Dwarka Hindi: द्वारका, also spelled Dvarka, Dwaraka, and Dvaraka, is a city and a municipality located in the Jamnagar district of Gujarat state in India. Dwarka (Dvaraka in Sanskrit – used in this article when referring to the city in a historical context), also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country. The legendary city of Dvaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area.
Coordinates: 22°14′N 68°58′E / 22.23°N 68.97°E / 22.23; 68.97
| State | Gujarat |
| District(s) | Jamnagar |
| Population | 33,614 (2001) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area• Elevation | • sealevel |
Contents |
Geography
The modern city of Dwarka is located in the Jamnagar District ofGujarat. It is located close to where the Gomti River merges into the Gulf of Kutch. The city lies in the westernmost part of India.
Demographics
As of the 2001 Indian census,Dwarka had a population of 33,614. Males constitute 53% of the population, and females constitute 47%. Dwarka has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; the male literacy rate is 72%, and the female literacy rate is 55%. In Dwarka, there are many families with young children, as
13% of the population is under six years of age.
The Dwarakadhish temple.
The temple has a five storey tower which was built by Sambha, who is the grandson of Lord Sri Krishna. The city is believed to be built by Vishwakarma, who is a celestial architect in Hinduism. The temple is made of limestone and sand. There is a flag hoisted in the temple tower five times each day, which waves in the air beautifully welcoming the pilgrims. The structure of the temple is quite complicated. There are two gateways: Swarga Dwar, where pilgrims enter, and Moksha Dwar, where pilgrims exit. From the temple one can view the Sangam (confluence) of River Gomati flowing towards the sea. In Dwaraka, there are also shrines for Vasudeva, Devaki, Balarama and Revati, Subhadra, Rukmini Devi, Jambavati Devi and Satyabhama Devi.
There is a special temple for Rukmini Devi on the way to Bet Dwarka temple. Bet Dwaraka can be reached by boat. It is also the temple which is like the palace where Lord Shri Krishna had ruled. A similar idol of Lord Dwarakanath is
also kept in Bet Dwaraka. The temple looks like a palace and has many Shrines for Lakshmi Narayana, Trivikrama, Jambavati Devi, Satyabhama Devi and Rukmini Devi.
Holy City
The city derives its name from word dvar meaning door or gate in the Sanskrit language. Dwarka is considered to be one of the holiest cities in Hinduism and one of the 4 main “dhams” along with Badrinath, Puri, Rameshwaram. The city is especially respected by Vaishnavas. The Jagatmandir temple which houses the Dwarkadhish, a form of Krishna is also located in Dwaraka.
Nageshwar Jyotirling, one of the 12 holy shrines of Lord Shiva, is located near Dwaraka.
Dwarka is also the site of Dwaraka Pītha (also known as Sharada Pītha), one of the four cardinal mathas established by Sri Adi Shankaracharya, the others being those at Sringeri, Puri and Jyotirmath.
Sri Dwaraknath Mahatyam
Adi Sankara had visited Dwarakdish Shrine and had established the Dwarka peeth. The Lord here is dressed in Kalyana Kolam where he appears to be a Royal Wedding costume. The place is so sacred as Lord Shri Krishna himself had resided and his successors had built the temple. It is one of the 108 Divya desam.
Prasadam
Prasadams vary from time to time at Dwarakadish temple. They are sugar candy, Kher, Dry Fruits, Paan, Delicious and Nutritious Food, Fruits, Meals and Saffron Sharbath.
Darshan, Sevas and Festivals
There are many Darshan and Sevas for Lord Dwaraknath. The dress is changed accordingly. The Darshan are Mangala
- Shringar
- Gval
- Rajbhoj
- Uthapan
- Bhog
- Sandhya Aarati
- Shayan
- Hindola
Dwarka Kingdom
Dwarka is mentioned in the Mahabharata, the Harivansha, the Bhagavata Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Vishnu
Purana. It is said that this Dwarka was located near the site of the current city of Dwarka, but was eventually deserted and submerged into the sea.
