Dwaraka
- 2. INTRODUCTION The ancient city of Dwaraka, situated on the extreme West Coast of Indian territory. Dwaraka is the capital of the western coast of Saurashtra(Gujarat). It occupies an important place in the cultural and religious history of India. The first clear historical record is dated 574 A.D. and occurs in the Palitana Plates of Samanta Simhaditya
- 3. HISTORY OF ANCIENT DWARAKA The town has association with Lord Krishna, who founded this town by reclaiming 12 yojans. Dwarka was the kingdom of Lord Sri Krishna. Krishna built this opulent city in order to protect the residents of Mathura while he fought with Jarasandha and Kalayavana. Dwarka is one among the char dhams in India. It is also one among 108 Divya Deshams glorified in the Divya Prabhandas of Alwarsanas of land from the sea.
- 4. Why Krishna constructed Dwarka City? • King Kamsa had two queens Asti and Prapti. • They were the daughters of Jarasandha, the king of Magadha Province (Currently Bihar). • After the death of Kamsa, his two wives became widows and they returned to the shelter of their father since Kamsa had no grown-up sons.
- 5. Cont.., • The queens explained the death of Kamsa and their awkward positions to their father Jarasandha. • The king was ashamed to hear the pitiable condition of his daughters and decided to kill all the members of Yadu Dynasty. • For the safety of people Krishna and Yadavas shifted from Mathura to Dwaraka • Land was given by Samudra Deva and city was built by Vishwa Karma
- 6. Discovery of Dwaraka • Under the guidance of Dr. Rao a great marine biologist along with a team of underwater explorer discovered ruins of Dwaraka • This team carried out archeological Expeditions between 1983-1992 and articles and antiquities were sent for Carbon Dating • They were found belonging to 15th to 18th century BC
- 7. Supporting documents • Panini(5th century BCE), in his Ashtadhyayi explains the word "Vasudevaka" as a Bhakta (devotee) of Vasudeva. This, along with the mention of Arjuna in the same context, indicates that the Vasudeva here is Krishna
- 8. Present day Dwaraka • Dwaraka is a municipality of Devbhoomi Dwaraka district in the state of Gujarat in northwestern India. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti River • The city's Dwarkadhish Temple dedicated to Krishna was originally built around 2,500 years ago, but was destroyed by Mahmud Begada rulers and subsequently rebuilt in the 16th century. • As an important pilgrimage center for Hindus, Dwarka has several notable temples, including Rukmini Devi Temple, Gomti Ghat, and Bet Dwarka.
- 9. Dwaraka • On 7 September 1965, during the Indo- Pakistani War of that year, the city was briefly attacked by Pakistan Navy forces in Operation Dwarka • Dwarka is one of 12 heritage cities across the country selected under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme of the Government of India to develop civic infrastructure