DWARKA - ART & CULTURE

News: “Is Lord Krishna’s Dwarka under water? The many legends, traces of a lost city”

 

What's in the news?

       Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently participated in underwater prayers at ‘Dwarka Nagari’, a place believed to be the kingdom of Lord Krishna.


Dwarka:

       It is located on the western side of the State of Gujarat.

       The submerged city of Dwarka has been the focus of marine excavations and research endeavours.

 

Features:

       It is one of Hinduism’s seven sacred cities (Sapt Puris).

       Dwarka is believed to have been reclaimed from the sea by Lord Krishna after he relocated from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh to Dwarka in Gujarat.

       In the Vishnu Purana, mentions indicate that Dwarka was a city adorned with stunning gardens, moats, ponds and palaces

       Legend holds that Dwarka was submerged under the Arabian Sea as Lord Krishna departed from the world, marking the beginning of the Kali Yuga.

 

Present Day Dwarka:

       It is a coastal town situated at the entrance of the Gulf of Kutch, facing the Arabian Sea.

       It serves as a significant point along the Krishna pilgrimage route, connecting Vrindavan, Mathura, Govardhan, Kurukshetra, and Puri.

       Dwarka is renowned for its 13th-century Dwarkadheesh temple, devoted to Lord Krishna.

       It is one of 12 heritage cities chosen nationwide by the Government of India for civic infrastructure development under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme.