India has constantly beguiled me with its eclectic mix of landscapes, cultures, cuisines and of course, its mythology. The city of Dwarka in Gujarat is an extension of this charm. Ironically, it had never been on my bucket list, up until I recently read up on its fantastical tales that date back to a time when human civilisation didn’t exist in the rest of the world.
In the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, Dwarka was the capital of Lord Krishna’s kingdom. According to the saga, the city was a glorious hub that flourished in trade and commerce, thus earning itself the title: “city of gold”. Referred to as Dvaraka, flora, fauna and pleasure gardens dotted its landscape that boasted of almost 9,00,000 royal palaces that were bedazzled with gold, crystal, silver and emeralds. The grandeur didn’t last long though. As per the folklore, a monstrous king called Savla released his wrath fuelled with envy on the coastal city with his flying spaceship or “vimana”. The air weapon caused a considerable amount of damage to Dvaraka, enraging Krishna to abandon his sociable persona and enter the battlefield to take on the barbaric enemy. Post the war, the vandalisation of the city turned out to be so intense that it caused the sea levels to rise fiercely, submerging Dvaraka.
Until a few decades ago, cynics denied the existence of this mythical city and hence the verity of Mahabharata. Recently, marine archaeologists stumbled upon staggering evidence during their excavation projects that altered views of the sceptics. Scientists discovered artefacts from Dwarka, on the bed of the Arabian Sea. These included remnants of Krishna’s lost kingdom, as depicted in the saga — carved stones, inscribed coins and utensils. The intelligence of carbon dating allowed scientists to make a jaw-dropping statement that these findings date back almost 8,000 years. This makes Dwarka perhaps one of the oldest civilisations to exist in the history of time. The excavations substantiate the descriptions of the kingdom in Mahabharata, hinting at the realism of Krishna and even the myth.
Whether these stories hold true or not is a matter of perception. But learning about this only made my interest levels escalate before my arrival here. My SpiceJet flight from Mumbai landed in Porbandar airport at 11am, where a car sent by AccorHotels’ Mercure Dwarka was waiting for me. The drive to Dwarka via National Highway 51 was lined with occasional glimpses of the beach on one side and swaying windmills, grazing cattle and lush fields on the other. Within about an hour and a half, we arrived at Mercure Dwarka where refreshments welcomed us as the blazing sun shone on in this erstwhile golden city. I finished the brief check-in formalities and made my way to my Deluxe room on the fourth floor.
The 26 sqm room was well laid out — a work desk beside the window, an additional lounging chair and table next to the bed, wooden furnishings, warm yellow lighting and artwork depicting Krishna above the bed. I had an uninterrupted view of farmlands, where herds of cows and sheep obediently followed their shepherds. Helping myself to one from the platter of chocolates on the minibar cabinet that faces the bathroom, I quite enjoyed this moment of calm along with a book and a cup of tea, before beginning my adventure in Dwarka.
A much required power nap and lunch at Maakhan, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, followed. Since Dwarka is a sacred place for Hindus, non-vegetarian food is not served in the hotel and most parts of the city. Alcohol is prohibited since Gujarat is a dry state. For lunch, the chef prepared an elaborate Gujarati meal that was served to me after being pre-plated in the kitchen. This plate or thaali looked nothing short of a work of art — and glad to say — it tasted even better. Rice, lentils, vegetables, salad, poppadum and kachori (spicy Indian snack) made up the feast. My favourite part was the jalebi (deep fried flour in circular shapes) that ended this rather heavy lunch on a sweet note.
Mercure Dwarka had planned an evening of sightseeing, which started at the beach. Dwarka is a small city with a bare minimum population of 38,873 people, which explains why the beach didn’t have many visitors, baring the few locals and stray dogs.
The tour began with a 20-minute drive to Sivrajpur Beach. For a panoramic view of the sea, we climbed up the 43-metre high lighthouse that stands on a peninsula. An uninterrupted vista of the water and the sun transcending into the horizon filled our vision. On the other side of the lighthouse are agricultural lands and the ruins of age-old forts. We waited until the sun bid adieu for the dramatic change in the sky’s light, and made our way back to the beach soon after. I quite enjoyed a few moments of calm on the sands while gazing at the pristine waters of this untouched coast. There are rumours of Bollywood kingpins wanting to take over a part of this beach to construct a resort — and I was glad to have visited here before commercialisation tarnished its beauty.
