Where is dwaraka

The city is believed to be even older than the ancient Harappan civilisation. The Mahabharata says that Dwarka had 9,00, royal palaces, all constructed with crystal and silver, and decorated with emeralds. It was supposed to have been built on six blocks, two on the right bank and four on the left. Whatever has been traced so far conforms to the description to a large extent. The city was also extremely well planned: divided into six sectors which were in turn divided into residential, commercial areas.

The city was home to beautiful large roads, gardens and artificial lakes. It is said that it was submerged in the big flood 9, years ago. Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.

Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Before the discovery of the legendary city of Dwaraka, some scholars were of view that the Hindu Epic Mahabharata is only a myth and that it would be futile to search for the remains of the ancient city and that too in the sea.

Few scholars also believe that the Mahabharata battle was a family feud which was exaggerated into a war. Excavations of Dr S. Rao at Dwaraka prove that the descriptions found in the texts are not to be discarded as fancy stories but are to be treated as based on logic and reasoning. 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.

What really happened to Dwarka. The rise in the sea-level in Dwarka is a scientific truth. Studies have proved that the sea considerably and suddenly rose to submerge the city. Harivamsha describes the submerging of Dwarka saying Krishna instructed Arjuna, who was then visiting Dwarka, to evacuate the residents of the city as the sea was going to engulf the city.

According to experts, there could have been three reasons why the sea entered the land. One, a change in the level of seabed, two, a massive earthquake and three, sudden increase in the level of sea water. Of the three, the last is the most plausible. If it was a change in the level of seabed, some remains of the "tearing off action" on the shore would be visible, which is absent. Earthquake can be ruled out as the structures have not collapsed because of the shake.

The third reason. It is to be noted here that considerable work has been done on shore and offshore underwater excavations in Bahrain, which has indicated a deep and regular trade and other relations between the western coast and the coasts of the present-day Bahrain region.

Unfortunate halting of the excavation. But the work on further excavation has met a formidable roadblock in the form of academic indifference and government apathy. A proposal submitted to the government by Dr S. Rao, renowned marine archaeologist, who led the underwater investigations is collecting dust for over four years now. It is clear that for almost a decade the Central Government had not shown much interest in the excavations in Dwarka or the one at Gulf of Cambay.

Though the discoveries at Gulf of Cambay by the National Institute of Ocean Technology established carbon date of 7, to 9, years for the wood samples excavated from under the sea and the existence of a civilization dating to that period, it might not be directly connected with Krishna's Dwarka which Shri Rao believes existed some 4, years ago.

This, however, might help in ascertaining the rise in the sea-level about 30 meters in 7, years, approximately at the rate of 10 meters in 3,, years.

Dr Rao is on record that Dwarka excavation was carried out almost fully but the excavation in the inter-tidal zone of Balapur Bay in Bet Dwarka where further antiquities may be found, has not been carried out partly due to the lack of funds and mainly due to lack of interest in the CSIR.

Dwarka, as of today is still one of the best-studied underwater sites in India. Rao's proposals. The proposal envisaged a three-stage heritage conservation.

This was to be done along with further excavations in Bet Dwarka. It was suggested that access to the submerged city in Dwarka water can be given to visitors, in fair season, through underwater acrylic tubes or viewing chambers at specific points. Such facilities exist in Singapore and Auckland New Zealand.

Alternatively, underwater video cameras can be used to project images above water, in monitors. The project also mooted the idea of a submarine museum of dolphins as they are in good population in deeper water, off Dwarka.

It is again a telling story of the system in India, which is the cause of lack of interest in the project. Such a discovery in any other country would have been approved and encouraged.

Further extension to Rao was not given as he had already reached the age of It is indeed surprising that the history associations, archaeologists and historians have taken little notice of the findings at Dwarka. However, the government's indifference to the project has kept them away.

Unlike several other land excavations, the underwater excavations can be done only with total government help. Several levels of permissions are needed. While land excavations are demanding in labor, the underwater explorations need machinery and equipment.

Skillful divers, who are trained to look for meaningful objects are required too. For an Indian, Dwarka is not a mere archaeological site, nor is it a proof. Indians have all along believed Mahabharata to be a historical narration. But the excavations are a national heritage, a symbol of pride, an honor that is shared by all who are born in this land of Bharata.

It is a call for action on Dwarka. Dwarka to Kurushetra. Journal of Marine Archaeology Underwater Cultural Heritage. S Gaur and K. H Vora. Current Science Volume 86 No 9 May Further Excavations of the Submerged City of Dwarka. Recent Advances in Marine Archaeology. Email: princevenus mahabharata-research. Home About The Epic. About The Epic. Military Academy. History or Mythology. The Lost City of Dwarka. Dwarka Exploration Dwaraka is a coastal town in Jamnagar district of Gujarat.

Gulf of Khambat Exploration Gulf of Cambay In , the students of National Institute of Oceanography were commissioned by the Indian Government to do a survey on pollution in Gulf of Khambat, seven miles from the shore. Findings at the Dwarka excavation site Marine archaeological explorations off Dwarka have brought to light a large number of stone structures. Findings at the Gulf of Khambat excavation site On the other hand explorations conducted in the Gulf of Cambay waters revealed sandstone walls, a grid of streets and some evidence of a sea port 70 feet under water, and artefacts dating back to BC.

Correlation of Dwarka exploration site with the Dwarka of Mahabharata A few years ago, when asked as to how sure he was that this was Krishna's Dwarka, Rao had replied, "only the name board is missing.

The detailed exploration and excavation of this sunken city was started in with certain goals and results in mind: 1. The cause of the submergence. Lord Krishna then prayed to Samudradeva who responding to the prayer providing them with land up to 12 Yojna and soon after the celestial constructor Vishwakarma built the city of Dwarka in a short span of only 2 days.

Legend further adds that after Lord Krishna departed from his mortal body, the city went under the sea with Samudradeva taking back what he had given once upon a time. The Temple of Dwarkadhish is believed to have been set by Vajranabha; grandson of Lord Krishna, in order to pay tribute to the great lord. The religious significance of Dwarka is associated with other myths too.

One such myth points out the Dwarka is the spot where Lord Vishnu had demolished the demon Shankhasura. Dwarka had always been the fond hub for archaeologists due to its close association with the great epic Mahabharata and the mythical claims about the sunken city. Numerous explorations and excavations have been carried out off shore as well as onshore in the mighty Arabian Sea.

The first excavations were undertaken around the year and it brought to the fore, many ancient artifacts. The settlements that were discovered consisted in shapes similar to fort bastions, outer and inner walls etc. Archaeologists opine that coastal erosion could have resulted in the destruction of this busy, rich port. Varahdas had been the ruler of Dwarka once upon a time.

The nearby island of Bet Dwarka makes a vital archaeological excavation area of the famous Harappan period and consists in one thermoluminescence dating back to BC. The actualities discovered during archaeological excavations at Dwarka point out that Krishna is more than a fictitious figure and his legends are more than a myth.