Dwarkadhish Temple: Dwaraka General Information
Lord Krishna gave us the Bhagavad Gita that contains his wisdom. Devotees describe Krishna as being a complete being, the essence of beauty, fame, wisdom, wealth, power and renunciation personified. Dwarka is the heritage of his power and wealth, his legendary city now submerged, leaving behind only a small portion. It is said that the land on which Lord Krishna founded his royal kingdom Dwarka was granted to him by the grace of Varuna, the sea God. When Krishna lay dying, he instructed his followers to leave Dwarka because it would soon be submerged and return to the Sea God. It is the mythical city of Atlantas as claimed by some. That is for historians to dispute but for Krishna Bhakta all over the world; Dwarka is one of the 108 divya Desams of Lord Vishnu and one of the four major char dhams in India. As ruler of Dwarka, Krishna is known as Dwarkadheesh and the Jagat mandir in Dwarka is also known as the Dwarkadheesh Temple, one with an interesting history.
Vajranabh, the great grandson of Lord Krishna is said to have built the original temple around 400 BC in the portion not submerged by the sea. Some say he did it with divine help. Later on, around 100 BC the temple was renovated. Worship of Krishna continued in his kingdom but it was not until 800 AD that the temple was attended to by none other than Shankaracharya. He built a shrine to Adhya Shakti on the fourth floor. In 885 AD some further renovation was carried with additions in later years. In 1120 AD Minaldevi was instrumental in further renovations. Rana Bhim Singh Ji of Udaipur donated land and money for renovations in 1162 but by 1241 AD the temple was damaged by Mohammad Shah. Vallabhacharya, in 1504 AD, brought out the idol of Dwarkadheesh hidden in a step well and established it in the temple but again the Turks attacked Dwarka and the idol was taken to Bet Dwarka for safety. Over the centuries the temple was taken in hand by several kings including Maharaja Khanderao in 1861 AD. The golden kalash that adorns the present temple was established by Maharaja Gaekwad around 1903 and the temple underwent extensive renovations in 1958.
The current temple on the North of Gomti River abutting the Arabian Sea is five storeyed structures resting on 72 pillars, entirely made of sandstone with rich carvings and the spire rises to 256 feet topped by a golden kalash and a flag. The sanctum houses the idol in black with four hands, the trivikram form of Lord Vishnu. One thing unique about the temple is the flag, 52 yards in length, supposedly representing the 52 Yadav clans. The Dhwaja archan is a ceremony worth beholding and participating in just as Janmashtami is.
Dwarka is Krishna’s world, a confluence of spiritual wisdom and power of Lord Krishna. It is also known as Mokshpuri because a pilgrimage here liberates one from the eternal cycle of births and deaths.
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| Dwarka Temple |
History
Vajranabh, the great grandson of Lord Krishna is said to have built the original temple around 400 BC in the portion not submerged by the sea. Some say he did it with divine help. Later on, around 100 BC the temple was renovated. Worship of Krishna continued in his kingdom but it was not until 800 AD that the temple was attended to by none other than Shankaracharya. He built a shrine to Adhya Shakti on the fourth floor. In 885 AD some further renovation was carried with additions in later years. In 1120 AD Minaldevi was instrumental in further renovations. Rana Bhim Singh Ji of Udaipur donated land and money for renovations in 1162 but by 1241 AD the temple was damaged by Mohammad Shah. Vallabhacharya, in 1504 AD, brought out the idol of Dwarkadheesh hidden in a step well and established it in the temple but again the Turks attacked Dwarka and the idol was taken to Bet Dwarka for safety. Over the centuries the temple was taken in hand by several kings including Maharaja Khanderao in 1861 AD. The golden kalash that adorns the present temple was established by Maharaja Gaekwad around 1903 and the temple underwent extensive renovations in 1958.The current temple on the North of Gomti River abutting the Arabian Sea is five storeyed structures resting on 72 pillars, entirely made of sandstone with rich carvings and the spire rises to 256 feet topped by a golden kalash and a flag. The sanctum houses the idol in black with four hands, the trivikram form of Lord Vishnu. One thing unique about the temple is the flag, 52 yards in length, supposedly representing the 52 Yadav clans. The Dhwaja archan is a ceremony worth beholding and participating in just as Janmashtami is.
How to Reach & Location
Dwarka is located on the banks of the Gomti River on the tip of the peninsula overlooking the Arabian Sea at the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat in Western India. Somnath Dham is about 230 km down south along the coast and Jamnagar is 131 km to the East. There is a railhead at Okha from Ahmedabad, about 378 km away. Dwaraka can be reached from Rajkot, 217 km away and other places by road. Jamnagar is the nearest airport. Travel by road is easy since there are so many state road transport buses from virtually all cities of Gujarat. One can just as well get into private buses that ply between Dwarka and other cities of Gujarat. There are cars and taxis for hire available virtually all over the State.Best Time to Visit & Weather
Dwarka is located right along the coastline and has a subtropical climate. The months of April and May are hottest with temperature going up to the 40s. Winter is perhaps the best time to visit with day time temperatures ranging between 25 and 30 degrees and night temperatures between 15 to 20. Rains are moderate and a visit here during the monsoon is enjoyable as the countryside, otherwise arid, becomes swathed in green. Visit Dwarka during Janmashtami and the entire countryside teems with devotees, a sight worth seeing. There are crowds here on important festivals and on full moon days.Temple Timing
The temple gates open at 6.30 AM for the mangla aarti followed by mangla darshan between 7 to 8 AM, abhishek pooja, shringar darshan, sambhog, shringar darshan, shringar aarti and other ceremonies that go on until 1 PM when the temple closes for the morning session. The temple opens at 5 PM and then closes at 9.30 PM.Dwarka is Krishna’s world, a confluence of spiritual wisdom and power of Lord Krishna. It is also known as Mokshpuri because a pilgrimage here liberates one from the eternal cycle of births and deaths.
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