DWARKA : MOKSHADAYIKA BESTOWER OF LIBERATION

State Gujarat Important temples and sites Dwarden Temple, Rukshmanee Temple, Gomti Ghat, Beyt Dwarka, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple Location Almost at the cusp of the startling mouth that shapes the map in this part of India’s extreme west, Dwarka nestles by the shores of the Gulf of Kutch Distances 457 km SW of Ahmedabad, 230 km NW of Somnath, 232 km W of Rajkot, 144 km SW of Jamnagar, 75 km NW of Porbandar Route from Ahmedabad NH8A to Rajkot via Bagodra, Limdi, Sayla, Chotila and Bamanbore; state highway to Dwarka via Dhrol, Jamnagar, Khambhaliya, Bhatiya and Baradiya Route from Somnath NH8D to Veraval; state highway to Dwarka via Chorvad, Madhavpur, Porbandar, Harsiddh Mata Mandir, Lamba and Baradiya . Dwarka is counted amongst the seven most sacred Hindu teerths and is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna moved after leaving Braj, where he lived and ruled. His temple here, the famous Dwarkadheesh Temple right on the shore, is central to this town’s topography. Dwarka’s story is told in the Puranas: Krishna acquired 12 yojanas (16 miles) of earth from the sea for constructing his divine, fortified capital here. Dwarka remained Krishna’s home when he eloped with Rukmini, married Satyabhama, vanquished Narakasura, protected Drau- padi’s honour, and led the war of Kurukshetra (part of the Mahabharata). Eventually, the Yadavas, Krishna’s clan, allowed Dwarka’s glory to wane. The god ended his earthly journey and the sea reclaimed the land, sparing only Krishna’s home. Years later, Vajranabha, Krishna’s grandson and successor, built the grand Dwarkadheesh Temple in his honour, according to the Puranas. Adi Shankaracharya travelled here and set up the Dwarka Sharadapeeth. It is also believed that six older cities . Dwar (door)-ka (Brahma) is considered the gat way to moksha. The holy city is counted among the seven most sacred Hindu tirthes this famous shloka in Sanskrit says: Ayya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Ks, Kanchi, Avantika (Ujjain), Ar the city of Dwarka, Tise seven are mokshadayika (bestowers o Iberation).So auspicious is the location of Dwarka that Krishna is believed to have moved here for the well-being of all the Yadavas, leaving Magadha far behind after he killed his uncle, the tyrant Kamsa, son-in-law of Jarasandha, the king of Magadha. The Vishnu Purana ecords that for constructing his divine, fortified capital at Dwarka, Krishna had to acquire 12 yojanas (16 miles) of earth from the sea. Dwarka remained Krishna’s home as he eloped with Rukmini, married Satya- bama, vanquished Narakasura, protected Draupadi’s honour, and led the war of Kuru- kshetra. Eventually, the Yadavas became arrogant and allowed Dwarka’s glory to wane, Krishna ended his earthly journey and Samudra, the sea, reclaimed the land he had given, sparing only Krishna’s home. Many years later, it is believed that Vajra- nabha, Krishna’s grandson and successor, built the grand Dwarkadheesh Temple in the lord’s honour. A 1963 excavation led by the noted archae- ologist Dr DH Sankalia pointed to the existence of a city around the 1st century BCE. A series of 12 surveys led by Prof SR Rao between 1983 and 1990 found evi- dence of the existence of six submerged, well-organised island-towns and revealed a 9th century BCE temple to Vishnu, below which the remains of two more temples also came to light. Heavy anchors, a seal (the Harivansh Puran speaks of seals of identity carried by all residents of Dwarka), temple pillars and copper utensils inscribed with Vedic Sanskrit were among the evi- dences found. Prof Rao’s book, The Lost City of Dwarka, generated considerable interest and is based on his findings. Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, the widely acknowledged account of an unknown Greek traveller dated to the 1st century BCE, speaks of Dwarka as Baraka, an important overseas trading post. The saint-philosopher Adi Shankaracharya travelled here and set up the Dwarka Sharadapeeth, an event that has been placed by some scholars between 509- 477 BCE. Ideally, give yourself two days in Dwarka. It is also possible to do it all in a hectic day, spending the morning at the Dwarkadhe- esh Temple and other sites around Dwarka and leaving early in the evening for Beyt Dwarka, factoring in a trip to Nageshwar on the way back as it falls en route. Dwarkadheesh Temple Also known as the Trilokasundara Temple, the name pointing to its great significance and beauty (sundara) across the three worlds (triloka), the Chalukya-style temple has been constructed with locally procured stone that looks somewhat roughly hewn due to effect of the saline air but is none the less ractive for it. Devotees generally enter via main Moksha Dwar entrance but, aditionally, they are required to have a Kath in the Gomti, which flows behind the temple, and enter via the Swarg Dwar entrance on this side, reached by climbing the sacred chhappan sidi (56 steps, indicative of the 52 Yadava administrative divisions and the four gods among them – Krishna, Balram, Pradyumna and Anirudh). Even to those of us who have never been to Dwarka before, the black idol of Krishna looks instantly familiar. The temple has 16 smaller altars to other deities including Krishna’s eight patranis (queens). Also within the premises is a large hall done up almost entirely in richly carved wood, the official presence of the Dwarka Sharada- peeth at the temple. The math manages the Dwarkadheesh Temple, runs a famous Veda paathshala and oversees several other reli- gious and educational institutions. Tradi- tionally, the descendants of the family are priests at the temple. The 52-yard- temple flag is hoisted thrice daily . The dhwaja is usually made in silk though there have been flags cast in are especially gold as well. Flags stitched at one of the many shops near the temple and placed at the lord’s feet before the raising. At the time of writing, this unique seva had been booked for all days in the succeeding four months.   Gomti Ghat : Come by to the ghat (right behind the Dwarkadheesh Temple) either early in the day or late in the evening. A broad canal of merrily flowing water channelises the river into the sea. The water is saline but very clean and it is impossible to leave without wishing one had come prepared for a dip.