Dwarkadhish Temple, Dwaraka, Gujarat

Dwarkadhish Temple, Dwaraka, Gujarat

Dwarkadhish Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu in Dwaraka Town in Gujarat State of India. The Dwarkadhish Temple is also known as the Jagat Mandir and occasionally spelled Dwarakadheesh Temple. Lord Krishna is worshiped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir, archaeological findings suggest it to be 2,200 - 2,000 years old. The Temple was enlarged in the 15^th – 16^th century. The Dwarkadhish Temple is a Pushtimarg temple, hence it follows the guidelines and rituals created by Vallabhacharyar and Vitheleshnath.

According to tradition, the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabh, 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 8^th century Hindu theologian and philosopher, visited the shrine. The other three being comprising Rameswaram, Badrinath and Puri. Even today a memorial within the temple is dedicated to his visit.

The temple is on the banks of river Gomti and at this place Gomti river meets the Arabian Sea. Dwarakadheesh is the 98^th Divya Desam of Vishnu on the subcontinent, glorified in the Divya Prabandha sacred texts. Dwarka is situated on the west coast of Gujarat on the shore of the Arabian Sea, features in most of the legends surrounding Lord Krishna. It is from here that the grown Lord Krishna is supposed to have ruled his kingdom. Dwarka is a significant pilgrimage site for the Hindus.

Dwarka is sanctified as the place where Lord Vishnu slew the demon Shankha Sura. The Puranas mention the 12 Jyotirlingas or columns of light representing Lord Shiva which manifested in different parts of the country. One of these is located in Dwarka and is known as the Nageshwar Mahadev. The Sharad Peetha, one of the four Maths established by Jagadguru Shankaracharya, is also situated here. Dwarka is considered to be one of the 7 Mukti Stala pilgrimage centers of India.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/12/dwarkadhish-temple-dwaraka-legends.html

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/12/dwarkadhish-temple-dwaraka-history.html

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/12/dwarkadhish-temple-dwaraka-temple.html

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 06.30 A.M to 01.00 P.M and 05.00 P.M to 09.30 P.M.

Pooja Timings

Timings	From	To
Open	6.30 AM	9.30 PM
Close	1.00 PM	5.00 PM
Mangal Aarti	6.30 AM
Mangal Darshan	7.00 AM	8.00 AM
Shringar Aarti	10.30 AM
Sandhya Aarti	7.30 PM	7.45 PM

Festivals

Janmashtami, Annakut Utsav, Tulsi Vivah, Holi, Akshaya Tritiya and Rath Yatra on Ashadh month are the festivals celebrated here with much fanfare.

Religious Significance

The significance of Dwarkadhish temple is that Dwarka is one of the Sapta Puris in India. According to popular belief, the Dwarkadhish Temple stands over the original place of Hari – Graha, the home of Krishna. Mahabharata states that the castle of Lord Krishna was built in Gold. The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th – 9th century Vaishnava canon, by Periyalvar, Thirumazhisai Alwar, Thirumangai Azhwar and Andal. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. Periyalvar has done Mangalasasanam on Lord Vishnu of this Temple in 5 Paasurams, Andal has done Mangalasasanam on Lord Vishnu of this Temple in 4 Paasurams, Thirumangai Alwar has done Mangalasasanam on Lord Vishnu of this Temple in 2 Paasurams and Thirumazhisai Alwar has done Mangalasasanam on Lord Vishnu of this Temple in 1 Paasuram.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 800 meters from Dwarka Temple Bus Stop, 1 Km from Dwarka Bus Station, 2 Kms from Dwaraka Railway Station, 104 Kms from Porbandar, 131 Kms from Jamnagar, 225 Kms from Rajkot, 438 Kms from Ahmedabad, 512 Kms from Vadodara and 672 Kms from Surat. Dwaraka is situated on Mumbai – Okha port rail line. Nearest Railway Station is Dwaraka Railway Station. It is well connected by trains to the rest of Gujarat and India. Nearest Airport is located at Jamnagar (126 Kms).

Location