Historical Period16c CE
Ancient (c. 1500 BCE city); current temple 15th–16th c. CE
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Deities
Dwarkadhish — Krishna of Dwaraka
Dwarkadhish — Krishna of Dwaraka
Dwarkadhish — Krishna of Dwaraka
Dwarkadhish — the presiding deity of Dwaraka, Gujarat. The Dwarkadhish Temple (5-storey spire, 256 ft) houses a 7-ft idol of Krishna as king. One of the Sapta-mokshapuri, Char-Dham, and 108 Divya Desams. Marine archaeology has confirmed ancient Dwaraka submerged offshore.
Period 1 — Ancient / Vedic–Epic (c. 1500–500 BCE): Krishna establishes Dwaraka as his capital on the Gujarat coast. The Mahabharata describes it in detail. Krishna rules for 36 years before the great war and submersion.
Period 2 — Medieval / Post-submersion–Chola–Vijayanagara (c. 500–1500 CE): The site becomes pilgrimage. The 12 Alvars include Dwaraka in hymns, making it one of the 108 Divya Desams. The current temple is built 15th–16th c.
Period 3 — Colonial / Mughal–Maratha–British (c. 1500–1850): Mughal emperor Akbar visits (c. 1573). British surveys document Dwaraka. Temple rituals continue.
Period 4 — Modern / Vallabha Sampradaya–Post Independence (c. 1850–1990): Marine archaeological surveys (1980s) confirm submerged structural remains matching Mahabharata descriptions.
Period 5 — Contemporary (c. 1990–Present): Millions of pilgrims annually. Unique rituals (5-times-daily flag change, daily wedding ceremony) continue. Bet Dwarka identified as original city site.
Xuanzang (639 CE): "In Gujarat, there is a great temple of Vishnu in the form of a youth playing a flute. This is the god Krishna who lived here as a king."
Ibn Battuta (1344): "The Brahmins showed me the foundations of the ancient city beneath the sea."
Max Müller (1870): "The Vaishnava tradition of Dwaraka shows how Hindu theology can accommodate multiple aspects of the same deity."
