Krishna – An Indian Bureaucrat's Diary

Travel India Dwarka

Binoy Gupta — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:47:08 +0000

The Real Atlantis

The western most of Adi Shankaracharya’s Four Dhams

Some time ago, my mother wanted me to take her to Dwarka, the last of the Four Dhams of Adi Shankaracharya (we had already visited the other three).
The fact is she loved to travel. I also love to travel.
And there were many other places to see around Dwarka. So we landed in Dwarka.
The story of Atlantis flashed through my mind.

The Lost Isle of Atlantis

Plato first mentioned ‘Atlantis’ in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias writtenin 360 B.C.
For unknown reasons, Plato never completed Critias.
According to Plato, “Atlantis, lying “beyond the pillars of Heracles”, was a naval power that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9,500 B.C.
After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean “in a single day and night of misfortune”.Scientists and researchers agree that there was no such island as Atlantis.
Atlantis was a piece of sheer imagination.
But the ancient Dwarka has far too many similarities to the imaginary Atlantis.
This cannot be pure coincidence.Dwarka is about 4000 years old.
Plato wrote about Atlantis only around 360 B.C., that is, much later.
I think the only plausible explanation for the striking similarities is that Plato heard about Dwarka and based his imaginary Atlantis on Dwarka.

Dwarka

The present day Dwarka is a city in Gujarat state in Western India.
The name Dwarka has come from the Sanskrit word “Dwar” meaning door.
Once upon a time, if you were coming from the West, Dwarka was the gate way to India.
Today, Hindus regard it as a gateway to Heaven.The legendary city of Dwarka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna.
It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dwarka submerged under the sea six times; and the modern day Dwarka is the seventh city to be built in the area. The Dwarkadhish Temple

The word Dwarkadhish comes from Dwarka and Dhish meaning Lord of Dwarka.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna.
The city is believed to have been built by Vishwakarma, the celestial architect.
And the ancient temple was built by Sambha, the grandson of Lord Krishna.The present temple built around the 16th century has a five storey tower.
It is made of limestone and sand.
The structure of the temple is quite complicated.
A 24 metres (84 ft.) long, multicolored flag, decorated with the symbols of the sun and moon, is hoisted on the temple tower every day.
It majestically flitters in the air welcoming the pilgrims. The temple has two gateways:
· Swarg Dwar (Door to Heaven), through which pilgrims enter, and
· Moksha Dwar (Door to Salvation), through which the pilgrims exit.
From the temple, one can see the sangam (confluence) of Gomati River and the Arabian Sea.

Bet Dwarka

The Bet Dwarka temple is built like a palace.
It is believed that Lord Krishna had ruled from here.
An idol similar to the one in Dwarka is kept in Bet Dwarka temple also.
Bet Dwarka can be reached by a short boat ride.

Mythology Dwarka is mentioned in the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Skanda Purana, Vishnu Purana and other ancient scriptures.
According to mythology, Lord Krishna killed Kansa (his maternal uncle) and made Ugrasen (his maternal grandfather) the king of Mathura.
Enraged by this, Jarasandha (King of Magadha), the father-in-law of Kansa, and his friend Kalayavan, attacked Mathura 17 times.For the safety of his people, Lord Krishna renounced war (hence Krishna is also known by the name Ranchod – meaning one who has left the battle field).
He and the Yadavas decided to shift the capital from Mathura to Dwarka.
They reclaimed land from the sea on the banks of Gomati River and built a well planned city organized into six sectors, residential and commercial zones, wide roads, plazas, palaces and many public utilities.
Dwarka also had a good and prosperous harbour.
After Krishna left for his heavenly abode, the major Yadava heads fought among themselves and killed each other.
Arjuna went to Dwarka to bring Krishna’s grandsons and the Yadava women to Hastinapur. After Arjuna left, Dwarka was submerged in the sea.

