Dwarka: Krishna’s City by the Sea
Dwarka in Gujarat is the coastal city Krishna is said to have built, and the sea is said to have swallowed.
Dwarka is a coastal city in Gujarat, on the Arabian Sea. In the Mahabharata and the Puranas, it is the magnificent city Krishna built after leaving Mathura, and the city the sea swallowed after his death.
What the story says
After defeating Kamsa, Krishna led his people, the Yadavas, away from Mathura to the western coast. There he is said to have reclaimed land from the sea and built Dwarka, a planned city of gold with many gates.
Dwarka was Krishna’s capital for the rest of his life. He ruled from here, raised his family here, and rode out from here to the great events of the Mahabharata.
After Krishna’s death, the Mahabharata’s Mausala Parva describes the sea rising and swallowing the city, until nothing was left but a memory.
Watch the story
Hear this place come alive in the Mythical Masala episode S2E13: Krishna vs. Kansa: The Royal Showdown and Rise of Dwarka:
Chapters
- 00:00 Hook: from Mathura to Dwarka to Rukmini
- 01:59 The invitation to Mathura
- 03:49 Akrura’s river vision
- 05:26 Krishna breaks the bow
- 05:50 The arena battle
- 09:18 Jarasandha attacks again and again
- 10:47 The move to Dwarka
- 12:14 Rukmini’s message
- 14:07 The wedding-day rescue
- 14:59 Krishna and Rukmini marry
Find it on the map
Here is Dwarka today. Zoom out to see where it sits in India, or tap the button to open it in Google Maps.
What we actually know
This is where the story meets real archaeology. From 1983 to 1990, the Marine Archaeology Unit of India’s National Institute of Oceanography carried out underwater excavations off Dwarka and nearby Bet Dwarka.
They found submerged stone structures, walls, and anchors. The archaeologist who led the work, S. R. Rao, concluded that a city-state existed here around 1500 BCE, and considered it reasonable to identify the submerged city with the Dvaraka of the Mahabharata. Other scholars are more cautious, so read his conclusion as one expert’s reasoned view, not a settled fact.
The Dwarka of today is a major pilgrimage town, home to the Dwarkadhish temple dedicated to Krishna.