Dwarakadheesh Temple
| Dwarakadheesh Temple | |
|---|---|
 The temple sikhars with the entrance in front | |
  Dwarakadheesh Temple Location in Gujarat
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| Coordinates: | 22°14′16.39″N 68°58′3.22″E / 22.2378861°N 68.9675611°ECoordinates: 22°14′16.39″N 68°58′3.22″E / 22.2378861°N 68.9675611°E |
| Name | |
| Proper name: | Dwarkadheesh Mandir |
| Devanagari: | द्वारकाधीश मंदिर |
| Bengali: | দ্বারকাধীশ মন্দির |
| Location | |
| Country: | India |
| State: | Gujarat |
| Locale: | Dwarka |
| Architecture and culture | |
| Primary deity: | Dwarkadheesh Krishna |
| Important festivals: | Janmastami |
The Dwarakadheesh temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is worshipped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. It is situated at Dwarka, Gujarat, which is believed to have been built after the historic Dvarka city, the Kingdom of Krishna which submerged into the ocean after the Mahabharata war. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir, and is believed to be 5,000 years old. The Dwarkadhish Temple is a Pushtimarg temple, hence it follows the guidelines and rituals created by Shree Vallabhacharya and Shree Vitheleshnathji.
The present temple was built in 16th century CE, while the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, over the hari-griha (Lord Krishna's residential place). The temple became part of the Char Dham pilgrimage considered sacred by Hindus in India, after Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th century reformer and philosopher, visited the shrine. Even today a memorial within the temple is dedicated to his visit. Dwarakadheesh is the 108th Divya Desam of Lord Vishnu on the subcontinent, glorified in the Divya Prabandha sacred texts.
Etymology
The town of Dwaraka or Dwarka is the first part of the name while 'adi' or 'adee' means first and 'eesh' means lord. The total sum means the temple of Dwaraka's first lord.
History
The town of Dwarka in Gujarat has a history that dates back centuries, and is mentioned in the Mahabharat as the Dwaraka Kingdom. Situated on the banks of river Gomti, the city's legend for being the capital of Lord Krishna. The ancient city was submerged by raging sea waters eight times, but the remains have been found in underwater excavation by archeologists.[1][2]
Architecture
A temple was built at the site around 400 BC by Vajranabhji, the great grandson of Lord Krishna, however the present structure was built during the 16th century in a typical Chalukyan style of architecture. The beautiful temple rises up to a height of 51.8 meters. Also known as the Jagat Mandir, the temple has two Sikhara. The Nij shikhar (The longer sikhar) denotes where the deity of Lord Dwarkadhish is installed. The huge temple consists of 60 exquisitely carved pillars and a number of sculptures that depict the influence of various dynasties such as the Guptas, Pallavas and Chavdas (referring to Chavda Kingdom) that ruled Dwarka over the years.
The entrance to the temple is from the north, also known as the Moksha Dwaar, while the entrance from the south is the Swarg Dwaar from where a series of steps leads down to the banks of river Gomti. According to legend, the temple was constructed in a single day by Vishwakarma, the lord of construction. The deity of Lord Dwarkadhish is made of shiny black stone and is about 2.25 ft in height. The four hands of the deity carry a conch, the Sudarshana Chakra, a mace and a lotus, and this image is popularly known as 'Shankh Chakra Gada Padma Chaturbhuj'. It is said that the idol was hidden for years to protect it from invaders while another idol was brought from the Rukmini temple and installed in its absence. The original idol was reinstalled during the 16th century after the construction of the new temple.
Temple specialties
- The flag atop the temple shows the sun and moon.
- The flag is changed from 5 times a day, but the symbol remains the same.
- The pristine condition of the temple and an important discovery in its surroundings has led to the nomination of UNESCO World Heritage Site status to the temple.
- There are two styles of building a temple: the Dwarkadhish temple and Bet-Dwarka temple are built in Vaishnava style
Salient features
- The temple is a five-story structure built on seventy-two pillars.
- The temple spire is 78.3m high.
- The temple is constructed of limestone which is still in pristine condition.
- The temple shows intricate sculptural detailing done by successions of dynasties that ruled the region. The structure was not expanded much by these works.
- Lord Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, is said to have built the original temple of Dwarkadhish over the hari-griha (Lord Krishna's residential place).
- The sanctum of the temple is formed by the Jagat Mandir, or Nija Mandir, dating back at least 2500 years.
- The Jagat Mandir has a tall tower and a hall of audience.
- There are two entrances to the temple. The main entrance (north entrance) is called "Moksha Dwara" (Door to Salvation). This entrance takes one to the main market. The south entrance is called "Swarga Dwara" (Gate to Heaven).
- Outside this doorway are 56 steps that leads to the Gomati River.
Char Dham
| Char Dham 125x125px Dwarka • Puri |
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The temple is considered one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham (four divine sites) sites, comprising Rameswaram, Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka.[3] Though the origins are not clearly known, the Advaita school of Hinduism established by Sankaracharya, who created Hindu monastic institutions across India, attributes the origin of Char Dham to the seer.[4] The four monasteries are located across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram in the South. Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely Saivism and Vaishnavism, the Char Dham pilgrimage is an all Hindu affair.[5] There are four abodes in Himalayas called Chota Char Dham (Chota meaning small): Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - all of these lie at the foot hills of Himalayas.[4] The name Chota was added during the mid of 20th century to differentiate the original Char Dhams. As the number of pilgrims increased to these places in modern times, it is called Himalayan Char Dham.[6] The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetime.[7] Traditionally the trip starts are the eastern end from Puri, proceeding in clockwise direction in a manner typically followed for circuambulation in Hindu temples.[7]
References
- ↑ Subramanian, T.S. (February 23, 2007). "Significant finds at Dwaraka". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ↑ "Dwarka Nagari - Submerged Dwarka". dwarkadhish.org. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ↑ Chakravarti 1994, p. 140
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mittal, Sushil (2004). The Hindu World. New York: Routledge. pp. 482–483. ISBN 0-203-64470-0.
- ↑ Brockman 2011, pp. 94-96
- ↑ Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin (2010). Religions of the World, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. ABC-CLIO. p. 540. ISBN 9781598842043.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gwynne 2008, Section on Char Dham
Notes
- UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site status, report on Indian Express newspaper website
- Underwater remains near Dwarakadheesh temple, on website of National Institute of Oceanography
- Brockman, Norbert C. (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
- Gwynne, Paul (2009). World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publication. ISBN 978-1-4051-6702-4.
External links
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