Damodar Kund

Gujarat & Diu


Just down the road from the base of Girnar Hill is Damodar Kund, a sacred lake lined by ghats (landings) where people scatter the ashes and bones of recently passed relatives. The bones are clearly visible, though due to special properties of the water they dissolve fairly fast. It's believed that scattering the bones and ashes helps the dead find moksha (release from the cycle of reincarnation).

People also come here for ritual bathing or, in the case of local children, just for a splash about.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Gujarat & Diu attractions

1. Girnar Hill

0.76 MILES

This sacred mountain, rising dramatically from the plains, is covered with Jain and Hindu temples and is a major pilgrimage site. However, as with any…

2. Ashokan Edicts

0.84 MILES

Just outside town on the road to Girnar Hill, a white building on the right encloses a large boulder on which Buddhist emperor Ashoka had 14 edicts…

3. Navghan Kuvo

1.24 MILES

This 52m-deep well, designed to help withstand sieges, is almost 1000 years old. Its magnificent staircase spirals around the well shaft. Look for the…

4. Adi Kadi Vav

1.24 MILES

One of two step-wells at Uparkot Fort cut from solid rock, circular, 41m-deep Adi Kadi Vav is named after two slave girls who used to fetch water from it…

5. Jama Masjid

1.32 MILES

The Jama Masjid, the disused mosque inside Uparkot Fort, was converted from a palace in the 15th century by Gujarat sultan Mahmud Begada and has a rare…

6. Uparkot Fort

1.33 MILES

This ancient fort is believed to have been built in 319 BC by the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta, though it has been extended many times. In places the…

7. Buddhist Caves

1.36 MILES

Inside Uparkot Fort and close to the Jama Masjid, these are not actually caves but rather monastic quarters carved out of rock around the 2nd century AD…

8. Tombs of the Babi Kings

1.93 MILES

Unknown even to many locals, this abandoned and half-overgrown cemetery at the edge of the old town contains the tombs of the Babi nawabs of Junagadh and…