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 is also an important historical monument.
The region of the west coast, where Krishna was to settle the Yadavas was full
of flowering and fruit-bearing trees. Here grew the nagacampas, grapes, coconut
trees and many others. It was the land of the hunter Ekalavya. Dronacarya had
also lived here. Krishna decided to built a new city here and laid the
foundation at an auspicious moment. He named the new city Dvaravati. 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."
Literary texts like the Mahabharata, Harivamsha, Sijupdlavadha and Puranas contain traditions about foundation of Dwaraka, its planning and glory. 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.
Literary texts like the Mahabharata, Harivamsha, Sijupdlavadha and Puranas contain traditions about foundation of Dwaraka, its planning and glory. 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.
The Mahabharat war at
Kurukshetra with Lord Krishna as the charioteer to the Warrior Arjuna.
The
Bhagavad Gita has influenced great Americans from Thoreau to Oppenheimer. Its
message of letting go of the fruits of one’s actions is just as relevant today
as it was when it was first written more than two millennia ago.
Refer to Bhaja
Govindam - kamakoti.org.
Listen to The
Bhagavad Gita podcast
- By Michael Scherer
- americanphonic.com. Watch
Scientific
verification of Vedic knowledge. Watch
Lost
/ submerged city of
Dwaraka
– The Learning
Channel video
***
Excavations done by Dr. S. R. Rao 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. The great poet Premanand has in his
"Sudama Charit" described its splendid beauty and majesty. Dwaraka is mentioned
as Golden City in Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, Skand Purana,
Vishnu Purana and also in Harivansha and Mahabharat.
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:
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:
Sculpture of Vishnu from
onshore excavation, Dwaraka.
(image source:
The Lost City of Dvaraka - By S.R. Rao).
***
"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. The Thermoluminiscence date of the pottery from Bet Dwaraka which is also connected with the Krishna legend is 3520 years Before Present. 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.
Besides the sea-ports, there were renowned cities which were washed away by the rivers on whose banks they were situated. We may cite here the case of Hastinapura and Pataliputra, situated on the bank of the river Ganga and falling victims to flood-fury. The Mahabharata mentions that Hastinapura was washed away by the Ganga and consequently the Pandavas had to migrate to Kaugdmbi. Pataliputra which was the premier city of the land (agranag-ara) and the test of the excellence of all the cities (samasta-nagarf-nikasdyamand) in the words of Dandin, the author of the DaSakumaracharita, later became the worst victim of inundation. The submerged parts of these cities are to be treated as protected monuments and great treasures of our ancient heritage. If Dwaraka excavations throw a flood of light on the history of the city which was associated with the life events of Krishna, the under-water excavations of Ayodhya situated on the bank of the river Sarayu might yield valuable information about the historicity of Rama, his age and contemporary urban status.
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. The Thermoluminiscence date of the pottery from Bet Dwaraka which is also connected with the Krishna legend is 3520 years Before Present. 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.
Besides the sea-ports, there were renowned cities which were washed away by the rivers on whose banks they were situated. We may cite here the case of Hastinapura and Pataliputra, situated on the bank of the river Ganga and falling victims to flood-fury. The Mahabharata mentions that Hastinapura was washed away by the Ganga and consequently the Pandavas had to migrate to Kaugdmbi. Pataliputra which was the premier city of the land (agranag-ara) and the test of the excellence of all the cities (samasta-nagarf-nikasdyamand) in the words of Dandin, the author of the DaSakumaracharita, later became the worst victim of inundation. The submerged parts of these cities are to be treated as protected monuments and great treasures of our ancient heritage. If Dwaraka excavations throw a flood of light on the history of the city which was associated with the life events of Krishna, the under-water excavations of Ayodhya situated on the bank of the river Sarayu might yield valuable information about the historicity of Rama, his age and contemporary urban status.
(note: Lord
Krishna was born at midnight on Friday July 27, 3112 BCE. This date and time has
been calculated by astronomers on the basis of the planetary positions on that
day recorded by Sage Vyasa. Mahabharata War took place on November 22, 3067
BCE. The Bhagavad Gita was compiled around 500 BCE. - source: The Hindu Mind - By
Bansi Pandit).
Marine
archaeology is a new subject and a little-explored one, mainly due to the lack
of funds, scientific and other necessary equipment and even trained divers,
besides a dearth of qualified marine archaeologists.
A
pioneer in this field is Dr S R
Rao, formerly of the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) and now with the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa. With all
the existing limitations, he has done considerable work in the Bet Dwaraka
region, where he found an entire submerged city, with rubble and masonry
structures, several shell and pottery items and seals. The
Mahabharata and Harivamsha describe Krishna‚s capital Dwaraka and how it was
submerged by the sea in great detail, a description that coincides in many ways
with what the divers found. Unfortunately, the doubting
Thomases of our historical world, a school of Indian historians who regard
Indian literature as, myth do not want to acknowledge this interpretation, in
case it gives credence to the story of Krishna, whose capital was submerged by
the sea.
It is ridiculous not to correlate archaeology and literature. Mythology is, the
science of primitive man, his manner of explaining the universe. Records of
natural phenomena and historical events ˜ invasions, migrations, etc. ˜ are
stored as myths. If literature and archaeology had not been correlated, we would
never have known the history of ancient Greece. And
how many people are aware of the fact that the only (ancient) temple for Matsya
˜ Vishnu's incarnation at the time of the great flood ˜ is to be found at
Shankhodhara in Bet Dwaraka.
(source:
Marine
archaeology and the study of the past - By Nanditha
Krishn - newindpress.com).
Watch
Scientific
verification of Vedic knowledge
and
Watch
Lost
/ submerged city of
Dwaraka
– The Learning
Channel video
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