Dwarka is the legendary city, the residing place of Lord Krishna, on the shore of the Arabian Sea, the extreme west coast of Gujarat (Jamnagar district). The name Dwarka is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dvar' that means door or gate. Dwarka It is among the seven ancient cities of India, which is well known for the Dwarkadhish temple and as the place where Krishna ruled his kingdom. Therefore, it is one of the most momentous pilgrimage spot for the Hindus.
Besides the ruling place of Shree Krishna, Dwarka is the place where Lord Vishnu killed the demon named Shankhasura. Besides this historic event, the Puranas (a holy book of Hindus) one of the 12 JyotirLingas (columns of lights) specifically manifesting Lord Shiva named Nageshwar Mahadev is in the sanctified place of Dwarka.
A popular belief is that this city has drowned six times in the Arabian Sea after Lord Krishna departed from the Earth and the present Dwarka is the 7th such city that was reestablished near the site of old Dwarka.
Sri Krishna abandoned the battle in Mathura for the sake of the betterment of the people dwelling in that city. Therefore, it was named 'Ranchodrai'. He decided to leave Mathura and founded the Dwarka city.
 Dwarkadhish Temple
In the war at Mathura, Sri Krishna had slew Kansa, who was his maternal uncle but was a cruel king ruling the city. Afterwards, he declared Ugrasen, the Kansa's father, the king of Mathura. This was not accepted by the Kansa's father-in-law (king of Magadha) and therefore, attacked Mathura 17 times. To avoid harming the people and assure their safety, Shree Krishna and the Yadavas moved to Dwarka.
As told by Shree Krishna, Vishwakarma, a celestial architect, built the city on the banks of the Gomati river by reclaiming a piece of from the sea. At that time, Dwarka was popular by Swarna Dwarika (meaning golden gate due to full wealth and prosperity), Dvaramati, Dvaravati, and Kushsthali. It consists of six well-developed sectors, plazas, wide roads, residential and commercial zones, palaces, and many public utilities.
Public gatherings used to happen in a huge hall named 'Sudharma Sabha'. The city was a good business centre due to the recognition of a good harbor. There were 700,000 palaces in the city comprising of gold, silver, and gems. In addition, the city encompassed attractive flora gardens and lakes. |
