Dwarka Discovery

The ancient city of Dwarka was situated on the extreme West Coast of Indian territory. Dwarka, a Nagari (City) submerged in the Indian sea at the Gujarat seashore.

Gomati creek, located at the eastern side of Dwarka, served as a safe harbour till the 19th century AD. Offshore explorations have brought to light a large number of stone structures which appear to be the remains of an ancient jetty. This hypothesis is supported also by the discovery of a large number of stone anchors of various types in Dwarka waters. The typology of anchors has indicated that Dwarka was an important port since historical period. Maritime activities increased many folds during the medieval period. This flourishing port and religious capital got submerged under the sea.

Archaeological excavations brought to light a jetty at Kuntasi in Gujarat dating back to Harappan period. Similarly, excavations have revealed a dockyard and a few stone anchors at Lothal, another Harappan site. There are several literary references mentioning ports at many coastal sites during the early historical period (2500 to 1500 yrs BP), but archaeological remains of these ports are scanty. Most of the settlements were situated either on the river banks or on the banks of backwaters, which would have served as an excellent natural harbour. These locations being highly vulnerable to floods and other natural disasters, it is not surprising that only scanty evidence for their existence remain. Excavations at Poompuhar brought to light, a wharf situated on the bank of the old course of the river Kaveri. Similarly, onshore excavation at Elephanta Island yielded a wharf dating back to early centuries of the Christian Era. There is evidence to suggest that the present Bet Dwarka jetty has been used as a harbour since the early historic period.

The results of marine archaeological explorations undertaken by the Marine Archaeology Centre of the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa between 1997 and 2001.

External links

* [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/may102004/1256.pdf Dwarka - Underwater Cultural Heritage]
* [http://www.nio.org/projects/vora/project_vora_1.jsp Underwater Explorations by National Institute of Oceanography]
* [http://archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/photo-gallery-4.html Dwarka Wall Photos]
* [http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Dwaraka.htm Dwarka Illustation]
* [http://www.authorstream.com/presentation/Monica-44053-DWARKA-Krishnas-city-Mahabharata-History-Myth-Artist-view-ancient-fortified-Dwaraka-Ku-Education-ppt-powerpoint/. Dwarka Slideshow]