Description
This is one of the most renowned Hindu temples in India that is dedicated to lord Krishna. The Dwarka Sri Dwarkadish Krishna Temple is located in Dwarka in the Devbhoomi Dwarka district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The temple is the first of the highly-revered char-dhams (four religious destinations). The temple is also known as �Dwarkadheesh temple� and �Jagatmandir� that literally means �the temple of king of Dwarka� and �temple of the world� respectively. The main temple is 5-storied building, constituting of 72 pillars, regarded as the salvation place. The archeological surveys tell us about the ancientness of the temple and describe the temple to be around 2000 to 2200 years old.
History
The temple was refurbished in 16th century where its size was increased. The Dwarkadheesh temple follows the codes and customs invented by Shree Vallabhacharya& Shri Vitheleshnathji, making it a pushtimarg temple. It is popularly believed that this temple was built by Krishna's grandson, vajranabha, on Krishna's familial place known as hari-gruha. The 8th century Hindu theologian and philosopher known as Adi Shankaracharya, visited the Dwarka temple and it became part of the �Chaar Dhaam� pilgrimage that is considered to be very sacred by Hindus.
Importance/Significance
An important aspect of the temple is that it belongs to revered Char Dhamyatra. Among Hindus, char dham pilgrimage holds a very special prominence due to religious beliefs. These are the sacred char dhams pilgrimage located across geographical extension of India:
� Dwarka temple in Gujarat state in West India.
� Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu in South India,
� Badrinath in Uttrakhand state in North India.
� Puri in Odisha state in East-South India.
The Dwarka town was the hometown of Lord Krishna, and dates back to centuries and is constantly mentioned as Dwarka Kingdom in epic Mahabharata. Dwarka (capital of Lord Krishna) is located on the banks of the river Gomti. Dwarka also has been found to have pre-historic settlements by archaeological excavations. There was also news recently that temple is considered by the UNESCO as a World Heritage site.The temple has a saffron flag with symbols of the sun and moon inscribed on it on its dome. The flag is changed 5 times a day, but still the symbols remain the same. The 78.3 meter high temple spire is remarkable and one of its own kind. Built on 72 pillars and five-story high, it is constructed on limestone which still is in intact condition. There are two entrances to the temple. One is the north entrance, called as the moksha-dwar, which literally means the door to salvation. The other gate is called as the swarga-dwar meaning door to heaven, located at south of the temple. The Gomti River is 56 steps away from the south door.
Festivals/Events/Gatherings
There is a large number of devotees that throng to the temple all-round the year because of its sacred place in Hindu religion. Janmashtami (birthday of Lord Krishna) is celebrated with great zeal and splendor in the temple. It attracts tens of thousands of devotees during this period. Any other Krishna festivals are celebrated same way. Daily timings
Mornings: - 6.00 AM to 1.00 PM
Evenings: - 5.00PM to 9.30 PM
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