There are many popular religious places in and around Ahmedabad. One such spiritual destination is Dakor which is famous for its Ranchhodraiji Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna one of the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Dakor is 94 kilometres away from Ahmedabad situated in the Kheda District of Gujarat state. Initially it was a small town but has transformed completely into a well known religious and business centre over a period of time. The holy shrine of Lord Krishna was created by Shri Gopalrao Jagannath Tambwekar in the year 1772 as a small temple but now it has been turned into a huge complex in square shape. The pillars of the temple are created using stones while the walls are made up of bricks. The total cost of construction of the temple came around Rupees one lakh at that time.There are four doors in the complex to enter the shrine among which one of the doors is placed in front of the Gomati River. There is an audience hall in front of one of the three doors that opens up in facing the idol of lord. This hall is used by devotees to offer their prayers to the lord. Connected to the main chamber of the temple there is another room that is supposed to be the place where the lord takes rest and that is why it is decorated well like a lavish bedroom with fragrant garlands, soft mattresses, blankets, beautiful bed sheets, etc. during afternoons the doors are closed for some time as it is supposed that during that time lord takes rest in the bedroom. You can see twelve steps made of stones on each side of the temple. There is a big courtyard around the temple. The temple has eight beautiful smooth domes and twenty four towers among which one is 90 feet high thus making this temple the tallest one in the entire district.The temple has got its name Ranchhodraiji because the Lord Krishna is called here by that name. There is a legend behind the name of the lord and the temple. It says that once lord Krishna ran away from the battle field where a war was taking place between him and a friend of Jarasand. From that time he got his name as Ranchhodraiji. It is said that the idol of lord in the temple is originally from Dwarka. If believed people say that once there was a man called Bholanath in Dakor. He was a fine devotee of lord Krishna and to get his blessings and to offer prayers he went to Dwarka. The lord got very pleased by his devotee who travelled so long to worship him. The lord decided to shift to Dakor in order to help his devotees by not travelling far distances to see him. Bholanath while coming back from Dwarka accompanied by lord Krishna that is why lord Krishna became the most favourite deity of people in Dakor. The temple is built here in order to count the Lord’s kindness for his devotees. Every year on the occasion of Sharad Purnima during winters a festival is organised at Dakor. The coming 30th September 2012 is the date of Sharad Purnima. This beautiful shrine is worth paying a visit in order to get the blessings of the liveliest God of Hindus.Opening timings of temple:From 6.45 AM till 7.30 PM everydayRuchi Mahajan