Dvārakā

Kṛṣṇa as Dvārakādhīśa · Gomatī and Arabian Sea, Gujarat

Dvārakā is the western dhām and Kṛṣṇa’s royal city. The main temple, the Dvārakādhīś or Jagat Mandir, rises in tiers above the meeting of the Gomatī with the sea, and its flag is changed several times a day by devotee families as an offering.

Pilgrims bathe at Gomatī ghāṭ, visit the Rukmiṇī temple outside town and take a boat to Beṭ Dvārakā. The Śāradā Pīṭha founded in Śaṅkara’s tradition is here. Janmāṣṭamī is the great festival; October to March is the pleasant season.

Tradition says Kṛṣṇa led the Yādavas from Mathurā to escape repeated attacks and built Dvārakā on land reclaimed from the sea. After Kṛṣṇa left the world, the sea took the city back. Marine archaeologists have studied submerged structures off the coast, though their dating and interpretation are still discussed.

Gujarat · West · Śāradā Pīṭha · Janmāṣṭamī · Also a Sapta Purī

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