Devbhoomi Dwarka- The lost city
Dwarka was built with the blessings of Samudra dev. A folk tale says that Samudradev, Lord of Sea gifted Lord Krishna with twelve Yojanas of land and it was Vishwakarma who is also known as the celestial architect built the city with fantastic architecture that is hard to be found today. The new kingdom of Lord Krishna- Dwarka, thus flourished. It is one of the Sapta Puri means one of the seven sacred cities and Char Dham that stands for one of the divine abodes of the Four mentioned. It is said to be established again in the 7th Century by the great sage Sankaracharya. It has its divine importance. It was tough to believe about the mysticism of Dwarka as mentioned in the scriptures. It was believed to be a myth until its remains were found in the ocean.
The story behind the lost city of Dwarka
Legends completely disregarded the mythology has now been given credence as historians and archaeologists have found ancient models of shorelines at the specific dates mentioned in the mythology about the existence of the Golden city Dwarka. It is believed that Lord Krishna after defeating his maternal uncle Kansa, left Mathura while fighting Jarasangha, the king of Magadh and left Mathura with Yadavas. They settled in the present Dwarka, where the Gomti River and the Arabian Sea meet. After ruling for thirty-six years, Shri Krishna left the place and the city submerged in the ocean. With it went away the golden era of Shri Krishna and the Yadava dynasty. There are many stories as in why did the submerged, what happened to the Yadava dynasty, and many more. It is a different story altogether.
Dwarka of today
Dwarka was invaded several times by the rulers who ruled the place and with time and again the ruling and Shri Krishna’s Dwarka was considered to be a myth but with the present-day excavation and ocean exploration, it is no more considered a myth and the presence of Dwarka is believed by the historians and all to be real. The temple of Dwarka that stands today is mesmerizing and a devote that attends the Arti or just views the idol of Shri Krishna gets mesmerised and tears flow out for no reason. It is also believed that the ardent devotee of Shri Krishna Mirabai merged in the idol of Shri Krishna.
The temple is built forty feet above the sea level. The temple is a five-story structure built with 72 pillars as this 72 number is sacred and has a deep meaning relatively with the universe and the cosmos. The temple has two important doors namely the Moksha Dwar and the Swarg Dwar. Dwarkadish temple holds a flag of 52 feet which is known as bavan gaj dhaja. It is considered to be sacred and wishes of people get accomplished. Folks wait for 2 to 5 years for their turn to hoist a flag.
Main attractions in Dwarka
1. Dwarkadhish Temple
2. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga temple
3. Beyt Dwarka
4. Nageshwar Shiva Temple
5. Bhadkeshvar Mahadev temple
6. Rukshmanee Temple
7. Sudama setu
8. Gomti Ghat
9. Swaminarayan temple
10. Siddheswar Mahadev temple
Tour is held by the government and various tour organisers where a package is offered for the entire Dwarka and that covers the entire places mentioned above.
The place is worth visiting and since it is religiously connected to the Lord, there are ample of devotees who visit this place just to show their worship, historians, archaeologist to find the facts and many others tourist to explore the ancient golden city.
The place is pure, serene, pious and clears your mind off any pessimism and negativity. The visual of Arti that takes places in the temple is a view to behold and will surely capture your mind even after leaving that place.
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One Comment
Durga Prasad Dash
A lot of intetesting information about Dwaraka. Visited the place a couple of years back and could feel the divine vibes.