Chappan Seedhi … 56 steps to the gates of Heaven, the temple of Dwarka, Sri Krishna and then Moksha .. There are 56 steps to the temple from the side where the turbulent waves of the sea crash against the high banks of the temple of Dwarka Dheesh, where we begin our work today. Moksha, salvation, deliverance - an account of your deeds on earth after passing through the gates of heaven. The 56 steps picturesque in their imposing stance at the base of a small narrow lane lined with little shops selling beads, pictures of the Gods, torans made of shells, amulets and pearl strings, all enticing the believer to wrap themselves around it and feel the presence of the Lord. I ask the excited young ladies watching me prepare for the shot, about to ‘breathe in a bit of Gujarat’, khushboo Gujarat ki, what those white pearl strings are for - “Magaj thando rakhe !”, they respond in immediate unison. Keeps the head cool ! Then they laughed. Was it an indicator that they had been deploying them for their men ! Ha ha ! Moksha, salvation or deliverance through those gates of heaven after climbing the 56 steps. Why the 56 ? I did not ask, no one told me. But climb I did and pass I did though the gates on to the main temple complex and the lord Krishna in prayer and meditation. I joke with the guide on the relevance of moksha and the steps. How do you know that climbing those steps and passing through the gates would give us salvation or deliverance ? No one came back to tell us so ? They smile a bit embarrassingly. I slap their backs and say I was just joking. No matter how many questions we may have on religion and their stories and mythology and the myths, it never takes us too far away from reverence. It is too unknown a territory to pass judgement on. A structure that has born the strength of belief for thousands of years, is beyond questioning. We just follow and pray and believe. We ask for the goodness of family and their safety and prosperity. We ask for care and attention upon us and we submit ourselves to the Lord. The Lord’s helpers and priests give us assurance through prayer and chant and later come out and accost us for the autograph and the keepsake photograph. Would my prayer be affected if I would not oblige. I wonder and give in. Gives one the feel that perhaps the Almighty would listen in to them with greater sincerity. At the Akshardham temple in Ahmedabad the laser show had professed during its presentation that the body may be destroyed after death, not the soul. The soul gets liberated and free. These discussions would be never ending and one must leave them at the earliest. Better to be by the river side - the Gomti river flowing into the sea and the ghats, much like the ones in Varanasi. Much smaller and less ornate, but a ghat all the same. On the center and running parallel to the Gomti up to the sea, angered by the monsoon, is the island like land called Panchkuin, or 5 wells. The land mass of island right on the tip of the sea and the wells having sweet water ! They have built another temple around it and soon there shall be development in the region to interconnect the island with the land mass through a bridge. Just at the edge of the ghat another temple and before the idol of the deity a large container of water in which an entire rock floats !! This is unique. I am asked by the pundit to check it out. I do not. Leave it there to attract its own attention. But floating rock ? A host of artists required for the shoot are dressed up as passers by, people at the temple. They all seem so excited and conscious that they will be acting for film. Diligently they perform what has been asked of them. The girls all dressed in their fineries, look so fresh and full of smiles ; their gold jewelry as a necklace around their necks a delight to see. Its been almost 13 - 14 hours of non stop work. I having started at 5:30 AM. But glory be, we have wrapped for the schedule a day and a half ahead. Tomorrow I travel back to Mumbai. And below the slashing waves of the Arabian Sea, lies the hidden city of Dwarka, submerged perhaps due to geographical reasons, or a natural disaster. There are plans by the local Government to employ technicians from the West to explore the possibility of retrieving some thing from that era, but nothing has been initiated yet. Its been a rewarding experience religiously and work wise too, but what has been most rewarding has been the attitude of the people. They have been exemplary. No screaming or shouting, no disturbances, just a huge amount of people, there in disciplined and orderly manner, expressing their love and affection but when asked to, maintaining the respect desired of them. The priests at the main temple, a collage of different sets of buildings and structures, brought out the foot wear of Shri Krishna and we paid respect and prayer to it. And then amidst the milling crowds made a swift departure through secret doorways down to our respective vehicles. And all along, the harsh waves that lashed around the temple structure and beyond, kept coming in - straight, honest and having its own unexplored power !! A power that through its likeness, almost trying to match the superior power of the God within. Remain well and in prayer and peace - Amitabh Bachchan