Dwarka

Dwarka, in the state of Gujarat is the Hindu Dham of the west. “Dwar” means door and “ka” is Brahm, the formless and attributeless God. The temple here is dedicated to Krishna, the eighth avatar or incarnation of Vishnu. The tale goes that after killing his uncle Kans, Krishna, alongwith all his people, departed from Brindavan and Mathura (the twin cities where he had spent the early years of his life), and was looking for a suitable place to settle down. The City of Dwarka is where the Gomti River (not the one which flows in Lucknow) meets the Arabian Sea. Finding this suitable, Krishna prayed to Samudra, the Sea God to recede back and release land for his kingdom. 

Krishna then established his kingdom there with his clan – the Yadavs. The city is said to have been built by Vishwakarma, the architect of the Gods. Ultimately the entire clan was destroyed due to infighting. (It may be recalled that after the Mahabharat war was over, which had ended with all her sons being killed, Gandhari had cursed Krishna that he too would see the end of all his people).

When Krishna was to depart from this world, he went back to the Sea God who re-claimed all the land, which is why there are no remnants found in the area – though some years back there have been some archeological finds in the stretch of the sea between Beyt Dwarka and Porbandar / Somnath. It is said that Dwarka has been submerged several times and the present city is the seventh one. The temple too is of comparatively recent origin, being only some few centuries old but the city reportedly has a more ancient heritage, linked to the beginning of creation by Brahma, the stay of five rishis : Marichi, Atri, Angira, Pulah, and Krit, the vaman avtar of Vishnu etc.

The temple Dwarkadish (king of Dwarka) has two entrances known as the Swarg Dwar (door to heaven) and the Moksh Dwar (door to liberation). It is believed that entrance to the temple complex through the former and exit through the latter ensures moksh. The flag atop the temple is changed five times a day. One can also perform the ritual of getting a flag hoisted; here the flag is first carried (on one’s head) within the temple and around the main murti. It is said that those around while this is performed are also blessed. Incidentally, the present waiting period for this ritual is around 5 years.

Outside the temple the river Gomti flows nearby. There is a short bridge known as the Sudama Setu; further on one can see where the river meets the Arabian Sea. A temple dedicated to Rukmani is about 2 kms away – the temple being at a distance due to a curse given by Durvasa rishi.

The Rukmani Temple

Sadhus gathered outside the Rukmani Temple

The area around is quite barren

Sunset in Dwarka

Another temple at the sea coast