| Bhalka Tirtha | |
|---|---|
भालका तीर्थ | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Gir Somnath |
| Deity | Krishna |
| Governing body | Shree Somnath Trust |
| Location | |
| Location | Veraval |
| State | Gujarat |
| Country |  India |
  Location within Gujarat(around 3) Show map of Gujarat Bhalka (India) Show map of India | |
| Geographic coordinates | 20°53′16.9″N70°24′5.0″E / 20.888028°N 70.401389°E /20.888028; 70.401389 |
| Website | |
| somnath.org | |
Bhalka Tirtha (transl. Bhalka pilgrimage), located inVeraval on the western coast ofGujarat,India, is the place whereKrishna took his last breath. It is said that the hunter Jara ended Krishna life by an arrow shot to Krishna's foot, later suffering severe and subsequently fatal injuries.Puranas asShri Krishna Nijdham Prasthan Leela.[1][2] Bhalka is part of the LordKrishna circuit (Mathura,Vrindavan,Barsana,Govardhan,Kurukshetra andDwarka).
Bhalka is located just 4 km fromSomnath Temple, aJyotirlinga, situated inVeraval,Gujarat, India.
The site also has ancient history asPrabhas Patan was occupied during theIndus Valley Civilisation, 2000–1200 BCE.
According toMahabharata, theKurukshetra war resulted in the death of all the hundred sons ofGandhari. On the night beforeDuryodhana's death,Krishna visited Gandhari to offer his condolences. Gandhari felt that Krishna knowingly did not put an end to the war, and in a fit of rage and sorrow, Gandhari cursed that Krishna, along with everyone else from theYadu dynasty, would perish after 36 years. Krishna himself knew and wanted this to happen as he felt that the Yadavas had become very haughty and arrogant(adharmi), so he ended Gandhari's speech by saying "tathastu" (so be it).[3][4]
After 36 years passed, a fight broke out between theYadavas, at a festival, who killed each other. His elder brother,Balarama,left his body throughYoga. Krishna retired into the forest and started meditating under a tree. The Mahabharata also narrates the story of a hunter who becomes an instrument for Krishna's departure from the world. The hunter Jara mistook Krishna's partly visible left foot for that of a deer, and shot an arrow, mortally wounding him. After Jara realised his mistake, while still bleeding, Krishna told Jara, "O Jara, you wereVali in your previous birth, killed by myself asRama inTreta Yuga. Here you had a chance to even it and since all acts in this world are done as desired by me, you need not worry for this". Then Krishna, left his physical body[5] ascended back to his eternal abode,Vaikuntha and this event marks departure of Krishna from the earth.[6][7][8] The news was conveyed toHastinapur andDwaraka by eyewitnesses to this event.[5] The place of this incident is believed to be Bhalka, nearSomnath temple.[1][2]
According toPuranic sources,[a] Krishna's disappearance marks the end ofDvapara Yuga and the start ofKali Yuga, which is dated to 17/18 February 3102 BCE.[12]
As per the writing inRamayana,Rama, that is,Krishna in his earlierRama avatar (Avatars) is supposed to have given a boon to a Vanar kingVali (Hindu mythology) whom Rama killed stealthily by shooting an arrow, while hiding behind a bush when Vali was engaged in a battle with his younger brotherSugriva, thus fulfilling his promise of protecting Sugriva's life. The above action of the hunter inKrishna avatar (Avatars) is supposed to be in compliance to the boon of Rama. It is believed that Krishna left his footprints and he transformed the hunter back into vali who went back to Indraloka. It is a common site of pilgrimage for people who visit Somnath.
Bhalka Teerth is situated almost 4 kilometres away from theSomnath temple. Presently the government has planned to develop this temple also into a major tourist attraction.[1]
Somnath/Veraval City/Bhalka is very well connected via road and rail network. The nearest railway station is Veraval[13] and the nearest airports areDiu andRajkot. Bus services are available from places likeAhmedabad,Vadodara,Rajkot, andDwarka.
Book 16: Mausala Parva Sections 4-8
On the very day, and at the very moment the Lord [Krishna] left the earth, on that very day this Kali, the source of irreligiousness, (in this world), entered here.
The Parijata tree proceeded to heaven, and on the same day that Hari [Krishna] departed from the earth the dark-bodied Kali age descended.
It was on the day on which Krishna left the Earth and went to heaven that the Kali age, with time for its body set in.
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