That evening, we continued to the renowned Dwarkadhish Temple that’s considered to be an important pilgrimage for Hindus. It is also the foremost appeal of this temple town. We entered the temple complex through a magnificent gateway that is ornamented with life-size elephant statues on each side. Walking towards the shrine, we passed by hawkers and stalls selling items from women’s clothing, children’s toys and Indian sweets to offerings for the Gods such as garlands and incense sticks. The five-storey temple shone splendidly in the moonlight as sounds of sermons and prayers filled our ears. Legend has it that the temple was built by Krishna’s direct descendant, Vajranabha on the banks of river Gomti. The flag atop the temple depicts the sun and moon, which implies that Krishna would exist until the sun and moon exist in the universe. We visited the various prayer rooms of the temple, seeking blessings from the gods as we interacted with saints and fortune tellers who gave solid life advice in exchange for a negotiable fee. There is also a pedestrian suspension bridge called Sudama Setu that was built by Reliance Industries Limited, in collaboration with the Gujarat Tourism Department to boost tourism in Dwarka. You pay ₹10 to walk over the bridge that has a bird’s-eye view of the Gomti river and temples at a distance.
The night was spent in possibly one of the quietest hotel rooms I’ve been in. I was loving every minute of being cut off from the craze of big city life. The next morning I enjoyed some traditional Indian preparations such as poha (spiced puffed rice) and dhokla (Gujarati savoury cakes) for breakfast at Maakhan before venturing out again.
We drove for about 45 minutes to the coastal town of Okha, 32km north of Dwarka. Our next adventure was to a tiny island called Bet (means island in Gujarati) Dwarka situated only a couple of kilometres off the seaport. The only way to access this isle in the heart of the Gulf of Kutch is by boat. There is an informal and unofficial ferry service (not a registered or government recognised company), run by the locals that operates every few minutes. Not for the faint-hearted, the ferry service doesn’t provide life jackets or any security instructions. The boats are usually teeming with people who stand wherever they find space, making it a daunting experience. We chose to hire a private boat with another group of tourists to ensure we didn’t have to test our swimming skills in the Arabian Sea at all. Hiring a private transfer (₹200 per person — negotiable) costs a lot more than the ferry service (₹10 per person) but is worth your safety, mainly because of the life jackets.
Within no time, we were sailing across the waters of the Arabian Sea. There seemed to be a number of marine industrial projects afoot at a distance. Cruising at a swift speed, I couldn’t help but wonder about the ruins that could exist at the floor of the sea. Perhaps we were sailing over the glorious sunken city of Krishna and proofs that have the power to verify a number of questionable parts of Indian mythology. Unfortunately, these answers still lie in the grey as the excavation project on the seabed of Dwarka had been mysteriously shelved by the government a few years ago.
According to mythology, Bet Dwarka served as the residence of Krishna when he ruled over the city. After reaching the shore, we walked for about 700 metres passing stalls and hawkers before arriving at the gate of the temple on the island. Here, we visited the shrine’s quarters in a scurry, trying to keep from bumping into the hoards of pilgrims, who like us jostled in the hope of catching a glimpse of Krishna’s idols.
Our boat reached the shore of Bet Dwarka at the promised time and took us back to the port of Okha. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by Naageshwar Temple that’s dedicated to Shiva — the destroyer or the transformer god from Hindu mythology. One of the most striking aspects of this temple is the 85 feet tall statue of Shiva. The prayer hall of the temple is located to the right of this colossal statue. It is said that those who offer prayers to Shiva at this holy temple, will be rid of all sorts of negativity from their lives.
With that hope and on that note, we made our way back to the hotel. Ending this jaunt to temples was a lavish buffet at Maakhan that included a host of international and Indian preparations. No surprises for guessing that conversations at the dinner table revolved around the myths, history of temples, fascinating historic events and their plausibility in real life.
