Purnima & Utsav:

History

In times of Mahabharata, the surrounding area of Dakor constituted the 'Hidamba' van (jungle). It was a very dense jungle. It was pleasant and rich with streams and lakes. It had become an attraction for the sages to establish their hermitage for penance. Likewise, Dank Rishi had his hermitage (ashram) in this area. During penance Lord Shiva was pleased with him and asked him to demand something. Thereupon, Dank Rishi requested Lord Shiva to remain permanently in his hermitage. Lord Shiva agreed to his request. He disappeared and left behind him His replica in the form of Ban (Ling), which is known as Danknath Mahadev. Thus in ancient times, Dakor was known as 'Dankor' after the name of Dankanth Mahadev. It was also known as khakhariya because of many khakhra(palash) trees in the vicinity.

Legend

The present Dakor owes its raison not to Dank Rishi but to Bodana, a great devotee of Lord Krishna. In his previous birth, he is supposed to have lived in Gokul and been a cowherd called Vijayanand. On one Holi day, all the cowherds except Vijyanand worshipped Lord Krishna. His wife too worshipped Lord Krishna. But Vijayanand was proud and stayed at home. Lord Krishna came to his house in disguise of his friend and sent him to perform 'Holi' puja. Coming back, he realised that his friend was none else but Lord Krishna. Next day they fought a battle of colour. Lord Krishna lost and fell into the river. Vijyanand went after him where Lord Krishna revealed his true self. Vijyanand 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 Krishatriya and his present wife Sudha would again be his wife, called Gangabai, when he will give them a glimpse (darshna) and relieve them by offering them emancipation (Moksha). So as the legend would have it, 'Vijayanand Bodana', a rajput of Dakor, becomes 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 worship Lord Krishna with the said Tulsi leaves .

He did this continuously, unfailingly and untiringly till he was 72 years he then began to find it increasingly difficult to pursue this ritual. 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 believe him but nevertheless locked and sealed the sanctum sanctorum of Dwarika Temple for the night. At mid night, 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 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). In Dwarika, the Gugli brahmins finding the image missing chased Bodana and came to Dakor in pursuit. Bodana was frightened but Lord Krishna told him to hide the idol of the deity in the Gomti tank and meet the Guglis. Accordingly, Bodana hid the idol and went to meet the Guglis with a pot of curd to pacify them. They became angry and one of them threw a spear at him. He fell down dead While hurting Bodana with a spear it also hurt the image of the deity hidden in Gomti tank and the water turned red with Lord Krishna's (Ranchhodraiji's) blood. It is said that even today the earth of Gomti tank where the image lay is red while rest of the tank is of brown mud. In the midst of Gomti tank, over the place where Lord Krishna was hidden, a small temple having the Lord's foot-prints is constructed and this temple is linked with the bank of Gomti Tank by a bridge. Even with the death of Bodana, the Guglis were not appeased. Requesting Lord Krishna to return to Dwarika, they sat on the bank of Gomti tank and went on a hunger strike.

At last, Lord Ranchhodraiji (Krishna) directed Gangabai, wife of Bodana, to give gold equivalent of his weight and ask the Guglis to return to Dwarika. Poor lady, the widow of Bodana, was a pauper and could not afford doing so. By a miracle, the idol became as light as a golden nose-ring (1, 1/4 val i.e.1/2 gram in weight) which was all that the widow of Bodana, Gangabai, had . The Guglis were disappointed but the Lord mercifully directed that they would find after six months an exact replica of the idol in Sevaradhan Vav (well with steps) at Dwarika. The impatient Guglis looked for the idol sometime earlier than they were told and as a result, found an idol which, though similar to the original one, was smaller, Pilgrims to Dakor still visit the places stated to have been associated with the legend viz. Where the branch of neem tree under which Lord rested while coming to Dankpur subsequently turned sweet; where the idol was hidden in the Gomti tank; whereon the balance was set up to weigh the original idol which Bodana had enshrined.

Shri Gopal Jagannath Tambwekar approached Peshwas and Gaikwars and requested them to grant lands for the maintenance, (puja, worship, prosperity, naivedya and services and ceremonials etc) for the expenses of the deity from the State . Thereupon, Peshwa Madhavrao Ballal Pradhan, Peshwa of Poona granted the entire village of 'Dakor' of Taluka Thasra, District Kaira and Damaji Gaikwar's son Sayajirao Gaikwar of Baroda granted in Inam (Offered as prize) village 'Kanjari', Prant Madhudha of Gujarat. At that time i.e. in 1769 A,D. half of Kaira District was with Peshwas of Poona and half was with Gaikwars of Baroda. At present, village Kanjari is in Nadiad Taluka of Kaira District. The two entire villages of Dakor and Kanjari were given in Inam to Shri Gopal Jagannath Tambwekar hereditarily for the services of the deity, Shri Ranchhodraiji. Both these villages are known as Dakor Sansthan. Sansthan Scheme was framed in the Year 1879 for the necessary, essential and entire expenses, services and ceremonials of the deity Shri Ranchhodraiji and Goddess Laxmiji which were exclusively met with from the fixed income of the revenues of the two villages of Dakor and Kanjari and was later on registered as a Public Trust. It is the original foundation trust of Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj.

