we began packing our bags, as the next morning marked the start of our onward journey to Porbandar.

🛏️ The day ended with chai, laughter, and some light repacking while discussing the amazing experiences we’d had — from Nageshwar Jyotirlinga to Krishna’s bedtime aarti at Bet Dwarka.

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Summary of Day 2 Highlights

• Early morning darshan at Nageshwar Jyotirlinga
• Rainy but divine aarti at Makardhwaj Temple
• Spiritual detour to Durvasa Rishi Temple
• Phone locker hiccup but unforgettable late-night Krishna darshan

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