Is Lord Krishna’s Dwarka under water?
Context:
- Last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the pilgrimage town of Dwarka, in Gujarat’s Devbhoomi Dwarka district, to inaugurate several infrastructural projects which include the Sudarshan Setu.
- Sudarshan setu is India’s longest cable-stayed project which connects Okha town with the island of Beyt Dwarka.
- PM also went scuba diving off the Panchkui beach coast and also performed underwater prayers at the site of what’s considered to be Dwarka Nagari which is the mythological kingdom of Lord Krishna in the Mahabharata.
Dwarka in mythology:
- Dwarka has immense significance in Hindu culture due to its association with the Lord Krishna and also the Mahabharata.
- It is widely believed that after killing his uncle Kamsa, Krishna migrated from Mathura to Dwarka with his Yadava clan.
- After moving to Dwarka Krishna founded his kingdom there by reclaiming 12 yojanaland from the sea.
- References in the Vishnu Purana also suggest that Dwarka was a city of beautiful gardens, moats, ponds and also beautiful palaces.
- However the town is believed to have been submerged under the sea after the death of Lord Krishna.
Locating Dwarka:
- Present-day Dwarka is a coastal town which is located at the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch, facing the Arabian Sea.
- The town is a part of the Krishna pilgrimage circuit.
- Krishna pilgrimage circuit also include Vrindavan, Mathura, Govardhan, Kurukshetra and Puri, and is home to the 13th-century Dwarkadheesh temple dedicated to Lord Krishna.
- There are a number of other places scattered along the Saurashtra coast which find a mention in legends associated with Lord Krishna, including Bet Dwarka and also Mul Dwarka.
- Since the beginning of the 20th century, multiple attempts have been made by scholars to establish the precise location of ‘Dwarka’ which was mentioned in the Mahabharata.
- Most of these accounts and attempts relied on ancient literature and works of other scholars.
