Dwarka

Dwaraka has a special importance as one of the major Vedic Tirthas, known as the capital of Lord Krishna's Kingdom. The region on the west coast of India, 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. The yellow glitter of the golden fort of the city in the sea throwing yellow light all round looked as if the flames of Agni came out tearing asunder the sea.

From His very childhood, Sri Krishna showed superhuman activities by killing Putana, Aghasura, Bakasura, Kaliya, etc., and then His maternal uncle Kamsa. When He was at Dvaraka He married 16,108 queens, and all of them were blessed with a sufficient number of children. The sum total of His personal family members amounted to about 100,000, popularly known as the Yadu-vamsa.

The site was selected by Vishnu’s learned bird carrier, Garuda. The city extended over 104 kms. It was well fortified and surrounded by a moat, spanned by bridges, which were removed in the event of attack by an enemy.

Dwaraka on mainland was one of the busiest ports of the Mahabharata Period and 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 crazy feud at Prabhasa.

Dwaraka was swallowed by the sea. The submergence took place immediately after Sri Krishna departed from the world.

Descriptions about its construction are found in Puranas.

"Fearing attack from Jarasandha and Kalayvan on Mathura, Shri Krishna and the Yadavas left Mathura and arrived at the coast of Saurashtra. They decided to build their capital in the coastal region and invoked Vishwakarma the deity of construction. However, Vishwakarma said 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 built Dwaraka, a "city in gold.

This beautiful city was also known as Dwaramati, Dwarawati and Kushsthali and was surrounded by flower gardens, fruit orchards along with reservoirs of water and growing lotuses."

Mahabharata says:

"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 favorite place of all the Pandavas. Dwaraka was just a name; just a memory."
 

Dwaraka was a city-state extending up to Bet Dwaraka (Sankhodhara) in the north and Okhamadhi in the south. Eastward it extended upto Pindara. The 30 to 40 meter-high hill on the eastern flank of Sankhodhara may be the Raivataka referred to in the Mahabharata.

Any person engaged in the devotional service of the Lord is recommended to live in one of three places - namely Dwaraka, Mathura or Vrndavana. Because devotional service in these three places is magnified, those who go there to follow the principles in terms of instructions imparted in the revealed scriptures surely achieve the same result as obtained during the presence of Lord Sri Krsna. His abode and He Himself are identical, and a pure devotee under the guidance of another experienced devotee can obtain all the results, even at present.