Since 1905, the management of the temple rests with the Temple Committee. In pursuance of a decision of the Privy Council, Dakor Temple Scheme was finally approved by the Privy Council in 1916. In 1952, it was registered as a Public Religious Trust. Thus the Temple Trust is not administered by the Government, but a Committee consisting of vaishnav devotees of Lord Krishna conducts its day to day administration under the supervision of Manager as per the provisions laid down under the Dakor Temple Scheme. The Committee consists of three nominees of the District Court from Vaishnavas . one hereditary representative of Tambwekar family and one from the Sevaks (priests). The priests are of three sub-castes of Brahmins, Tapodhan, Khedaval and Shrigod. At present families of these priests are about 232 in number. The term of the trustee expires every ten year. Temple committee also maintains a Gaushala. It's strength is round about 1200 cattle. Cows are not sold. They are maintained throughout their lifetime. Bulls are given free of cost to needy Gram Panchayats for breeding purposes. Milk of the cows is utilized for the purpose of the deity and the surplus is disposed off by turning it into curd-butter milk and distributing it free of cost amongst the inhabitants of the town and vaishnava visitors and padyatris during full-moon days .

The Temple Committee intends, making the temple self-supporting for its daily requirements of ghee, in preparing food articles as offerings to the deity and has chalked out a plan for increasing the strength of the cowherd from 600 to nearly 4000. Keeping this in view, the grazing land of 1800 acres at present at the disposal of the Temple Committee will fall short. It is also planning to construct a new Gaushala Complex with all necessary facilities. The cost would approximate roughly to rupees ninety lakhs at the present rates. Out of the net surplus of total yearly income after deducting the expenses for bhog, prasad, naivedya and establishment fifty per cent is distributed amongst priests' families and remaining percent is carried over to the reserve fund .

Fixed properties, trust funds, ornaments, utensils and dress of the deity are carried over to Capital. The temple has an annual income of over one crore of rupees and the expenses are also round about the same amount. The accounts are statutorily audited by an approved firm of Chartered Accountant and submitted to the Charity Commissioner and District Court The Temple Committee also administers its two sister Trusts namely, (1) Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj Mandir Gaushala Trust and (2) Thakorpura Trust. Donations, received by Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj Mandir Gaushala Trust are exempted under Section 80 G of income Tax Act.

Management

Chairman, Member & Manager of Dakor Temple Committee.

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 2nd November, 2010

This Privacy Statement discloses the privacy practices for Dakor Temple Committee, Dakor. ("Dakor Temple Committee", "We" or "Us") and how it treats the information that Dakor Temple Committee collects and receives, including information related to your past use of Committee Board donation, products and services. This policy does not apply to the practices of companies that Dakor Temple Committee, Dakor does not own or control or to people that Dakor Temple Committee, Dakor does not employ or manage.

1. The information collected by Dakor Temple Committee

We will not knowingly use information collected on this website to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement. Dakor Temple Committee, collects information from our users at several different points on our website. For purposes of this Privacy Statement, "Personally Identifiable Information" refers to information that can directly identify an individual; for example, such information may include an individual's name, mailing address, phone number or email address.

1.1 Information that Is Automatically Collected: We use IP addresses, with the help of a business partner, to analyze trends, administer the website, track users' movements, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to Personally Identifiable Information.

1.2 Information that Is Collected by Cookies: A cookie is a piece of data stored on a user's hard drive containing information about that user. By setting a cookie on our website, the user would not have to log in with a password more than once, thereby saving time while on our website. If a user rejects the cookie, they may still use our website. The only drawback to this is that the user will be limited in some areas of our website. Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our website.

1.3 Information that Is Actively Submitted to Dakor Temple Committee: A user must provide contact information (such as name and email address) so that we can stay in touch with our users. This information is also used to fulfill order and registration requests. To donate online or for other service ordered, a user must provide contact information (such as name and shipping address) and financial information (such as a credit card number and its expiration date). This information is used for billing purposes, with the help of our service provider (the bank which is providing us the payment gateway facilities), and to fill users' orders. If we have trouble processing an order, this contact information is used to get in touch with the user.

1.4 Third Party Advertisers on Dakor Temple Committee, Ranchhodraiji Maharaj's Website: Presently, we do not provide any third party advertisement on our website. No third party interference is yet allowed and hence there is no question of collecting any information from third party from our website. In future, if we allow advertisement on this website with authorized permission, we will decide on the collection of private information by third party or use of cookies by third party. The necessary information will be mentioned in this place.

