Dwarkadhish temple (also known as Jagat Mandir) is located in Dwarka Nagari of Gujarat state of India. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shri shri Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu who is worshipped as Dwarkadhish King of Dwarka.
This is the main temple of a 5-storey building, according to archaeological findings, this temple is 2200-2500 years old.
This temple is one of the four Dhams of Hinduism (Puri, Rameshwaram, Badrinath and Dwarka Temple), which is also counted among the 108 Divya Desams (sacred places of Vaishnav tradition).
The description of Dwarka is found in Mahabharata, Puranas and Bhagwat, it is believed that Lord Krishna, after leaving Mathura, established Dwarka Nagari to save the Yadav dynasty from the attacks of Kansa’s father-in-law Jarasangha, which is also seen as the residential palace of Lord Krishna.
Who built Dwarka Temple
It is believed that the Dwarkadhish temple was built by Vajranath, the great grandson of Lord Krishna. This temple was built in the 15th-16th century, which was built completely using limestone. The peak of the temple is 78 meters high, there is a flag on top of the temple on which the symbols of the sun and moon are inscribed, which shows that as long as the sun and moon exist on earth, the city of Dwarka and Shri Krishna will continue to be worshipped
The temple has two entrances, the main entrance or (north entrance) is called “Moksha Dwar” and the south entrance is called “Swarg Dwar”. A four-armed black stone idol of Lord Krishna is installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, which depicts the kingly form of the Lord. The temple is open every day from 6 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 9 pm.
Festivals celebrated in Dwarka Krishna Temple
Among the festivals and celebrations celebrated in Dwarkadhish Temple, Gogulashtami and Krishnajanmashtami festivals are the biggest festivals of Dwarkadhish Temple. On this day, lakhs of devotees celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna here, and at the same time Holi and Diwali are also celebrated on a large scale in Dwarka.
The end of Dwarka Krishna city
The Dwarka that you are seeing is not that Dwarka, the earlier Dwarka was submerged in the sea. According to Hindu mythology, after the Mahabharata war, the descendants of Shri Krishna, the Yadav clan got entangled in mutual conflicts. All this happened due to a curse, which led to the destruction of the Yadav clan. Shri Krishna decided to return to his divine world after fulfilling his purpose on earth. After Krishna ascended to heaven, the city of Dwarka slowly sank in the sea, this incident has been mentioned in the Mahabharatas and Bhagwat Puranas.
This incident of the city sinking in the sea is considered to be the end of Shri Krishna’s leela, the remains of Dwarka city are still found under the sea, which confirms the mythological stories.
According to a story, Saint Tulsidas ji came to Dwarkadhish temple. In the temple, he requested Shri Krishna to remind him of his Ram avatar, on this Shri Krishna showed Ram’s name written below his lotus feet, which made Tulsidas emotional.
The most famous story related to Dwarka city is of friendship between Sudama and Shri Krishna. sudama (Shridama), who was Lord shri Krishna’s childhood friend, came to Dwarka. Seeing his poverty and difficulties, Shri Krishna welcomed him and filled him with wealth and grains.
Dwarkadhish temple is not only a religious place, but is a symbol of Shri Krishna’s leela and his ideal life. The devotees who come here not only worship Lord Krishna but also get inspiration from his story and life. Dwarkadhish Temple is not only important from the mythological and historical point of view, but in today’s time it also has great importance from the cultural, spiritual, social and tourism point of view.
