Dwarkadhish Temple

Stairs leading up to the main entrance of the temple

As per Hindu legend, Dwarka was built on a piece of land by Krishna that was reclaimed from the sea. According to the Mahabharata, the sage Durvasa once visited Krishna and his wife Rukmini. The sage wished that the pair took him to their palace, demanding that they pull his chariot like horses. The pair agreed and started to carry the sage, even as the latter struck Rukmini when she fell.[8] After some distance, according to local tradition, Rukmini got tired and she requested some water from Krishna. Krishna dug a hole with his powers that brought in river Ganga to the place. Durvasa was furious and cursed Rukmini to remain in the place. The temple where Rukmini's shrine is found, is believed to be the place where she stood.[9] In the epic, finding no fault with the divine couple, Durvasa blessed Krishna with invincibility everywhere except the soles of his feet, and declared that Rukmini would be the foremost of the deity's spouses and would be his eternal companion in the next world as well.[10]

The town of Dwarka in Gujarat has a history that dates back centuries, and mentioned in the Mahabharata epic as the Dwaraka Kingdom. Situated on the banks of river Gomti, the town is described in legend as the capital of Krishna. Evidence such as a stone block with script, the way the stones were dressed showing that dowels had been used, and an examination of anchors found on the site suggest that the harbour site dates only to historical times, with some of the underwater structure being late Medieval. Coastal erosion was probably the cause of the destruction of what was an ancient port.[11]

Hindus believe that the original temple was constructed by Vajranabha, the great grand son of Krishna, over the residential palace of Krishna. It was destroyed by Sultan Mahmud Begada in 1472.[12]

The current temple in Chaulukya style was constructed in 15-16th century.

View of the five floors

The temple covers area of 27-metre by 21-metre with east–west length of 29-metre and north–south width of 23 metres. The temple is constructed of limestone and has intricate carvings.

It is a five storied edifice built over 72 pillars (sandstone temple with 60 pillars is also mentioned).[13][14][15] There are two important entrances to the temple, one is the main entry door which is called the Moksha Dvara (meaning "Door to Salvation") and the exit door which is known as the Svarga Dvara (meaning: "Gate to Heaven").[15] Outside this doorway are 56 steps that leads to the Gomati River.[16]

In the central sanctum is deitified the main deity Dwarkadhish, the Trivikrama form of Vishnu (see Chaturvimshatimurti). Dwarkadhish is depicted with four arms.[15] Balarama, elder brother of Krishna, is worshiiped in the chamber to the left of the main altar. The chamber to the right houses the images of Pradyumna and Aniruddha, son and grandson of Krishna respectively. In shrines surrounding the central shrine, the deities Radha, Jambavati, Satyabhama, and Lakshmi are placed.[15] Shrines of Madhav Raoji (another name for Krishna) and sage Durvasa is also present in the temple.[6] There are also two separate shrines dedicated to Radha Krishna and Devaki in front of the central shrine.

Carvings around the platform

The temple spire rises to a height of 78 metres (256 ft).[15] A flag, hoisted over the spire, shows the sun and moon, which is believed to indicate that Krishna would be there till the sun and moon exist on Earth.[17][15] The flag, triangular in shape, is of 50 feet (15 m) length. This flag is changed four times a day with a new one and Hindus pay a huge sum of money to hoist it by purchasing a new flag. The money received on this account is credited to the trust fund of the temple to meet the operation and maintenance expenses of the temple.[6]

Dwarkadhish Temple near Gomti river, Dwarka

Char Dham

Jagannath

Rameswaram

Dwarka

Badrinath

Since this site is associated with the ancient city of Dvārakā and the Vedic era Krishna of Mahabharata, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is one of 3 main pilgrimage sites related to "Krishna" circuit, namely 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra in Haryana state, Braj Parikarma in Mathura of Uttar Pradesh state and Dwarka Parikrama (Dwarkadish Yatra) at Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat state.

Though the origins are not clearly known, the Advaita school of Hinduism established by Adi Shankara, who created Hindu monastic institutions across India, attributes the origin of Char Dham to the seer.[18] The four monasteries are located across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwarakadhish Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram in the South. Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely Shaivism and Vaishnavism, the Char Dham pilgrimage is an all Hindu affair.[19] The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetime.[20] Traditionally the trip starts are the eastern end from Puri, proceeding in clockwise direction in a manner typically followed for circumambulation in Hindu temples.[20]

The temple is open from 6.00 am to 1.00 pm and 5.00 pm to 9.30 pm. The Krishna Janmashtami festival, or Gokulashtami, the birthday of Krishna was commissioned by Vallaba (1473-1531).[21]

According to a legend, Meera Bai, the famed Rajput princess who was also a poetess-saint and a staunch devotee of Krishna, merged with the deity at this temple.[14] It is one of the Sapta Puri, the seven holy cities of India.[15]

The temple is near the Dvaraka Pitha, one of the four pithas (religious centers) established by Adi Shankara (686-717) who pioneered unification of Hindu religious beliefs in the country.[14][6]

The Dwarkadhish Jagat Mandir was awarded the certificate of "World Amazing Place" on 22 March 2021 by the World Talent Organization, New Jersey, USA.[22][23]

• Shri Keshavraiji Temple, Bet Dwarka
• Radha Damodar Temple, Junagadh

• Bansal, Sunita Pant (1 January 2008). Hindu Pilgrimage. Pustak Mahal. ISBN 978-81-223-0997-3.
• Bandyopadhyay, Deepak (11 June 2014). Hinduism. Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2014. ISBN 978-81-291-3428-8.
• Desai, Anjali H. (2007). India Guide Gujarat. India Guide Publications. ISBN 978-0-9789517-0-2.
• Paramāra, Thomasa (1996). Temples of Gujarat Built During the Mughal Period. Thomas B. Parmar.
• UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site status, report on Indian Express newspaper website
• Underwater remains near Dwarakadheesh temple, on website of National Institute of Oceanography
• Brockman, Norbert C. (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
• Gwynne, Paul (2009). World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publication. ISBN 978-1-4051-6702-4.

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• Official website