Dwarkadhish Temple (Dwarka)

Overview

The Dwarkadhish Temple is a Hindu temple in the coastal city of Dwarka, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, dedicated to Krishna, a major Hindu deity venerated here as Dwarkadhish, "Lord of Dwarka." It is one of the Char Dham, the four pilgrimage sites marking the cardinal directions of India, and receives pilgrims throughout the year. Hindu tradition holds that Dwarka was the kingdom Krishna established, and the temple marks the site of his residence.

Present

The Dwarkadhish Temple is an active center of Hindu worship, administered by the Dwarkadhish Temple Trust and a temple committee under the supervision of the Gujarat state government. Daily worship is performed for the temple's image of Krishna, including aarti, the ritual offering of lamplight to the deity. A large flag is raised on the temple's spire and changed several times a day, a duty held by particular devotee families. As one of the four pilgrim sites, the Char Dham, and a stop on regional Krishna pilgrimage routes, the temple draws pilgrims throughout the year. Customarily the pilgrims bathe in the adjacent Gomti creek before entering. Janmashtami, the festival marking Krishna's birth, is the temple's largest annual observance and draws thousands of pilgrims.

Religious Significance

The Dwarkadhish Temple is significant within Hinduism for its connection to Krishna, whom Hindus regard as an earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu. Hindu tradition holds that Krishna left his birthplace of Mathura and founded his kingdom at Dwarka on the Gujarat coast, ruling there as king. The temple is dedicated to him in that royal aspect, as Dwarkadhish, "Lord of Dwarka," and the image in the inner sanctum depicts him as a four-armed, dark-stone figure holding a conch, discus, mace, and lotus. Dwarka is the western of the four pilgrimage sites (called of the Char Dham) that many Hindus hope to visit in their lifetime, alongside Badrinath in the north, Puri in the east, and Rameswaram in the south. It is also one of the Sapta Puri, seven cities Hindus regard as especially sacred. The 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankara, who founded four monastic centers across India, established the western seat at Dwarka. Pilgrims commonly bathe in the nearby Gomti before darshan, the act of beholding the deity.

History & Structure

The Dwarkadhish Temple is a five-storey structure of limestone and sandstone supported by 72 carved pillars, located where the Gomti creek meets the Arabian Sea. A tall sculpted spire crowns the main shrine and flies a large cloth flag visible from a distance. Two gateways serve the temple, the Swarga Dwar ("gate to heaven") and the Moksha Dwar ("gate to liberation"). Hindu tradition holds that the original temple was built by a great-grandson of Krishna. After its destruction in 1472 by the Muslim kingdom that ruled the area, the temple was largely rebuilt and enlarged in the 15th and 16th centuries.

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