Founding
Sri Krishna renounced war in Mathura for the greater good of the people living in the region (and was hence known by the name Ranchodrai’) and founded the city of Dwarka. Sri Krishna had previously killed Kansa (an oppressive king who ruled the city, and his maternal uncle) and made Ugrasen (Kansa’s father and his maternal grandfather) the king of Mathura. Enraged, the father-in-law of Kansa, Jarasandha (king of Magadha) with his friend Kalayavan attacked Mathura 17 times. For the safety of the people, Krishna and the Yadavas decided to move the capital from Mathura to Dvaraka.
Characteristics of the City
The city was built by Vishwakarma on the order of Lord Krishna. Land was reclaimed from the sea near the western shores of Saurashtra. A city was planned and built here. Dwarka was a planned city, on the banks of Gomati River. This city was also known as Dvaramati, Dvaravati and Kushsthali. It had six well-organized sectors, residential and commercial zones, wide roads, plazas, palaces and many public utilities. A hall called “Sudharma Sabha” was built to hold public meetings. The city also boasted having the possession of a good sea harbour. The city had 700,000 palaces made of gold, silver and other precious stones. Each one of Lord Krishna’s 16108 gopis (devotees) had her own palace. Besides this, the city had beautiful gardens filled with flowers of all seasons and beautiful lakes.
Submersion into the Sea
After Krishna left the earth for Vaikunta in 3102 B. C ,about 36 years after the Mahabharat War, and the major Yadava leaders were killed in disputes among themselves, Arjuna went to Dwarka to bring Krishna’s grandsons and the Yadava wives to Hastinapur, to safety. After Arjuna left Dwarka, it was submerged into the sea. Following is the account given by Arjuna, found in the Mahabharata:
…imposed on it by nature. The sea rushed into the city. It coursed through the streets of the beautiful city. The sea covered up everything in the city. I saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged one by one. In a matter of a few moments it was all over. The sea had now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of the city. Dwaraka was just a name; just a memory.
The Vishnu Purana also mentions the submersion of Dwarka, stating
On the same day that Krishna departed from the earth the powerful dark-bodied Kali Age descended. The oceans rose and submerged the whole of Dwarka.
Recent archeological findings
The recent underwater studies conducted by the ASI (Archeological Survey of India) reveals the existence of city dated to the 2nd millennium BC.
The search for the lost city was going on since 1930’s. The Marine Archeology Unit (MAU) of the National Institute of Oceanography, took part in this search in 1983. This search was carried out in the coastal waters of Dwarka in Gujarat.
Explorations between 1983 and 1990 revealed the well-fortified township of Dvaraka, that extended more than half a mile from the shore. The township was built in six sectors along the banks of a river. The foundation of boulders on which the city’s walls were erected proves that the land was reclaimed from the sea.
Dvaraka extended up to Bet Dwaraka (Sankhodhara) in the north and Okhamadhi in the south. Eastward, it extended up to Pindara. The general layout of the city of Dvaraka described in ancient texts agrees with that of the submerged city discovered by MAU. The historical investigation of the city has many possible religious implications and may influence interpretations of the Krishna legend – for example, by Shikaripura Ranganatha Rao.
Bet Dwarka
Bet Dwarka is famous for its temples dedicated to Lord Krishna and is of
great importance in the ancient Hindu tradition. It and other coastal sites have
ample antiquities, mainly potsherds, suggesting maritime trade and commerce with
the Mediterranean countries around the Christian era.[3] This flourishing harbor and religious capital is believed to have submerged
under the sea after the death of Krishna.
A team of archeologists have carried out onshore and inter-tidal zone
explorations and a few trial trenches were laid to trace a proper cultural
sequence. The most potential sites, where a large number of antiquities were
recovered are the sectors, Bet Dwarka-I, II, VI, and IX.
The findings of Bet Dwarka may be divided into two broad periods:
Protohistoric period which includes a small seal of conch shell engraved with a
three-headed animal motif[5],
two inscriptions, a copper fishhook and late Harappan pottery (circa
1700-1400 BC) and the Historical period consisting of coins and pottery. Onshore
and inter-tidal zone explorations have indicated some kind of shoreline shifting
around the Bet Dwarka island as a few sites get submerged during high tide.
