dwarka_krishnas_city

8/7/2019 DWARKA_Krishnas_city

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Bhagavad-Gita Jayanthi day

Sri Krishna Temple, Morganville, NJwww.krishnatemple.org

Mahabharata

Is HistoryNot a Myth


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Mahabharata History not a Myth

The following slides are a set prepared

using material available on the internet.

The objective is to bring awareness to thefact that Dwaraka the city where Krishna

lived, has been explored by the marine

archeological unit and scientific evidencenow points to the fact that Mahabharata is a

book of history and is not mythology.


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DWARKA Krishnas city

"The findings in Dwarka and archeologicalevidence found are compatible with the

Mahabharata tradition and removes the

lingering doubt about the historicity of theMahabharata. We would say that Krishna

definitely existed" S.R. Rao.

Source: Report about the excavations done by Dr. S.R. Rao of the MarineArchaeology Unit of the National Institute of Oceanography of India. Dr. S.R.

Rao served the Archaeological Survey of India for over 32 years. He is the discoverer

of a large number of Harappan sites including the port city of Lothal in Gujarat.


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Artist's view of ancient fortified Dwaraka in Kusasthali


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Submergence of Dwaraka as written in Mahabharata

After Sri Krishna left for the heavenly abode, and the major

Yadava heads were killed in fights among themselves; Arjunawent to Dwarka to bring Krishna's grandsons and theYadava wives to Hastinapur. After Arjuna left Dwaraka, itwas submerged in the sea. This is the account given byArjuna, in Mahabharata:

"The sea, which had been beating against the shores,suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it bynature. The sea rushed into the city. It coursed through thestreets of the beautiful city. The sea covered up everything in

the city. I saw the beautiful buildings becoming submergedone 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 notrace of the city. Dwaraka was just a name; just a memory."


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Discovery of Dwaraka The search for the lost city was going on since 1930's. Marine

Archaeology Unit (MAU) of the National Institute of

Oceanography, took part in this search in 1983. This searchwas carried out in the coastal waters of Dwaraka in Gujarat.

Between 1983 to 1990 was discovered, the well-fortifiedtownship of Dwaraka, that extended more than half a mile

from the shore. The township was built in six sectors alongthe banks of a river. The foundation of boulders on which thecity's walls were erected proves that the land was reclaimedfrom the sea.

Dwaraka extended upto Bet Dwaraka (Sankhodhara) in thenorth and Okhamadhi in the south. Eastward it extended uptoPindara. The general layout of the city of Dwaraka describedin ancient texts agrees with that of the submerged citydiscovered by MAU.


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The expedition of 1981"The search for the lost city has been going on since 1930," S.R. Rao,

former adviser to the NIO who is still actively involved in theexcavations, told India Abroad. "It is only after marine archaeologists

started exploring the seabed near modern Dwarka from 1981 that the

structural remains of the city were found."

Rao said that if a fraction of the funds spent on land archeology were

made available for under-water archaeology, more light could bethrown on Dwarka, which had much archeological significance

because it was built during the second urbanization that occurred in

India after the Indus Valley civilization in northwestern India.

Dwarka's existence disproves the belief held by Western archeologiststhat there was no urbanization in the Indian subcontinent from the

period between 1700 B.C. (Indus Valley) and 550 B.C. (advent of

Buddhism). As no information was available about that period, they

had labeled it the Dark Period.


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How was the city - Dwaraka Among the objects unearthed that proved Dwarka's connection

with the Mahabharata epic was a sea engraved with the imageof a three-headed animal.The epic mentions such a seal givento the citizens of Dwarka as a proof of identity when the citywas threatened by King Jarasandha of the powerful Magadhakingdom (now Bihar).The foundation of boulders on which the

city's walls were erected proves that the land was reclaimedfrom the sea about 3,600 years ago. The epic has references tosuch reclamation activity at Dwaraka. Seven islands mentionedin it were also discovered submerged in the Arabian Sea.

Pottery, which has been established by thermo-luminescencetests to be 3,528 years old and carrying inscriptions in lateIndus Valley civilization script; iron stakes and triangularthree-holed anchors discovered here find mention in theMahabharata.


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The work in Progress

What is needed, Rao added, is the political will

to reconstruct the cultural history of the Vedic

and epic periods of northern India. The maritime

museums at sites of wrecks and submerged

ports are absolutely essential, and portable

antiquities should be conserved properly, he

emphasized.


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The Proposal

If the proposal to have a maritime museum is acceptedby the Gujarat government, it would be the first of itskind in India, he pointed out. Recounting the start ofexploration for Dwarka, Rao said, "We carried out the

original survey with just four scuba divers, while theoperation called for the services of around 200 diversand other staff ". But for the work to progress now,more equipment is needed, besides funds and time, hewarned, adding:"We need two barges, one mounted with a crate, andequipment such as an airlift. We need 30 or 40 diversand engineers. The work should go on for at least sixmonths and cannot be halted midway."

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