Dwarka (pop. 38,873) is a town and a port on the western edge of the Kathiawar peninsula, which is also known as Saurashtra, in the southwest of the Indian state of Gujarat. Dwarka is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites and one of the four places where the Hindu philosopher Shankaracharya founded monasteries in the A.D. 700’s (see Shankaracharya). Dwarka’s main industry today is the pilgrimage trade.
Dwarka’s holiness derives from its place in the legend of the god Krishna. According to the legend, after Krishna fled Mathura, he set up his capital at Dwarka. Dwarka has been a pilgrimage site for centuries, but the town’s original temples were destroyed by Muslim invaders in 1372. The town’s main temple is the Dwarkadish temple, which dates from the 1500’s and has a tower 165 feet (50 meters) high. The Rukmini temple, which stands near Dwarka, dates from the 1100’s. The island of Bet Dwarka, located off the coast near Dwarka, is said to be the place where Krishna died. Every year, in August or September, Dwarka celebrates the festival of Janmashtami, which commemorates the birth of Krishna.