Offshore explorations near present Bet Dwarka brought to light a number of
stone anchors of different types that include triangular, grapnel and ring
stones. They are made out of locally available rocks and their period may also
be similar to those found at Dwarka and other places. Recently, Roman antiquities including shreds of amphorae and a lead ingot and lead anchors were
found. There is also an indication of a shipwreck of Roman period in Bet Dwarka
waters.
The archaeological explorations at Bet Dwarka Island have brought to light a
large number of data on India’s external overseas trade and commerce with
western countries. Recent findings at the Bet Dwarka have shown evidence of
Indo-Roman trade. India had an active maritime trade with Rome from the 4th
century BCE to 4th century CE. These findings would concentrate on the time
period from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE. The discovery of the
amphoras in Bet Dwarka is significant in view of the maritime history of India
in concerned. There are remains of seven amphoras from which a black
encrustation can be seen. This ware was mainly used for exporting wine and olive
oil from the Roman Empire; it is most likely that these were wine amphoras. The
discovery of a large quantity of amphora sherds suggests that Bet Dwarka had
international trade contact during the early centuries of the Christian era.The findings present the possibility of a shipwreck in this area associated with
Roman trade, though it is unlikely that the remains of the hull of the wreck
survive.Thus the presence of Roman amphoras show that Roman ships reached Bet Dwarka
waters earlier than has been previously noted. These same archaeological
findings along with anchors have indicated the existence of several ports,
jetties and anchoring points along the west coast of Indian. Though there are no
remains of an ancient jetty at Bet Dwarka, the presence of stone anchors in the
intertidal one indicates that the high tide was effectively used for anchoring
the boats. The presence of a large number and variety of stone anchors in Bet Dwarka
suggests that this was one of important ports in ancient times. The location of
Bet Dwarka was favorable for safe anchorage in the past since it was protected
from high waves and storms.
The proposal for the Dwarka museum, submitted by the MAU, involves laying a
submarine acrylic tube through which visitors can view through glass windows the
ruins of the city.
The State Government of Gujarat and the Travel & Tourism Department of
Gujarat are working on this proposal (for over two decades). When completed, it
will be the first museum to be built under the sea.
Compositions
Mirabai, Surdas had composed lot of songs
on Dwarakdish. The Alwars like Tirumalisai
Alvar, Nammalvar, Periyalvar, Andal, Thondaradippodi
Alvar, Tirumangai Alvar have
sung in praise of Dwarakanath in Tamil.
Places of interest
- Nageshwar Temple,
Dwarka – a famous Shiva temple and one among the 12 Jyotirlingas - Shree Swaminarayan
Temple – Dwarka - Rukmini Hrid – collection of 7 ponds.
- Brahma kund.
- Dwaraka pīţha
- Bet Dwarka, a small island near Dwarka
- Somnath Temple famous
Lord Shiva Temple
References
cities, villages and towns (Provisional)“. Census Commission of India.
Sundaresh, S. Tripati. 2005. Evidence for Indo-Roman trade from Bet Dwarka
Waters, west coast of India, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 35:
(1994). New Frontiers of Archaeology, Bombay: Popular Prakashan, ISBN
81-7154-689-7,
K. H. Vora. 2007. Ancient technology of jetties and anchoring points along the
west coast of India, Current Science
Further reading
- S. R. Rao, The Lost City of Dvaraka National Institute of
Oceanography (1999) ISBN
81-86471-48-0 - S. R. Rao, Marine Archaeology in India, Delhi, Publications
Division (2001) ISBN
81-230-0785-X. - A. S.
Gaur, Sundaresh and Sila Tripati, “An ancient harbour at Dwarka: Study based
on the recent underwater explorations”
External links
, Dwaraka
Mandir (Dwarkadhish Temple) in Dwarka
photos of Dwarka, 1280×960
Sites, Dwaraka
Dwarka
Dwarka (PDF)
Archaeology in the gulf of Khambat
DeshGujarat.Com
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[...] is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Furthermore there is the all-India Char Dham yatra to Dwarka, Rameshwaram, Puri and [...]
[...] four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankaracharya, the others being those at Sringeri, Dwaraka and Jyotirmath. Puri is also famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or “Festival [...]
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