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Dwarakadheesh Temple of Lord Krishna

The Dwarakadheesh temple or the Jagat Mandir is dedicated to Lord Krishna one of the main trinities of the Hindus- Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar. Here Vishnu is worshipped as the King of the place and the devotees call Him Dwarkadhish or the King of the place named Dwarka.

The five storied Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir is supported by seventy two pillars. Archeologists have confirmed that the temple is more than two thousand year old.This is a Pushtimarg temple for which they follow the rituals guided by Shree Vallabhacharya and Shree Vitheleshnathji. The temple has been enlarged during 15th and 16th century.

Chronicles confirm that the original temple was built by Vajranabha, the grandson of Shri Krishna over the residential place of the Lord. This temple is one of the Char Dhams along with Shri Kedar Nath/ Badrinath, Puri Jagannath and Rameshwaram by Adi Shankaracharya. Shri Dwarakadheesh is confirmed to be the 108th Divya Desam of Lord Vishnu. This is glorified in the sacred texts of Divya Prabandha.

Location:
The temple of Dwarakadheesh is situated on the Gomati creek. Pilgrims also call this place as trilok sundar that means the most beautiful place of the three worlds. Hindus believe that there are three worlds- Heaven (Swarg), earth (Marta) and Hell (Patal).

The Dwarakadheesh temple

As already mentioned, the temple was built by Vajranabh, the grandson of Dwarkadheesh around than two thousand years back. The temple seems to be raised from the Arabian Sea that is washing the feet of the Jagat Temple. The shikhar or the head of the temple is 43 meters high with a huge flag called Dhwaja. The flag cloth is around 52 yards of colorful cloth. This is seen from ten kilometers away.

The temple built with limestone has an enlarge vestibule, the main sanctum and a rectangular hall that porches from three sides. The two main getaways are known as swarga dwar i.e. gates to the heaven through which the pilgrims enter the main temple and there is another gate called the moksha dwar that means the gate to liberation. From this door the visitors exist.

The exterior walls in the main temple have sculptures of mythological tales, extraordinary designs with special reference to eroticism. The interiors are every simple but the idol of Dwarkadheesh himself is very flamboyant. He is ornate with expensive jewelry and dresses as He is worshipped as the King of Dwarka.

History

The ancient town of Dwarka has its reference in the great Indian epic Mahabharata. The city besides the bank of Gomati was the capital of Lord Krishna. Archeologists have excavated out traces of underwater stone designed structures that unveils many sources of the proto-historic times. Traces of the harbor in Dwarka have also found. It is the coastal erosion that devastated the ports of Dwarka during the starting phase of the medieval times.

Features of the Temple

  • The flag that flaps on the temple top of Dwarakadheesh has sun and moon printed or embroidered on it.
  • 5 times a day the flag is changed but the symbol remains the same.
  • The spire of the Dwarakadheesh temple is 78.3 meters high.
  • 72 pillars are holding the superstructure of the five storied edifice.
  • The Dwarakadheesh temple is created with limestone which has still remained fresh even after so many years.
  • Over the Hari Griha, the grandson of Lord Krishna- Vajranabha constructed the temple.
  • Outside the temple 56 steps lead to the River Gomti.
  • Timing of the Dwarkadhish Temple: In the Morning the timing is from 7.00 am - 12.30 pm &in the evening 5.00 pm to 9.30 pm

Places to see near Dwarakadheesh Temple

Dwarka Lighthouse
Besides the main Dwarkadheesh Temple this is a serene place to visit by the Rupen Creek when you are travelling to Dwarka. This 18 meter tall square lighthouse was built in 1866. Now it has been elongated to 43 meters during 1960-62. Don’t miss the panoramic views of the surroundings from the lighthouse. The place is open for tourists from 4.30 pm to 6 pm and no entry fee is reqired.

Rukshamanee Temple
This temple is dedicated to the wide of Lord Krishna Devi Rukmani. Myth says that Lord Krishna had 16,108 wives but among all Rukmani was his favorite. Tourists may see various paintings of Lord Krishna and Rukmani from the 12th century in the temple. Here in the temple the marble idol of Devi Rukmani’s is similar to Maha Lakshmi with four hands holding Shanka, Chakra, Gada and Padma.

Nageshwara Jyotirlinga Temple
The sanctum is also known as the Nagnath temple, situated in the outskirts of the main town of Dwarka. The mention of Nageshwara Jyotirlinga Temple is traced in the Shiva Purana to be one of the 12 jyotirlingas. This lingam of Lord Shiva is worshipped every day. This is symbolized and idolized for the protection of all kinds of poison. The ideal time to enjoy the exuberance of the place is Maha Shivratri.

Gomati Sangam Ghat
This is a sacred place for the pilgrims. This ghat is reached from the Swarga Dwar of the Dwarkadish Temple. Tourists can boat in this wonderful place.

Gita Mandir
This temple was built during 1970 by the Birlas. This temple is made of marble with various inscriptions from the 'Bhagavad Gita' as frescos on the walls of the edifice.

How to reach Dwarka?

By Air: The nearest airport is Jamnagar around 137 km.

By Rail: Dwarka is well connected with Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Jamnagar via railways.

By road: Dwarka is connected with the Jamnagar to Dwarka. Direct buses are available from Jamnagar, Rajkot and Ahmedabad.