Dwarkadhish Temple

                                                                 Dwarkadhish Mandir

The dwarkadhish temple is a Hindu temple which is dedicated to lord Krishna. He is worshipped here by the name of dwarkadish or king of dwarka.  It is situated in dwarka, Gujarat.  There is a main shrine which is of 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars. It is also known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir. It is believed to be 2500 years old. Shri vallabacharya and shri vitheleshnathji has created the guidelines and rituals of this temple. Presently the temple was built in 16^th century CE. The original temple was believed to have been built by the lord Krishna’s grandson, Vajranabha.

                                                                         

                                                                          History

The history of dwarkadhish in Gujarat is mentioned in the Mahabharat as the dwarka kingdom. It is situated on the banks of river Gomti. That city was submerged by the sea raging water 8 times, but the remains still exist.

                                                                

                                                                       Architecture

A temple was built by varababhji at the site around 400 BC. He is the great grandson of lord Krishna. Present structure was built during 16^th century in a typical chalukyan style of architecture. Its height is 51.8 mts. It is also known by Jagat Mandir. The nij shikhar which is the longest shikhar is where the deity of lord dwarkadish is placed.  The temple includes 60 carved pillars and various sculptures that depicts the guptas, pallavas and chavdas that ruled dwarka over the years. The entrance to the temple is from north, it is also known as moksha dwaar and towards the south is the swarg dwaar. The diety of lord dwarkadish is made of shiny black stone of 2.25 ft height.  The four hands of the lord carries a conch, wheel , a mace and a lotus, it is popularly known as ‘ shankh chakra gada padma chaturbhuj’.

                                                                 Temple specialities

·         The flag at the top of the temple shows the sun and moon.

·         The flag is changed from 5 times a day, but the symbol remains the same.

·         There are two styles of building a temple-

: Dwarkadish temple is built in shaiv style.

: bet-dwarka temple is built in vaishnav style.

                                                                       Features

·         The temple is a five-storey structure built on seventy-two pillars.

·         The temple is constructed of limestone which is still in pristine condition.

·         The jagat mandir has a tall tower and a hall of audience.