1.5 Information Dakor Temple Committee, Committee Obtains from Third Parties: Presently website is not collecting user information from third party. Only in case of Payment Gateway, the bank (who so ever provides the payment gateway services for online transaction) collects very critical information like Credit card or debit card number, Expiry date of credit card or debit card , Credit card or debit card holders name, amount deducted from their credit or debit account and any other relevant information which is must for online transaction. These information are collected by payment gateway service provider and these information along with your contact information are stored with payment gateway service provider. Dakor Temple Committee stores only your contact information and amount you donate or pay for various services or products

The critical information like credit or debit card number, its expiry date, card holder�s name, bank name are not at all stored with Dakor Temple Committee's website, infect it is stored with the payment gateway services providers. The payment gateway service provider sends the transaction number to Dakor Temple Committee's website on completion of payment procedure along with status of transaction (like success, cancel or error).

As Dakor Temple Committee is not at all collecting credit or debit card details there is no question of storing it to the server of Dakor Temple Committee and using it for any purpose. These critical information is solely stored with payment gateway service provider. They also never use your card details with any third party except the bank from where they need to deduct sanctioned amount by you.

a. On Successful transaction of payment: In case of successful transaction of payment for donation, services or product the user will inform accordingly. The details will also informed via email (if proper email address provided at the time of payment). The amount will be deducted from user's respective bank and credited in the account of Dakor Temple Committee account. The user will get necessary entry in their passbook or bank statement directly from their bank. If payment is for donation, user will get income tax exemption certificate (in India only). The certificate will be provided in the form of donation slip (online) and user has to get it printed. If user want it physical receipt then it will be delivered to his contact address within two months from the date of payment online. The exemption from income tax is only granted in case of donation made to Dakor Temple Committee and is not refundable on any condition. However, payment of services or for purchase of products like books etc is not exempted from income tax.

b. On Cancel of transaction of payment: If user cancels the transaction in middle of the process, the details are stored in the database and transaction of record generated mentioning that user has interfered in middle of transaction and cancels the transaction. In case of cancellation of transaction, it is possible that server might have already completed transaction and user may get the report of transaction late. In that case: If transaction is for donation cancel of order is not possible If transition is for services or purchase of product than user has to enter cancellation of order procedure. This is possible by user to enter in their account by userid and password and selecting the order which is required to be cancelled If order is already processed (for example book is already sent or services are already enjoyed ) then cancellation is not possible.

2. Communications from Dakor Temple Committee

Welcome Emails and General Correspondence. We send a welcoming email to the email address associated with the account a user has created to verify the users password and username. This process is designed to prevent e-mail addresses from being used without permission in the creation of a Dakor Temple Committee account. Established users will occasionally receive information on products, services, special deals, and a newsletter. Out of respect for the privacy of our users we present the option to not receive some of these types of communications. Please see our opt-out options below.

Site and Service Updates. We send the user website and service announcement updates. Users are not permitted to unsubscribe from service announcements, which contain important information about the website and/or service. We may communicate with users to provide services that users request or to discuss issues relating to their account. Surveys & Contests. From time-to-time our website requests information from users via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and, as such, the user has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and shipping address), and demographic information (such as zip code, age level).

3. How information collected by Dakor Temple Committee is used.

Demographic Information. We will share aggregated demographic information with our partners. The aggregated demographic information is not linked to any Personally Identifiable Information that can identify any individual person.

Communicating with Our Users. We use Personally Identifiable Information (such as your name, telephone number or email address) to communicate with our users when they have questions, concerns or comments about their accounts or the services that we provide. If you contact us, we may or may not delete your emails or voicemails to us. Information Shared With Third Parties. We do not share your information with third party except you provide while payment transaction to payment gateway service providers.

Use a credit card processing company to bill users for goods and services. These companies do not use Personally Identifiable Information for any use other than credit card processing; however, we will not be responsible or liable for use of the information required by credit card companies in contravention of their policies, contractual obligations or general good business procedures.

Addressing Legal Issues. Further, we provide Personally Identifiable Information to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims. Further, we believe it is necessary to share Personally Identifiable Information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of Dakor Temple Committee's terms of use, or as otherwise required by law.

4. Correction/Updating Personal Information

Users must provide accurate and correct contact information (name, postal address, e-mail address, phone number) etc. On providing wrong information if we are unable to process your request, then we are not at all responsible for the act. We provide services and product only if you provide the correct information. Due to wrong information product may not reach to your destination in time or sometime not reach at all. In that case, Dakor Temple Committee is not responsible and have no legal rights to provide required services or refund your amount.

