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Gujarat Shree Dwarikadhish Temple
Name | |
Proper name: | Dwarkadheesh Mandir |
Devanagari: | |
Bengali: | |
Location | |
Country: | India |
State: | Gujarat |
Locale: | Dwarka |
Architecture and Culture | |
Primary deity: | Dwarkadheesh Krishna |
Important festivals: | Janmastami |
Dwarkadheesh or the “King of Dwarka” is the name of the temple that is devoted in the name of Lord Krishna. This Hindu temple is located in the city of Dwarka in Gujarat. This city has been believed to be linked to Kingdom of Krishna that has been believed to plunge in the ocean once the Mahabharata war ended. The temple has been built on 72 pillars and has a total of five levels that are part of the main shrine. This is also names as the Jagat Mandir or the Nija Mandir. The history of this temple goes back to 2500 years old. The temple speaks about the rituals said by the Shree Vallabhacharya and Shree Vitheleshnathji and hence has been dedicated as a Pushtimarg temple.
The temple that stands in the city today has been built in the 16th century CE and is believed to be built by Vajranabha grandson of Lord Krishna and has been built on the hari-griha that is believed to be Lord Krishna’s older house. As per the Hindus this temple is listed as one of the holy pilgrim of Char Dham. It was declared a Char Dham Pilgrime in the 8th century after Adi Shankaracharya who is believed to be an activist and a theorist came to this shrine. The temple today has devoted an area in the name of Adi Shankaracharya the depicts the details of his visit to the temple. It is ranked as the 108thDivyaDesam dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has been adored by the sacred texts of Divya Prabandha.
The name of the temple has been derived from two words first “adi” and another “eesh” which means first and lord respectively.
History
The history of the Dwarka kingdom goes long back to centuries and the history is said in the Mahabharat. The city stands on the banks of Gomti River. The city drowned in the sea water later its remains were found by the archeologists.
Architecture
The ancient temple has been built up by the great grandsonof Lord Krishna in the 400 BC later this was rebuilt in the 16th century and the architecture of the temple has similarity to Chalukyan type. The height of the temple is as high as 51.8 meters. This JagatMandir has two Sikhara in its vicinity. One of the sikharas in the temple is built along the idol of Lord Dwarkadheesh and is the longer among the two sikharas and hence is named as NijShikhara. The temples vicinity speaks the story of different reigns that of the Guptas, Pallavas and the Chavdas that had ruled the city of Dwarka during the several period of years.
There are two entrances for the temple one in the North and the other in the South, the northern entrance and the southern entrance is named as Moksha Dwaar and SwargDwaar respectively. Both the doors lead to Gomti River via a series of steps. The history of the temple says that it was built only in one day by the Lord of construction called Lord Vishwakarma. The Lord Dwarkadhish idol that is in the temple rises as high as 2.25 feet and has been carved out of shiny black stone. Lord Dwarkadheesh has four hands and each hand carries a different ornament that are a conch, mace, lotus and the Sudarshana Chakra and this idol is also named as “Shankh Chakra Gada Padma Chaturbhuj”. This idol was concealed for several years from its raiders while another idol was installed in the temple that was earlier the part of Rukmini temple. In the 16th century the original idol was brought in this temple and was installed.
How To Reach
By Rail
The nearest rail line to reach Dwarka is in Jamnagar at a total distance of 133 kms. Jamnagar is well connected to major cities of the country. Taxis and state buses are available from railway station to Dwarka.
By Air
The closest airport to the Dwarka is in Jamnagar that is at a distance of 146 kms from here. Taxi and Cab can be hired from the airport to reach Dwarka.
By Road
The buses both run by the State government and the private travelers run from various areas in Gujarat.
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