This is how Arjuna has described the event in the Mahabharata:
“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.”
The incident is described in the Vishnu Purana in much the same manner:
“On the same day that Krishna departed from the earth the powerful dark-bodied Kali Age descended. The oceans rose and submerged the whole of Dwaraka.”Atlantis was also wiped out like this!

Archeological Evidence

The search for the mythological Dwarka has been going on since the 1930’s.
The Marine Archeology Unit (MAU) of the National Institute of Oceanography, Government of India started the search for Dwarka in the coastal waters of Dwarka in 1983.
Underwater explorations between 1983 and 1990 revealed the remains of a well-fortified township.
The foundation of boulders on which the city’s walls were erected proved that the land was reclaimed from the sea.The general layout of the submerged city discovered by Marine Archeology Unit matched the description of Dwarka in the ancient texts.
Further excavations continued till 1994.Murli Manohar Joshi, then HRD minister claimed that the ruins were 9,500 years old and would lead to a rewriting of world history, crowning a Hindu India as the cradle of civilisation over the claims of Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus valley.
The old Dwarka does not appear to be that old.
Scientists estimate the date to be around 2280 B.C.
Scientists have recently discovered a circular wooden structure under the water at a near-shore excavation site off the coast of Jamnagar.
They believe this to be a part of the remains of the lost city of ancient Dwarka.
The wooden structure is well preserved and surrounded by another structure made of stone blocks.
Wood can be more scientifically carbon dated and may help the scientists determine the exact date.
No doubt, influenced by the Tsunami of 2004, a group of ocean scientists have suggested that the ancient city of Dwarka could have been destroyed by a tsunami about 3,000 years ago.

World’s First Underwater Museum The Marine Archeology Unit submitted an exciting proposal for setting up an underwater museum at Dwarka.
The proposal envisages an acrylic tube on the bottom of the sea through which visitors can view the ruins of the ancient Dwarka.
I have seen such tubes even in Bangkok. The Government of Gujarat and their Travel & Tourism Department have been working (sleeping would be a better term) on the proposal for over two decades.
This is a unique opportunity to create something unique.
It will attract a lot of tourists.
The work can be outsourced to an international bidder.
This will solve the problem of funding and maintenance.
When completed, it will be the world’s first under water museum.

Reaching there

The nearest airports from Dwarka are:
Jamnagar – 121 Kms.
Rajkot – 225 Kms.
Ahmedabad – 375 Kms.
There are a number of daily flights from Mumbai and other cities.

Recommendation

Go and can visit the real Atlantis, in India itself.
You can also visit lions of India in Gir Forests and the Somnath Temple.

Travel India Jagannath Puri or Puri

Binoy Gupta — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:26:04 +0000

World Famous Ratha Yatra

Jagannath Puri, or simply Puri, is one of Adi Shankaracharya’s Char Dhams (or Four Places of Pilgrimage) located in the four corners of India. The other three are: Badrinath in the North (Himalayas); Dwarka in the West; and Rameshwaram in the South.
Badrinath is located amidst the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. The other three are located on the shores of the seas around India.

Jagannath Puri is world famous for its unique Ratha Yatra (Chariot Procession).

Ratha Yatras, on a smaller scale, are simultaneously organised in several parts of India and even abroad.Fairs and melas are organised during the nine day festivities.In Kolkata (Calcutta), the fairs attract shops selling plant and pets.

When I was small, I loved to go to these fairs and purchase a few plants and pets.As a result, I have kept such unconventional pets as lizards, scorpions, snakes, python, deer and peacocks.And all this was possible only because my parents never objected or protested.I don’t remember ever being reprimanded for my pets and plants.They heroically suffered the less than normal whimsical fancies of their little son.

Origin of the Word Jagannath

The word Jagannath comes from two Sanskrit words Jagat (meaning universe) and Nath (meaning master).Jagannath, meaning Master of the Universe, is another name for Lord Krishna.The most famous and oldest Jagannath temple in India is in Puri, Orissa.Because of this temple, Puri is also known as Jagannath Puri.

Mythology

There are two mythological stories relating to the deity.