5. Opting Out

Users are provided an opportunity to "opt-out" of having their information used for purposes not directly related to the services they request. Users who no longer wish to receive our newsletter or promotional materials from us may opt-out of receiving these communications by replying and typing "unsubscribe" in the subject line in the email or email your request to info@ranchhodraiji.org

6. Use of the Dakor Temple Committee Website by Persons Under Age 18

This website is collecting payment for donation, various pooja services and products sale. It is not intended for use by anyone under the age of eighteen (18), and any individual under such age should not provide us with Personally Identifiable Information. We do not knowingly contact, market to, solicit, collect or use Personally Identifiable Information from or about any individual under the age of 18. It is possible that by fraud or deception we may receive information pertaining to children under 18. If we are notified of that we have personal information regarding a person under the age of 18, as soon as we reasonably verify the information, we will either obtain parental consent or otherwise delete the information from the account and/or service. However, the information may remain on a log in our servers. If you want to notify us of our receipt of information by children under 18, please do so by emailing us at: info@ranchhodraiji.org

7. Linking to Third Party Websites

This website may contains links to other websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other websites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our website and to read the Privacy Statements of each and every website that collects Personally Identifiable Information. This Privacy Statement applies solely to information collected by this website.

8. Users Must Keep Their Passwords Private

Users are required to keep their account passwords confidential and do not share this information with others. If you choose to reveal or share your password and Dakor Temple Committee account name, we are unable to guarantee the security of your account.

9. Changes to Our Privacy Statement

This Privacy Statement may change, and use of information that we gather now is subject to the Privacy Statement that is in effect as of the time of use. You are responsible for periodically checking our Privacy Statement. You may opt-out of any posted change to our collection, use or disclosure of your personal information by sending an e-mail to info@ranchhodraiji.org If we make minor changes to this Privacy Statement, the changes will be immediately effective upon posting the revised Privacy Statement to the website. If we make material changes to this Privacy Statement or in how we will use or collect your Personally Identifiable Information, we will prominently post a notification on our website of the changed Privacy Statement ten (10) days prior to implementing the change. The date at the bottom of this Privacy Statement is the date that the Privacy Statement is effective.

10. Final Statement

Dakor Temple Committee will use your information in accordance with the Privacy Statement that is currently in effect. If you have any questions about the security at our website, you can send an email to info@ranchhodraiji.org

Website-Terms

Welcome to the Dakor Temple Committee website. If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern Dakor Temple Committee relationship with you in relation to this website. The term " Dakor Temple Committee " or "us" or "we" refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj Mandir, Dakor, Gujarat - INDIA. The term you refers to the user or viewer of our website. We as a merchant shall be under no liability whatsoever in respect of any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly out of the decline of authorization for any Transaction, on Account of the \Cardholder having exceeded the preset limit mutually agreed by us with our acquiring bank from time to time The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

# The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.

# Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law..

# Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements..

# This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions..

# All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website..

# Unauthorized use of this website may give to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence..

# Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to Dakor jurisdiction..

Disclaimer

# The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Dakor Temple Committee and whilst we endeavour to keep the information up-to-date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

# In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of or in connection with the use of this website.

# Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, Dakor Temple Committee takes no responsibility for and will not be liable for the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.

Copyright Notice

# This website and its content is copyright of Dakor Temple Committee All rights reserved.

Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:

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# You may copy the content to individual third parties for their personal use, but only if you acknowledge the website as the source of the material

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Terms for Donation

Dakor Temple Committee online donation terms and conditions operate within the guidelines specified by Dakor Temple Committee, to ensure all steps in the process are clear prior to you making an online donation. When you have made an online donation, Dakor Temple Committee is committed to ensuring the information you provide is protected.

What information do we collect?

Dakor Temple Committee's website asks for the information listed below, all of which will be held securely. All information received are protected and will not be shared with any third party and the information so gathered will not be used for commercial gains. Name, Address, City, State, Country, Phone, Email and Donation Category

What is this information used for?

Dakor Temple Committee uses this information to:

Process donations and provide receipts, Provide occasional updates as relevant, Maintain accurate records of donor details, Maintain accurate records of accounts for auditing purposes.

Refund and Cancellation Policy

Any request for cancellation, transfer or refund of donations once received by us will not be entertained.

No refund/cancellation will be entertained for the donated amount by any donor through the online payment gateway (online donation).

No refund of money paid via credit card (online or offline), cash, cheque, payorder or DD will be allowed.

We as Dakor Temple Committee shall be under no liability whatsoever in respect of any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly out of the decline of authorization for any

Transaction, on Account of the Cardholder having exceeded the preset limit mutually agreed by us with our acquiring bank from time to time

All Above mentioned terms will also be applied for the Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj Mandir Gaushala Trust

Donation made at Shri Ranchhodraiji Maharaj Mandir Gaushala Trust are deductible under 
Section 80-G of Income Tax Act