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BODANA AND LORD KRISHNA AS RANCHHODRAIJI

             However,the present Dakor owes its raison d'etre not to Dank Rishi but to Bodana,a great devotee of Lord Krishna. In his previous birth, he is suppossed to have lived in Gokul and been a cowherds except Vijayanand worshipped Lord Krishna. His wife too worshipped Lord Krishna. But Vijaynand was proud and stayed at home. Lord Krishna came to his house in disguise of his friend sent him to perform 'Holi' puja. Coming back, he realised that his friend was none else but Lord Krishna. Next day they faught a battle of colour. Lord Krishna lost and fell into the river. Vijayanand went after him where Lord Krishna revealed his true self. Vijayanand 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 Kshatriya and his persent wife Sudha would again be his wife, called Gangabai, when he will gibe them a glimpse (Darshan) and relieve them by offerring them emancipation (Moksha). So as the legend would have it, 'Vijayanand Bodana', a rajput of Dakor , became 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 worshop Lord Krishna with the said Tulsi leaves. He did this continuously, unfailingly and untiringly till he attained 72 years and found it increasingly difficult to persue this ritutal, 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 belive him but nevertheless locked and sealed the sanctum sanctoram of Dwarika Temple for the night. At midnight, 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 they 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):-

"AKHA LEMDA MA EK DAL METHI KE RANCHHOD RANGELA"

Here the foot -prints of the deity are found on a marble stone.

           While on his way to Dakor on the bullock-cart, they saw a poor brahmin offering prayers to Lord Krishna standing on the road in front of the cart. The brahmin was none else but the tree from the wood of which the bullock-cart was made. Lord Krishna took pity on him and emancipated him.