Beyt Dwarka

About 30 kms from Dwarka is the town of Okha on the banks of the Arabian Sea.

From here by boat, about 5 kms away, one can reach the island of Beyt Dwarka : Beyt means island.  

It was here that Krishna ji built his palace and where he also housed his queens. The palace has been destroyed by an earthquake and has been / is being renovated. It was also here that poverty-stricken Sudama came to visit his close friend Krishna with his ‘potli’ (a small package) of rice.

The entrance to the temple at Beyt Dwarka

Between Dwarka and Beyt Dwarka is the Nageshwar temple, in Jamnagar district. It is said to be one of the twelve Jyotirlings of Shiv ji and is in an underground sanctum. 

The Nageshwar temple in Gujarat

A tall statue of sitting Shiv ji is also seen here. 

Sitting Shiv ji outside the Nageshwar Temple

Incidentally our texts only indicate the Nageshwar jyotrling as being near the Darukavan forest, the location of which is debated. Two other sites, one in Andhra Pradesh and another in Uttar Pradesh also lay claim to be Nageshwar Jyotirlings.

Before Krishna ji selected Dwarka for setting up his kingdom, he, alongwith Balram, and his entourage are said to have had a temporary halt at Mul Dwarka - in the district of Junagadh of Gujarat. 

Mul Dwarka, Gujarat

An ancient and dilapidated temple of Krishna ji is found here, it also has a small stepwell. 

It also has a small stepwell

Down the stepwell - Mul Dwarka

The carving on the wall of the step-well

Further on, in Porbandar is the erstwhile palace and current temple of Sudama, the childhood friend of Krishna ji.

Sudama’s temple at Porbandar