Dwarkadhish Temple

Dwarkadhish Temple at the mouth of the Gomti River and the Arabian Sea

Dwarkadhish temple with side temples

Cult image in Dwarkadhish Temple

The Dwarkadhish Temple ( Hindi द्वारिकाधीश मंदिर = "King of Dwarka") is a Hindu temple in the city of Dwarka in the Indian state of Gujarat . It is dedicated to the god Krishna and is one of the most important temples on the subcontinent , both religiously and architecturally . It is one of the four temples of Char Dham and is only accessible to Hindus .

location

The Dwarkadhish Temple is only about 200 m from the mouth of the Gomti River in the Arabian Sea on the western tip of the Kathiawar / Saurashtra peninsula in the state of Gujarat.

history

The history of the temple can be said to date back to the 5th or 4th century BC. Trace back to BC; however, it was repeatedly changed and enlarged. In 1162 the Mewar ruler Rana Bhimsinhaji donated an area on the bank of the Gomti River; construction of a new temple probably began shortly thereafter, but it was destroyed in 1241 by the advancing Islamic invaders. At the beginning of the 16th century, the cult image of the temple was brought to safety. The construction of the new temple began around the middle of the 16th century. However, in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries it underwent further renovations, the extent of which is not known.

architecture

Basically follows the structure of the Dwarkadhish temple which the classical North Indian temple - a vestibule ( Mandapa ) the faithful reach the m by a conical 78 tall tower structure ( shikhara ) excessive light loose Cella ( garbhagriha ) , in that of Brahmins -Priestern the actual sacrifices and cult acts are performed. The special thing about Dwarkadhish Temple is its extremely imposing four-story vestibule, in which the believers can gather before or after the ceremonies.

literature

Sunita Pant Bansal: Hindu Pilgrimage. Pustak Mahal 2008. ISBN 978-81-223-0997-3 .
Anjali H. Desai: India Guide Gujarat. India Guide Publications 2007. ISBN 978-0-9789517-0-2 .
Thomasa Paramāra: Temples of Gujarat Built During the Mughal Period. 1996