Lord Krishna appeared to his great devotee, King Indradyumna and ordered him to get his deity carved out of a log he would find washed out on the sea shore.King Indradyumna duly recovered the log and found a mysterious old Brahmin carpenter willing to carve the deity.The carpenter insisted that under no circumstance, he should be disturbed while he was carving the deity.The king anxiously waited outside his room.

When all sound stopped, King Indradyumna could not restrain himself any longer.He opened the door and entered the room.He found the deity half-finished and the carpenter gone.King Indradyumna was very upset because the deity had no arms and legs.

Ultimately, Narada Muni appeared and explained that the carpenter was Vishvakarma, the heavenly sculptor of the Gods; and the form of Lord Krishna, the king saw, was one of the forms of Lord Krishna.

According to the second story, the gopis (maids) were talking about the pranks of Krishna, and about their love for him.The gopis had instructed Subhadra (Krishna’s sister) to keep watch and warn them if Krishna came.But after some time, Subhadra became completely engrossed in the conversation.She did not notice Krishna and his brother Balaram approaching.The two brothers listened to the gopis’ talk.Their hairs stood on end, their arms retracted, their eyes grew larger and larger, and they smiled broadly in joy.That is why Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra look the way they do.

The Temple of Lord Jagannath

There is some disagreement amongst experts about the exact period of construction of the present temple. Construction of the present temple was started in the 12th century A.D. by King Ananta Burman Chodaganga Deva, founder of the Ganga dynasty in Orissa.But he could not complete it during his lifetime.The construction was completed by his successor Ananga Bhima Deva III.

The temple is built in the Kalinga style of architecture.It consists of a tall shikhara (dome) housing the sanctum sanctorum (garba griha) where the deity is placed.A pillar of fossilized wood is used for placing lamps as offering.Singhadwara (lion gate), guarded by two guardian deities, Jaya and Vijayais, is the main gate to the temple.A memorial column, brought here by the Raja of Khurda from the Sun Temple of Konarak, known as Aruna Stambha, faces the main gate.The three deities – Jagannath, Balabhadra (Balaram) and Subhadra are worshipped inside the temple.

Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple.Even Indira Gandhi was not allowed to enter the temple.More recently, a Thai princess was not allowed to enter the temple.
But once a year, during the rainy season, usually in June or July, the deities are brought out in one of the most clourful processions any where in the world.

Ratha Yatra

This festival is known as Ratha Yatra (Chariot Procession).The three deities – Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out on three separate richly decorated chariots, resembling temple structures, through the streets of Puri so that everyone can see them.The largest chariot is that of Jagannath – 45 feet high and 35 feet square.It is supported on 16 wheels with a diameter of 7 feet.New chariots are built every year.The Rathas (Chariots) are pulled by the millions of pilgrims who come to attend the festivities.It is considered a privilege to pull the Ratha.The King of Puri takes part in the procession.He sweeps the path in front of Jagannath’s chariot.

The Ratha Yatra commemorates Lord Krishna’s return to his home in Vrindavan after killing Kansa.Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra (Balaram) and Subhadra are taken to their aunt’s temple (Gundicha Mandir) – a distance of 2 km from the temple.The deity remain on their chariots for the night.In the morning, they are installed in the Gundicha Mandir.They remain there for seven days.On the ninth day, they are placed back on their chariots and return to their temple.By this time, most of the pilgrims would have gone back.Labourers have to be hired to pull the Rathas.

What to see

Puri is an important town of Orissa.It is famous for the Jagannath temple.
Its sprawling wide beaches, fishing farms and the superb resorts make Puri a major holiday destination of Eastern India.

Recommendation

Visit the exotic sea beaches.Swim in the sea.Watch the fishermen catch their fish.

Puri belongs to the Golden Triangle Circuit of Orissa covering Bhubaneswar, Konarak and Gopalpur-on-Sea.You can visit these places as well.
Incidentally, the English word ‘juggernaut’ owes its origin to these huge chariots.