Dwaraka : The eternal city

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establishing the continuity of the Indian civilization from the Vedic Age to the

present day. The towering personality of Lord Krishna Lord Krishna was born at

midnight on Friday, July 27, 3112 BCE as per the date and time calculated by

astronomers on the basis of the planetary positions on that day recorded by

Sage Vyasa. Krishna- the protector of Mathura, the lord of Dwaraka and the

reciter of the Bhagwad Gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra is one of the

most enduring legends of Bharat. Are Krishna and Dwar-aka actual historical

entities? For a majority of Indians, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Some

archaeologists and historians too are now willing to accept that the common

man's faith does have a basis in fact. Sri Krishna is a towering personality

and it is difficult to separate the

human aspect of his life from the divine in Krishna concept. He is a grand

mystery and everyone has tried to understand him in his own way, according to

his spiritual light or vision. As a fighter he was without rival, as a

statesman most shrewd, as a social thinker very liberal, as a teacher the most

eloquent, as a friend never failing, and as a householder the most ideal.

Dwaraka - the importance of heritage Dwaraka has a special importance as one

of the major Hindu pilgrim place, known as the capital of Lord Krishna's

Kingdom. It was the land of the hunter Ekalavya. Dronacarya had also lived

here. Krishna decided to build a new city here and laid the foundation at an

auspicious moment. He named the new city Dwaravati. Much later the poet Magha

in his Sisupalavadha, sarga2, describes in slokas 31 onwards, the city of

Dwaraka, sloka 33 can be

translated: "The yellow glitter of the golden fort of the city in the sea

throwing yellow light all round looked as if the flames of vadavagni came out

tearing asunder the sea." Before the legendary city of Dwaraka was discovered

some scholars were of the view that the Mahabharata being only a myth it would

be futile to look for the remains of Dwaraka and that too in the sea. Others

held that the Mahabharata battle was a family feud exaggerated into a war.

Excavations done by Dr. S. R. Rao (One of Bharat's most respected

archaeologists) at Dwaraka prove that the descriptions as found in these texts

are not to be discarded as fanciful but are to be treated as based on

actualities as seen by their authors. The architecture of the old Dwaraka of

Shri Krishna is majestic and wonderful. Dwaraka on mainland which was one of

the busiest ports of the Mahabharata Period met a sudden end due to the fury of

the

sea. After the Mahabharata War Krishna lived for 36 years at Dwaraka. At the

end, the Vrshnis, Bhojas and Satvatas destroyed themselves in a fratricidal

feud at Prabhasa but Krishna did not interfere to save them. The portends of

destruction seen by Sri Krishna who advised immediate evacuation of Dwarakaare

stated in Bhagavata Purana. Dwaraka abandoned by Hari (Krishna) was swallowed

by the sea. The submergence took place immediately after Sri Krishna departed

from the world. Construction of Dwaraka Interesting descriptions about its

construction are found in Puranas : Fearing attack from Jarasangh and

Kaalayvan on Mathura, Shri Krishna and Yadavas left Mathura and arrived at the

coast of Saurashtra. They decided to build their capital in the coastal region

and invoke the Vishwakarma the deity of construction. However,

Vishwakarma says that the task can be completed only if Samudradev, the Lord of

the sea provided some land. Shri Krishna worshipped Samudradev, who was pleased

and gave them land measuring 12 yojans and the Lord vishwakarma build Dwaraka, a

"city in gold". This beautiful city was also known as Dwaramati, Dwarawati and

Kushsthali. Another story says that at the time of the death of Shri Krishna,

who was hit by the arrow of a hunter near Somnath at Bhalka Tirth, Dwaraka

disappeared in the sea. The information and material secured through

underwater excavation off Dwaraka corroborates with the references to the City

of Dwaraka, made in the Great Epic Mahabharata and various other Sanskrit

literary works. In Mahabharata, there is a specific account about the

submerging of Dwaraka, by the sea which reads thus: "The sea, which

had been beating against the shores, suddenly broke the boundary that was

imposed on it by nature. The sea rushed into the city. It coursed through the

streets of the beautiful city. The sea covered up everything in the city. Even

as they were all looking, Arjuna saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged

