[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Dwaraka

[Guest guest]

Very informative mail. Thanks for sharing it. Lets

hope they build the museum so that all can have a

glimpse of the sacred place where He lived in this

earth.

Jai Sree krishna.

--- jain k s <jai_surya wrote:

 

> Dwaraka

> Sri Krishna killed Kamsan (his maternal uncle) and

> made Ugrasen (his maternal grandfather) the king of

> Mathura. Enraged, the father-in-law of Kamsan,

> Jarasandh (king of Magadh) with his friend Kalayavan

> attacked Mathura 17 times. For the safety of the

> people, Krishna and Yadava decided to move the

> capital

> from Mathura to Dwarka.

>

> Land was reclaimed from the sea near the western

> shores of Saurashtra. A city was planned and built

> here. Dwarka was a planned city, on the banks of

> river

> Gomati. This beautiful city was also known as

> Dwaramati, Dwarawati and Kushsthali. It had well

> organized six sectors, residential and commercial

> zones, wide roads, plazas, palaces and many public

> utilities. A hall called " Sudharma Sabha " was build

> to

> hold public meetings. The city also boasted a good

> harbour.

>

> Dwaraka is rated as one of the seven most ancient

> cities in the country.

>

> Submergence of Dwaraka

> After Sri Krishna left for the heavenly abode, and

> the

> major Yadava heads were killed in fights among

> themselves; Arjun went to Dwarka to bring Krishna's

> grandsons and the Yadava wives to Hastinapur. After

> Arjun left Dwaraka, it was submerged in the sea.

> This

> is the account given by Arjun, in Mahabharat:

> " The sea, which had been beating against the shores,

> suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it

> by

> nature. The sea rushed into the city. It coursed

> through the streets of the beautiful city. The sea

> covered up everything in the city. I saw the

> beautiful

> buildings becoming submerged one by one. In a matter

> of a few moments it was all over. The sea had now

> become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of

> the

> city. Dwaraka was just a name; just a memory. "

>

> Discovery of Dwaraka

> The search for the lost city was going on since

> 1930's. Marine Archaeology Unit (MAU) of the

> National

> Institute of Oceanography, took part in this search

> in

> 1983. This search was carried out in the coastal

> waters of Dwaraka in Gujarat.

>

> Between 1983 to 1990 was discovered, the

> well-fortified township of Dwaraka, that extended

> more

> than half a mile from the shore. The township was

> built in six sectors along the banks of a river. The

> foundation of boulders on which the city's walls

> were

> erected proves that the land was reclaimed from the

> sea.

>

> Dwaraka extended upto Bet Dwaraka (Sankhodhara) in

> the

> north and Okhamadhi in the south. Eastward it

> extended

> upto Pindara. The general layout of the city of

> Dwaraka described in ancient texts agrees with that

> of

> the submerged city discovered by MAU.

> Under Water Dwaraka Museum

>

> The proposal for the Dwaraka museum, submitted by

> the

> MAU, involves laying a submarine acrylic tube

> through

> which visitors can view through glass windows the

> ruins of the city.

>

> The State Goverment of Gujrat and the Travel &

> Tourism

> Department of Gujrat are working on this proposal

> (for

> over two decades). When completed, it will be the

> first museum to be built under the sea.

> If Dwaraka excavations throw a flood of light on the

> history of the city which was associated with the

> life

> events of Krishna, the under-water excavations of

> Ayodhya situated on the bank of the river Sharayu

> might yield valuable information about the

> historicity

> of Rama, his age and contemporary urban status.

>

> Source: Report about the excavations done by Dr.

> S.R.

> Rao of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the National

> Institute of Oceanography of India. Dr. S.R. Rao

> served the Archaeological Survey of India for over

> 32

> years. He is the discoverer of a large number of

> Harappan sites including the port city of Lothal in

> Gujarat.

>

> rgds,

>

> K.S.Jain

> Doha, Qatar

>

>

>

>

>

_________

> Answers - Got a question? Someone out there

> knows the answer. Try it

> now.

> http://uk.answers./