Dwaraka Kshetra - Moksha Puri, Char Dham, Kingdom of Sri Krishna and Nageshwara Jyotirlinga

Dwaraka Kshetra - Moksha Puri, Char Dham, Kingdom of Sri Krishna and Nageshwara Jyotirlinga:

► Dwarka (Moksha Puri) (Divya Desam) (Jyotirlinga) (All India Char Dham)
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

☁ Sea Shore (Dwaraka Kshetra)
▬ River Gomati flows
◉ Gomati - Sagara Sangam (Confluence)
☸ Daruka Vana (Puranic)
(Gujarat Coastal Plain)
(Srimad Bhagavatam)
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya)
(Shiva Purana)

• Krishna: Sri Krishna established his kingdom in Dwarka after leaving Mathura. Sri Krishna stayed in Dwarka for a long time (till his final departure) and performed various Leelas while staying in Dwarka:
- Abducting Devi Rukmini and marrying her
- Retrieving the Syamantaka jewel from Jambavan and marrying Devi Jambavati
- Marrying Devi Sathyabhama, the daughter of Satrajit.
- Marrying Devi Kalindi, the daughter of the Sun-god.
- Marrying Satya, the daughter of king Nagnajit of Ayodhya after subduing seven ferocious bulls.
- Marrying Lakshmana after abducting her from the Svayamvara ceremony.
- Marrying Bhadra, the sister of Santardana.
- Killing demon Mura and his seven sons.
- Killing demon Narakasura and destroying his entire army.
- Taking the Parijata tree to Dwaraka after defeating Indra.
- Marrying the sixteen thousand and one hundred women who were held captive by Narakasura.
- Destroying the pride of Banasura.
- Delivering king Nrga from the form of a lizard.
- Killing Paundraka (the false Vasudeva), Kasiraja and Sudakshina.
- Killing Sishupala during the Rajasuya yagna of king Yudhishthira and liberating him.
- Killing Salva who laid seige in Dwaraka.
- Killing Dantavakra and Viduratha.
- Receiving Sudama, accepting his flattened rice and turning his humble house into palace.
- Curse of sage Durvasa on Devi Rukmini and later boon of sage Durvasa to the devotees of Sri Krishna.
- Meeting the Gopis in Dwarka.
- Dwarkadheesh Temple (Main Temple)
- Nrga Kund (Delivering king Nrga)
- Bet Dwarka Temple (Meeting Sudama)
- Gopi Talav (Meeting Gopis)

• Devi Rukmini: Sage Durvasa cursed Devi Rukmini in Dwarka and separated her from Sri Krishna. Due to this, Devi Rukmini Temple is few km away from the main Dwarkadheesh Temple.
- Devi Rukmini Temple

• Shiva: Lord Shiva protected merchant devotee Supriya from the atrocities of demon Daruka and abided as Nageshwara Jyotirlinga.
- Kumaras created a Shiva Linga and worshipped Lord Shiva.
- Nageshwara Jyotirlinga
- Siddheshwara Mahadev (Kumaras worshipping)

• Sages: Sages associated with Dwarka:

○ Durvasa: Sage Durvasa cursed Devi Rukmini in Dwarka and later gave boons to the devotees of Sri Krishna and abided in Dwarka.
- Dwarkadheesh Temple - Durvasa shrine

○ Vasishtha: Sage Vasishtha brought river Gomati to Dwarka.
- Gomti Temple
- Gomti Ghat

○ The Gods brought five rivers in Dwarka which were purified by five sages. The collection of all the Teerthas became the Panchanada Teertha. The five rivers and the associated sages are:
1. River Gomati purified by sage Maricha
2. River Lakshmana (purified by sage Atri)
3. River Chandrabhaga purified by sage Angirasa
4. River Kushavati purified by sage Pulaha
5. River Jambavati purified by sage Kritra
- Panchanada Tirtha

• Saints: Saints associated with Dwarka:

○ Adi Shankaracharya (788 - 820 CE?): Sri Adi Shankaracharya (788 - 820 CE?) had set up one of his four monasteries in Dwarka. The monastery is known as Dwarka Sharada Peetha.
- Dwarka Sharada Peeth

○ Meerabai (1497 - 1557 CE): Sri Meerabai (1497 - 1557 CE) is said to have spent the last part of her life in Dwarka and finally merged with Lord Dwarkadheesh.

अयोध्या मथुरा माया काशी काञ्ची अवन्तिका ।
पुरी द्वारावती चैव सप्तैते मोक्षदायकाः ॥
- Sapta Mokshapuri Sloka (Dwaraka is a Moksha Puri)

कृष्ण गोविन्द हे राम नारायण श्रीपते वासुदेवाजित श्रीनिधे ।
अच्युतानन्त हे माधवाधोक्षज द्वारकानायक द्रौपदीरक्षक ॥
- Achyutashtakam - verse 4 (Sri Krishna had his kingdom in Dwaraka)

परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमाशंकरम् ।
सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने ॥
- Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Stotra - verse 2 (Dwarka has the Nageshwara Jyotirlinga)


(Srimad Bhagavatam)
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya)

