A submerged city which was the home of Shri Krishna – Dwaraka

The reason that our Epics or our Puranas are always cherished and passed on through the annals of the time passage is the strong presence of their aura in our divine land even in today’s modern times. Centuries have gone, time has flown, yet there are few remnants of the past which keep us reminding that indeed our country is the place where Almighty resided and spread the goodness of Dharma in mankind. One such remnant is the submerged city of Dwaraka, which the abode of Shri Krishna.

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After slaying Kamsa, Shri Krishna crowns his grandfather Ugrasen as king and made Mathura as his home. However, Kamsa‘s father in law Jarasandha sought revenge for his son-in law’s death and attacked Matgura frequently. Although all the attacks were effectively countered by Shri Krishna and Balram, the divine one felt the need of a city which was strong and secure enough to protect their Yadava clan from repeated attacks.

With a motive to set up a new city and a capital for his people, Shri Krishna goes west and requests the Ocean to provide land for his men by moving his waters. Samudra Dev agrees with a condition that he would occupy back his land once Shri Krishna completed his incarnation on Earth. Shri Krishna agrees to this and a vast land appears in the region of Kushasthali with the waters of Ocean moving backwards. Then Shri Krishna called for the divine architect Vishwakarma and requested him to build a magnificent city for his people on the land. On the order of the Almighty, Vishwakarma built a magnificent city named Dwaraka.

The city of Dwaraka was one of the most splendored cities in the three worlds with huge gateways and entrances for protection, beautiful roads, houses with lavish designs and beautiful gardens and resembled another heaven. Shri Krishna then transports all his people into the city through his Yogamaya and secures them in the protected city. For the rest of their lives, Shri Krishna and Balaram spent their life in this ancient and great city and ruled over their people in a just and a rightful manner, making the city and its people prosper.

This city remained as the home ground of Shri Krishna till thirty six years after the battle of Mahabharat. Realising it was time for his incarnation to leave the mortal world, Shri Krishna orders Arjun to take Rukmini and his other wives to Indraprasth. Then he passes away in the way destined to be shot by a hunter’s arrow, who in his last birth was the Vanar warrior Baali. As Shri Ram had killed Baali from behind a tree, the Almighty balances it with himself getting shot with an arrow from behind a tree by the hunter, thus providing justice to Baali. Making the curse of Gandhari true, the Yadav clan comes into a small fight amongst themselves which becomes a war and all the clan perishes near the city of Dwaraka.

After the Nirvana of Shri Krishna, Samudra Dev comes back and submerges the grand city of Dwaraka into his waters thus finishing his duty towards the Almighty’s task. Thus, a great city which was the abode of the Almighty remains till date in the waters of the Arabian Sea on the coast of Gujarat wherein the presence of Shri Krishna is felt and a divine aura passes through when one can visualise that the Almighty had once resided in the great city of Dwaraka.