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The form of Lord Ranchhodrai is that of the Lord Vishnu with four arms. 

He bears the conch, lotus, discus and the mace in His hands. The lower right arm is held up in the abhaya mudra - giving protection to all those who come to Him. As the Lord here is worshipped more as Krishna than Dwarkadhish, i.e. younger and freer than the mature Lord of Dwaraka, His right hand is often shown to hold a flute - a favorite 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.

Bodana was 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 Vijayanand 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. After returning home,  Vijayanand  realized that his friend was none else but Lord Krishna. Next day they fought a battle of color. 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 and his present wife Sudha would again be his wife, called Gangabai, when He will give them a darshan 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  and used to go every six months to Dwaraka 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 Dwaraka, he should bring a bullock-cart with him and Lord Krishna would accompany him to Dakor as He was  pleased with his devotion. Accordingly, Bodana went with a bullock-cart to Dwaraka.

The hereditary priests of Dwaraka (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 Dwaraka 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,  holding a branch of a neem tree.

Since that day, this neem tree is found to have one sweet branch, though the rest of the branches are bitter!

Meanwhile, at Dwaraka, the Gugli brahmins finding the idol of Lord Krishna 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, the spear also hurt the idol 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 idol lay is red while rest of the tank is of brown. 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 Dwaraka, 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 asked the Guglis to return to Dwaraka.

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 (1/2 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 Dwaraka. 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.

The present temple was constructed by Shri Gopalrao Jagannath Tambwekar in 1772 A.D. at the cost of rupees one lakh. It was built with brick walls and stones pillars. It is raised on a high plinth of 168 feet by 151 feet with twelve stone steps on each side and surrounded by a spacious courtyard.

It has eight domes and twenty four turrets, the highest of them being 90 feet making it the tallest temple in the district. The main gate of the temple overlooks the (now crowded) banks of the lake Gomati. Silver gates are protected by the Vedic Gods - Lord Ganesha, Sun, Moon, etc. beautifully carved in high relief. 

Three large entrances allow devotees to enter the main audience chamber. The large open square structure of the audience chamber is surmounted by an imposing, glittering dome. Till recently, the dome was painted with Shri Krishna's rasa-leela in the classical Bundi style. Recently, this has been replaced by an intricate inlay of mirror work, depicting flowers in a classical Rajput garden. 

Painted murals from Lord Krishna's life adorn the walls of the audience chamber. A small section at the front of the chamber is railed off and reserved for women. As with all classical temples, the inner sanctum of Ranchhodrai is set in a straight line from the main gate of the temple.

The Lord stands under a canopied pavilion in the inner sanctum. The whole structure is raised on a marble platform and the pillars of the pavilion are covered in gold. The intricately carved doors and windows to the inner sanctum are covered in silver. 

 There are three doors leading into the inner sanctum. Door to the right of the Lord comes in from the antechamber, leading to a special bathroom where the priests must bathe before entering the inner sanctum. Corridors from here, also lead to the treasure house of the Lord, housing His innumerable jewels and clothes. The door in front of the Lord faces the main audience chamber.

At Dakor, the Lord spends as much time as possible with His devotees. The main doors to the inner sanctum are open most of the day. The doors only close when the Lord sleeps - during the afternoon and at night. 

The door to the left of the Lord leads to the bedchamber of the Lord - a mirrored chamber of thousand delights. Various beds, mattresses and blankets are neatly arranged  here for the Lord's comfort. Silver and gold bedsteads are covered in soft cottons and silks. Perfumes and garlands are kept in readiness for the Lord. 

 A small corridor leads from here to the open hall behind the bedchamber, where pilgrims perform various religious rituals to please the Lord. 

 Lakshmiji's temple is situated in a residential part of the town at a little distance from the main temple. It is believed that the Lord visits His wife  every Friday.