Bhalka Tirtha Temple | Timings, Story & Significance

Bhalka Tirtha Temple, sometimes called the ‘Bhalka Pilgrimage’, is a popular Hindu place of worship in the bizarre town of Somnath near Veraval on the Arabian Sea. Veraval is one of the favourite tourist destinations of residents and foreign tourists from all over the world. The Bhalka Tirtha Temple timings are from 06:00 AM to 09:00 PM.

Bhalka Tirtha Temple

It is just some kilometres away from Somnath. Bhalka Tirtha and Somnath Temple are some of Somnath’s major tourist attractions. Inside the temple’s sanctum sanctorum is a blue idol of Lord Krishna in a meditative posture.

Background Story

The hunter is about to shoot an arrow at Zara Krishna. According to the Mahabharata, one hundred of Gandhari’s sons were killed in the battle of Kurukshetra. The night before Duryodhana’s death, Krishna visited Gandhari and consoled him.

Gandhari felt that Krishna had not knowingly ended the war. In anger and grief, Gandhari cursed Krishna and everyone in the Yadu clan that Krishna would perish after 36 years.

Krishna, who thought that the Yadavas had become very arrogant (unrighteous), wanted this to happen, so Gandhari ended his speech by saying “Thatastu” (as well).

Thirty-six years later, a feud broke out between the Yadavs, killing each other. Krishna’s elder brother Balarama left his body using yoga. Krishna went into the forest and started meditating under a tree.

The Mahabharata also tells the story of a hunter who became a means by which Krishna left the world. The hunter Zara, who mistaken Krishna’s left foot for a deer, shot an arrow and killed him.

After realising the mistake and still bleeding, Krishna said to Zara, “O Zara, I killed you in your ancestry; I had killed as Ramu in the third age. Here, you have a chance, and all the work in this world is going on.

It happened as I wished, and you need not worry about it. “Then Krishna, with his physical body, returned to his eternal abode, Goloka Vrindavana. The event signified Krishna’s departure from the earth. It had been believed that the existing Bhalka.

According to mythological sources, the disappearance of Krishna marks the end of the Dvapara era and the beginning of the Kaliyuga, which dates back to February 17/18, 3102 BCE.

Another Story of Bhalka Tirtha Temple

According to the scriptures in the Ramayana, Lord Rama, i.e. in his earlier Ramavataram (incarnations), is believed to have offered a boon to an ape king, Vali (Hindu mythology), who hid and killed him without directly fighting him.

The hunter’s action in the Krishna incarnation (incarnations) must correspond to the coming of Rama, which means that Krishna is in his previous incarnation. We had believed that Krishna had left his footprints. It is a regular pilgrimage for people visiting Somnath.

Religious Significance

The Bhalka Tirtha Temple is also known as Mahaprabhuji Betak. It demonstrates the various victories of Lord Krishna. It also describes the evangelisation of the famous Hindu epic Gita. The temple had planted a pipal tree to commemorate Lord Krishna.

Apart from the idol of Lord Krishna, people also worship the Pippala tree. The temple hosts various religious activities like Aarti, Bhog and Prarthana daily.

Adjacent to the Bhalka Tirtha Temple is a small cave called Baldev Cave. It had been said that Lord Krishna’s elder brother, Baldev, had disappeared from the cave. As he had considered being the embodiment of Seshanag, he reached the world.

According to some Hindu rituals, Lord Krishna left his human body in the Balka Tirtha Temple. Legend has it that the moon created the Bhalka Tirtha temple with gold.

Many devotees visit the Balka Tirtha every year to seek blessings from Lord Krishna. Various famous Hindu festivals are organised and celebrated in this temple. The most popular of them are Janmashtami, Holi and Rath Yatra.

Bhalka Tirtha Temple Timings

Below are the Bhalka Tirtha temple timings:

Day	Bhalka Tirtha Temple Timings
Sunday	6 AM to 9 PM
Monday	6 AM to 9 PM
Tuesday	6 AM to 9 PM
Wednesday	6 AM to 9 PM
Thursday	6 AM to 9 PM
Friday	6 AM to 9 PM
Saturday	6 AM to 9 PM

Food and Accommodation

Wise tourists wandering around the town for a suitable four-star hotel can visit Hotel Imperial Wood at Prabhas Patan near Veraval. It is a well-managed hotel that serves authentic South Indian cuisine.

Tourists can indulge their taste buds by enjoying a mouth-watering thali meal at their multi-cuisine restaurant.

The four-star hotel has state-of-the-art amenities and luxurious interiors. Some of the basic amenities offered by this hotel include LED TV, free Wi-Fi access, twenty-four-hour doctor call facilities and twenty-four-hour front desk facilities.

Nearby Places to Visit 

Apart from the Bhalka Tirtha Temple, there are several other attractive tourist spots near this temple. On the way to Somnath, you can choose Chorwad Beach as your stopover. It is a wonderful beach village, just thirty-seven kilometres from Somnath. It is ideal for those who want to relax from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Visitors cannot swim but indulge in recreational activities such as boat riding and experience the enchanting views of rugged terrain.

Those who want to sneak peek at the history of the place can visit Chorwad Palace, the Summer Palace of the former Nawabs of Junagadh.

Veraval is the second-best tourist destination near Somnath. It is truly an ideal place for history buffs to see the majestic splendour of a heavily fortified port city. The place still retains its former glory.

The best time to visit

The best time to visit Balka Tirtha and Somnath Temple is at the beginning of winter when the weather conditions are favourable for exploring this place. Bhalka Tirtha Somnath Temple has been a shrine since time immemorial.

People herd to this place because of its sanctity and magnetic attraction. On one’s journey, it is a must-visit place in one of the ‘must-visit temples in India’.

How to get there? 

By Road: 

The temple city is located at a distance of 82 km from Junagadh, 270 km from Bhavnagar and 120 km from Porbandar. The capital city of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, is just 400 km from Somnath.

By Train: 

Somnath is the nearest railway station, well connected to Gujarat and other major cities in India.

By Air: 

Porbandar Airport is 120 km, and Rajkot Airport is 200 km.

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