Icon of Shri Ranchodji at
Dakor
The image of the Lord is around 5 feet tall and made from a very hard black stone. The amazing fact is, those of us who have been fortunate enough to touch the wonderful feet of this deity, have found them to be as soft as any human feet !!
The form of Lord Ranchodrai is that of the Lord Vishnu with four arms. As is usual with Lord Vishnu, He bears the conch, lotus, discus and the mace in His hands. The lower right arm is held up in the abhaya mudra - offering protection to all those who come to Him. There may be a lotus imprinted on the this hand, but it is impossible to confirm that without getting really close to the Lord. As the Lord here is worshipped more as Krshna than Dwarkadhish, i.e. younger and freer than the mature Lord of Dwaraka, His right hand is often shown to hold a flute - the favourite musical instrument of the Lord in His younger days.
The upper right hand holds the mace, the upper left hand holds the discus and the lower left hand holds the conch. Ordinarily, it is difficult to see these "ayudhas" of the Lord in His hands. During festivals, the hands encased in specially made gloves of gold, studded with gems. This helps highlight the ayudhas in detail. Please see the photo taken at Divali as a reference.
Some great videos of Kesar Snan, Shringar and artis of the Lord :-
Kesar snana of Lord Ranchodrai of Dakor - darshan of the Lord being bathed in saffron water every morning.
Mangala Arti of Lord Ranchodrai
Artis through the day from Shringar to Shayan - note how children of the priests trained from young age in details of rituals.
Here is a wonderful mpg file with a Mangala darshan of the Lord Ranchodraiji.
© Bhagwat Shah
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