Gir was a beautiful experience... however, now it was time to move on to our next destination - Diu. After lunch, we freshened up,
packed our bags and left for Diu which is 71 km from Gir. On the way, we
saw a local “gur” processing factory and bought some to take home @150 for 4
kg. We reached Diu around 5 pm. The city is a small Portuguese settlement with
beautiful beaches, paved roads, beautiful street lamps and small cottages
- fell in love at first sight.
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| Diu entry checkpost |
Our first stop was the St Paul’s Church which is said to be one of the most elaborate of all Portuguese churches in India with equally interesting interiors and exterior facades. Photography is not allowed inside the church, however, it was truly a beautiful piece of work.
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| St. Paul's Church exteriors |
After a short visit, we checked into our hotel “Sea Village Resort” near the coastline. After freshening up, we headed to pay reverence to the
Gangeshwar temple. We expected a stone and concrete temple. But a surprise was in store. A short, colorful stairway led to a sea cave and in the cave were five Shiv-lingas, believed to have been worshiped by the Pandavas during their exile. Water from the sea gushes in and bathes the Lingas, making for a fascinatingly divine experience.
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| The Shiv-lingas inside the Gangeshwar temple |
The next best thing to do was to have non veg dinner (after so many days on pure vegetarian meals at Gujarat) at Amar Foodland hotel, although the food was not good. Post that we went to a local fair which has been set up as a part of the annual Diu festival. We purchased some local stuff from there. Then we returned to the
hotel and tired, dropped to bed.
Who said Diu would have mild and pleasant
temperature? Next morning, The next morning as Diu awakened, albeit slowly from its sleep, we got up shivering with cold around 5.45 am to take a walk to the INS Khukri Memorial. This frigate sunk by Pakistan
torpedoes during the 1971 war is remembered as its captain M N Mulla, 18
officers and 176 sailors decided not to abandon the ship and drowned along with
it. It's great place to enjoy sunrise and sunset view. The place is very well developed and comfortable sitting to view sunset from top. It's a must visit for everyone to pay tribute to the Indian Soldiers.
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| INS Khukri Model Ship at the memorial |
Our next discovery was the Naida Caves; it turned out to be a visual delight. It’s one of the most beautiful underground labyrinths of open-air caves that one has come across years of travel.
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| Underground labyrinth at Naida Cave |
Post breakfast, we checked out of the hotel to go to the Diu Fort. Built in 1535, with additions made in 1541, this massive, well-preserved Portuguese fort with its double moat (one tidal) must once have been impregnable, but sea erosion and neglect are leading to a slow collapse. Cannonballs litter the place, and the ramparts have a superb array of cannons. The lighthouse, which you can climb, is Diu’s highest point, with a beam that reaches 32 km. There are several small chapels, one holding engraved tombstone fragments. Interestingly, a part of this citadel houses the Diu jail.
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| Entrance to Diu Fort |
Next we headed to the Nagoa Beach — one of the biggest attractions of Diu. It’s calming to tread on the soft, clean sand, watching the waves of the Arabian Sea caress one’s feet. The branching palms, known as the Hoka trees, brought by the Portuguese from Africa, offer a mesmeric welcome to the visitors. I wanted to do parasailing, however, due to shortage of time, decided
to skip. Had some local fruit which they call kaju.
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| Parasailing at beautiful Nagoa Beach |
Our short stay in Diu was over. I will definitely come back to this quaint Portuguese town once again. Next we started our journey to visit the Somnath Temple. This Temple is the most sacred among the 12 jyotirlings in India and had survived the ravages of time. Study of history reveals that the Somnath Temple was invaded by the different conquerors who came to India whereby some looted its wealth and others destroyed some parts of it. Many legends are attached to the Somnath Temple regarding its origin and existence. We reached Somenath
around 2 pm and proceeded to the temple after leaving camera, bag and phone
outside. The structure is beautiful with ornamental pillars. However,
the jyotirlinga was covered by a mask and hence couldn't see the actual.
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| Somenath Temple |
After eating laddu prasad, we went to see Balka tirth. This was the place
where Krishna was mistakenly shot with an arrow in his foot and eventually died. Lord Krishna was resting on the deer skin when a huntsman named Jara mistook him for a deer and shot an arrow. The arrow went straight and pierced Shri Krishna. The temple at Bhalka Tirth is known as Mahaprabhuji’s Bethak and a Peepal tree is planted at the place where Lord Krishna succumbed to his injuries. Under the tree, there is a statue of Lord Krishna carved out of blue marble which stands as a memory to Lord Krishna.
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| Marble statue of Lord Krishna |
While I continue describing my Gujarat trip, to view more photos, visit Flickr Gujarat
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