▬ Sri Krishna abducting Devi Rukmini, the daughter of Bhishmaka.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 53)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying Devi Rukmini.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 54)
▬ Sri Krishna retrieving the Syamantaka jewel from Jambavan.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 56)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying Jambavati, the daughter of Jambavan.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 56)
▬ Sri Krishna returning the Syamantaka jewel to Satrajit.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 56)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying Satyabhama, the daughter of Satrajit.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 56)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying Kalindi, the daughter of the Sun-god.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 58)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying Satya, the daughter of king Nagnajit of Ayodhya after subduing seven ferocious bulls.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 58)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying Lakshmana after abducting her from the Svayamvara ceremony.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 58)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying Bhadra, the sister of Santardana.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 58)
▬ Sri Krishna killing demon Mura and his seven sons.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 59)
▬ Sri Krishna killing demon Narakasura and destroying his entire army.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 59)
▬ Sri Krishna taking the Parijata tree to Dwaraka after defeating Indra.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 59)
▬ Sri Krishna marrying the sixteen thousand and one hundred women who were held captive by Narakasura.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 59)
▬ Sri Krishna destroying the pride of Banasura.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 63)
▬ Sri Krishna delivering king Nrga from the form of a lizard.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 64)
▬ Sri Krishna killing Paundraka (the false Vasudeva), Kasiraja and Sudakshina.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 66)
▬ Sri Krishna killing Sishupala during the Rajasuya yagna of king Yudhishthira and liberating him.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 74)
▬ Sri Krishna killing Salva who laid seige in Dwaraka.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 77)
▬ Sri Krishna killing Dantavakra and Viduratha.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 78)
▬ Sri Krishna receiving Sudama, accepting his flattened rice and turning his humble house into palace.
(Srimad Bhagavatam - Skanda 10 - 80 to 81)
▬ Curse of sage Durvasa
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 2 to 3)
▬ Boon of sage Durvasa
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 4)
▬ Sri Krishna delivering king Nriga
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 10)
▬ Sri Krishna meeting Gopis in Dwaraka
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 12 to 13)
▬ Penance of Kumaras and emergence of river Gomati
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 5)
▬ Gomati - Sagara Sangama
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 8)
▬ Panchanada Teertha
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 14)
▬ Siddheshwara and Rishi Teertha
(Skanda Purana - Dwaraka Mahatmya - 15)
▬ Nageshwara Jyotirlinga - Lord Shiva protecting devotee Supriya from the atrocities of demon Daruka
(Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita - 29 to 30)

► Dwarka - Dwarkadheesh Temple
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Dwarkadheesh Temple is the main temple of Sri Krishna in Dwarka. This is also known as Jagat Mandir. This is identified with the place of the palace of Sri Krishna in Dwarka.

► Dwarka - Bet (Beyt) Dwarka Temple
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Bet (Beyt) Dwarka Temple near Okha which is around 30 km from Dwarka is also identified with the place of the palace of Sri Krishna in Dwarka.

► Dwarka - Devi Rukmini Temple
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Devi Rukmini Temple is around 2 km away from the Dwarkadheesh Temple. Due to the curse of sage Durvasa the temples of Sri Krishna and Devi Rukmini are separate in Dwarka.

► Dwarka - Dwarkadheesh Temple (Shrine of sage Durvasa)
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

The shrine of sage Durvasa is within the Dwarkadheesh Temple.

► Dwarka - Nriga Kund or Krikalasa Kund
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Nriga Kund or Krikalasa Kund is identified with the place where Sri Krishna delivered king Nriga.

► Dwarka - Gopi Talav
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Gopi Talav is identified with the Lake which Sri Krishna created for the Gopis. Gopi Chandana is available in this place. Gopi Talav is around 20 km from Dwarka on the way to Bet Dwarka.

► Dwarka - Brahma Kund
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

The Brahma Kund is present in Dwarka which is quite close to the main temple.

► Dwarka - Panchanada Teertha (Pandava Wells)
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Dwarka does not visibly have five rivers. But there are five wells associated with five Pandava brothers, whose waters were invoked from five different rivers by five sages. The waters of these wells were sanctified by these sages. The taste of water of the five wells are different from each other and despite being situated near the sea, the water is relatively sweet.

The five wells are:
1. Gomati Teertha (Marichi Rishi) - Bhima Kunda
2. Jambavati Teertha (Angira Rishi) - Yudhishthira Kunda
3. Kushavati Teertha (Atri Rishi) - Arjuna Kunda
4. Chandrabhaga Teertha (Pulaha Rishi) - Nakula Kunda
5. Lakshmana Teertha (Kratu Rishi) - Sahadeva Kunda

► Dwarka - Gomti Ghat
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

River Gomti flows through Dwarka and merges with the Arabian Sea. There is a series of ghats built on the bank of river Gomti for the pilgrims.

► Dwarka - Gomti Temple (with image of sage Vasishtha)
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Gomti Temple is situated on one end of Gomti Ghat. There is an image of sage Vasishtha in that temple who led river Gomti to Dwarka.

► Dwarka - Gomti - Sagar Sangam
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Gomati - Sagar Sangam is a very holy place in Dwarka where river Gomti merges with the Sea. The Samudra Narayan Temple is located there.

► Dwarka - Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

The Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple is located in Dwarka quite close to the Dwarkadheesh Temple. This is a very ancient temple. There is a huge old banyan tree within the temple premises.

► Dwarka - Nageshwar Temple
(Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat)

Dwarka Nageshwar Temple is identified with the Nageshwara Jyotirlinga mentioned in the Shiva Purana. The temple is around 20 km from the Dwarka city.