one by one. Arjuna took a last look at the mansion of Krishna. It was soon

covered by the sea. In a matter of a few moments it was all over. The sea had

now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of the beautiful city which

had been the favourite haunt of all the Pandavas. Dwaraka was just a name; just

a memory." The importance of the discovery of Dwaraka lies not merely in

providing archaeological evidence needed for corroborating the traditional

account of the submergence of Dwaraka but also indirectly fixing the date of

the Mahabharata which is a landmark in Indian history. Identical pottery is

found in the submerged city of Dwaraka. Thus

the results have proved that the account in Mahabharata as to the existence of a

beautiful capital city of Dwaraka of Sri Krishna was not a mere figment of

imagination but it did exist. Mahabharata War took place on November 22, 3067

BCE and the Bhagavad Gita was compiled around 500 BCE. Excavations of the

submerged city Since 1983 the Marine Archaeology Unit of the National

Institute of Oceanography is engaged in the offshore exploration and excavation

of the legendary city of Dwaraka in the coastal waters of Dwaraka in Gujarat.

The strongest archaeological support comes from the structures discovered under

the sea-bed off the coast of Dwaraka in Gujarat by the pioneering team led by Dr

S.R. Rao, one of Bharat's most respected archaeologists. Dr. Rao has excavated a

large number of Harappan sites including the port city of Lothal in Gujarat. For

instance excavations in Bedsa (near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh) have unearthed

the remains of a temple of 300 BC in which Krishna (Vasudeva) and Balarama

(Samkarshana) are identified from their flagstaff. Krishna's son Pradyumna,

grandson, Aniruddha and another Yadava hero, Satyaki, have also been

identified. A more recent historical record, dated 574 AD, occurs in what are

called the Palitana plates of Samanta Simhaditya. This inscription ref ers to

Dwaraka as the capital of the western coast of Saurashtra and states that

Krishna lived here. The foundation of boulders on which the city's walls were

erected proves that the land was reclaimed from the sea about 3,600 years ago.

The epic has references to such reclamation activity at Dwaraka. Dwaraka -

world's first underwater heritage museum Old shipwrecks-like that of the

Titanic-which have been

lying buried under the sea with their precious treasure along with the submerged

city of Dwarka off the Gujarat coast, for centuries, could soon vie for the

status of an underwater world cultural heritage site. Over 200 experts from 84

countries, who gathered under the aegis of UNESCO in Paris recently to examine

a draft convention on the issue, unanimously agreed that underwater cultural

heritage was in urgent need of protection from destruction and pillaging. The

submerged city of Dwarka is believed to be an important site having both

historical and cultural value for Bharat. Legend has it that the remains-the

wall of a city is clearly visible while the rest is yet to be discovered-are in

fact, that of the ancient city of Dwarka mentioned in stories of Lord Krishna.

The proposed underwater museum at Dwaraka, the first of its kind in the world,

and a marine archaeology museum will throw more light on the Indus Valley

civilisation and enable researchers to

peep into the history of the lost city of the Mahabharata era. The Marine

Archaeology Centre and the National Institute of Oceanography have jointly

submitted a proposal with technical details for the preservation of the site to

the Gujarat government. As per the proposal, marine acrylic tubes would be laid

through which visitors could pass and view the remains of the historic city

from windows. Acrylic walls could also be made which could be accessed by

boats. Dwaraka, the submerged city in the Arabian Sea, off the Gujarat coast,

is well connected with the other parts of the country. The entire nation and

even foreign countries are anxiously waiting for the preservation of the

submerged city, which is not only of historical importance, but also of

emotional interest since its founder was Lord Krishna. (Compiled)

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