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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 welldeveloped 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.

General Information Of Dwarka

Dwarka, on the west coast of Gujarat on the shore of the Arabian Sea, features in most
of the legends surrounding Lord Krishna. It is from here that the grown Lord Krishna is
supposed to have ruled his kingdom. Dwarka is a significant pilgrimage site for the
Hindus.
Dwarka is situated in the extreme west of the Indian state of Gujarat in the Saurashtra

peninsula on the Arabian Sea. It lies on 2022' north latitude and 6905' east longitude.
The city is built on the right bank of Gamut creek. Dwarka is an important pilgrimage
center. It is steeped in legends, being associated with the life of Lord Krishna. In Puranic
times, present-day Dwarka was known as Kushasthali or Dwaravati and enjoyed pride of
place as the most important spot on the Saurashtra coast. It is said that Lord Krishna,
after slaying Kansa, left his abode at Mathura and traveled with the entire Yadava
community to the coast of Saurashtra where he founded a town and named it
Swarnadwarika.
Vajranabh, Lord Krishna's successor and great grandson, is believed to have built the
present temple Dwarkanath, also called Trilok Sundar. Many Hindus fervently believe
that the temple was erected in one night by a supernatural agency, under Vajranabh's
direction. Legend has it that when dying, Lord Krishna asked his devotees to leave
Swarnadwarika so that the sea could engulf it. Until this day, Lord Krishna's city lies
buried under the sea. Excavations have revealed that the sea swallowed five
settlements, the present-day Dwarka being the sixth in line.
The temple of Dwarkadheesh, also known as Jagat Mandir, is built on the north bank of
the Gomti Creek. The temple dates back to 2, 500 years. Architecturally the temple is
constructed on the same plan and system as most of the Hindu sacred edifices of
antiquity. Sixty columns support the roof of the audience hall of the Jagat Mandir. The
main temple is five-story high with the lavishly carved conical spire rising to a height of
157 feet. There is the one-meter tall, four handed black idol of Ranchhodrai, the ruler of
Dwarika. Amongst the large number of temples belonging to different periods in the
history of Dwarka, the most popular with pilgrims is the temple of Rukmini, Lord
Krishna's wife, who is considered an incarnation of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and
beauty. In addition to its temples and legends, Dwarka is also sanctified as the seat of
Adi Shankaracharya, who established four seats (maths) in four different directions in
the country. Research work in Sanskrit is carried on at the Shankaracharya's seat known
as Sharad Peetha.

Rukmini Devi Temple

This small temple, 1.5km north of town, is an

architectural masterpiece. Rukmini is the most
important of Krishna's 16, 108 wives.
The temple walls are decorated with beautiful
paintings depicting her pastimes with Krishna. This
temple is said to date back to the 12th century.The
story behind this temple is that one day, Durvasa
Muni, who is easily angered, was invited by Lord
Krishna and his wife, Rukmini, to dinner.
When a person is invited to dinner, etiquette dictates that the host should not eat until
the guest has been satisfied. On the way to dinner, Rukmini became thirsty and asked
Krishna for help. Krishna then put his foot in the ground and the Ganges waters flowed
forth from the earth while Durvasa was not looking. As Rukmini was drinking the water,
however, Durvasa turned and saw her drinking without his permission. He became
angry and cursed her to live apart from Lord Krishna. That is why Krishna's temple is in
the town and hers is located outside the town.

Gomati Ghat Temples

Gomati, the descended Ganges, meets the sea at
Chakra-tirtha Ghat. To take bath where the Gomati
meets the ocean is said to offer liberation. If you go
out the back entrance of the Dwarkadish Temple,
you can see the Gomati River.
The temple is located almost at the spot where the
Gomati meets the ocean. The Samudra Narayana
Temple (Sangam Narayana) is an imposing temple
at the confluence of the Gomati and the sea.

Panchanada Tirtha consists of five sweet-water wells surrounded by seawater. At

Chakra Narayana, Lord Vishnu was manifested as a stone marked with a chakra on the
seashore. The Gomatiji Temple has an image of the Gomati River in it, said to have been
brought down from heaven by Vasistha Muni.

Other Pilgriamge Attractions

Nageswara Mahadeva Temple contains one of the twelve Siva Jyotirlingas in an
underground sanctum. It is located 10km from Dwarka. Gopi-tallava is the kund (pond)
where Lord Krishna met the gopis when they came to see him at Dwarka. The sacred
clay from Gopi-tallava is known as gopi-candana and is used by devotees of Krishna to
make the tilak marks on their bodies. It is 20km north of Dwarka on the way to Bet
Dwarka.

Bhalka Tirth
The spot where Lord Krishna was mistaken for a deer and struck by a arrow hile
sleeping in a deerskin. It is said Lord Krishna was cremated at Dehotsarga at Triveni
Ghat. Closeby lies Somnath with its shrine built by Soma, the Moon God. The Majestic
monument as it stands today is a recent replication of the earlier construction. It is said
that the original temple built by the Moon God was of gold. After it was razed to the
ground it was rebuilt by Ravana in silver. When the silver temple was knocked down it
was reconstructed in wood by Krishna and when this was pulled down an edifice of
stone was erected by Bhimdev. Relics of the old Somnath shrine have been preserved in
a museum housed in a temple. An interesting Sun Temple is also located in Somnath.
Somnath is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas or Shiva shrines in India. Janmashtami
(birthday of Lord Krishna), celebrated in the month of August/September, is a major
festival of Dwarka.

How to Reach to Dwarka

By Air
The nearest domestic airport to Dwarka is the one located at a distance of 137 km in
Jamnagar from where one can pick up a taxi to reach the Dwarka city. There are regular
flights traveling from the Mumbai International Airport to Jamnagar.

By Rail
The Dwarka station is located on the Ahmedabad-Okha broad gauge railway line where
there are trains connecting the city to Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Jamnagar. Also, there are
some trains that continue upto Surat, Vadodara, Goa, Karnataka, Mumbai as well as
Kerala.

By Road
Located on the state highway from Jamnagar to Dwarka, the city of Dwarka can be
easily reached by buses from Jamnagar and Ahmedabad. While the Gujarat State Road
Transport buses connect the holy town to all major cities in the state, one can also opt
for the luxury tourists buses that ply to the town from almost all the nearby cities.

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