Shree Dwarkadhish Temple (Jagat Mandir), Dwarka, Gujarat
जय द्वारकाधीश - Jay Dwarkadhish
The story of why Lord Krishna came to Dwarka, the Char Dham and Sapta Puri significance, the temple's history and the submerged golden city under the sea.
Dwarka is where Lord Krishna chose to build his kingdom. Not Mathura where he was born, not Vrindavan where he spent his childhood - but this western tip of the Saurashtra coast in Gujarat, where the sea meets the sacred Gomti river. He called it Dwarka - the city of many doors, the gateway to liberation. He brought his entire clan here and the divine architect Vishwakarma built a golden city on land given by the sea. Krishna ruled here as king. After Krishna left this earth, the sea took the city back. Today the Dwarkadhish Temple stands at this sacred spot.
Dwarka holds a distinction no other pilgrimage site in India holds: it is on BOTH the Char Dham list (the four sacred corners of India) AND the Sapta Puri list (the seven holiest cities of Hinduism).
Quick facts: Temple open 6:30 AM to 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM daily. General darshan is free - no ticket needed. Mangla Aarti 6:30 AM, Sandhya Aarti 7:30 PM, Shayan Aarti 8:30 PM. No photography inside. Mobile phones are generally not allowed inside - use the deposit counters. Official website: dwarkadhish.org. Phone: 02892-234080. Nearest railway station: Dwarka (DWK), about 2 km.
At a Glance
श्री द्वारकाधीश मंदिर (जगत मंदिर), द्वारका, गुजरात
Everything you need before planning your Dwarka yatra
| Temple | Shree Dwarkadhish Temple, also called Jagat Mandir ("Temple of the Lord of the Universe") |
| Deity | Lord Dwarkadhish - Lord Krishna as the King (Adhish) of Dwarka. Black stone idol with four arms. |
| Location | Dwarka, Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat - PIN 361 335 |
| Significance | One of the 4 Char Dhams AND one of the 7 Sapta Puri. The only pilgrimage city in India with both distinctions. |
| Managed by | Dwarkadhish Temple Devasthan Samiti (temple administration) |
| Temple timings | Morning: 6:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Evening: 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM. Closed 1:00-5:00 PM (Anosar). |
| Mangla Aarti | 6:30 AM - most auspicious, waking of the Lord |
| Shringar Aarti | 10:30 AM - decoration aarti |
| Sandhya Aarti | 7:30 PM - evening lamp aarti, most attended |
| Shayan Aarti | 8:30 PM - night aarti, Lord put to sleep |
| Darshan | General darshan is free for all. No ticket needed. |
| Flag | A new triangular flag (Dhwaja) with the sun and moon is hoisted on the spire several times every day. Devotees can sponsor a Dhwaja - contact the temple well in advance. |
| Architecture | 5-storey, 78 metres (256 feet) tall spire. Limestone and sandstone. Two gates: Moksha Dwar (north) and Swarg Dwar (south). |
| Janmashtami | The biggest festival here. Janmashtami 2026 was on 4 September 2026. Janmashtami 2027 is expected around 24-25 August 2027 (confirm with the panchang). |
| Official website | dwarkadhish.org |
| Phone | +91 2892 234080 |
Dwarka - The Only City on Both Char Dham and Sapta Puri
चार धाम और सप्त पुरी - दोनों में द्वारका
A distinction unique in Hindu pilgrimage tradition
The Char Dham are four sacred temples at the four corners of India, linked with Adi Shankaracharya. Dwarka is the western Dham. Dwarka is also one of the Sapta Puri - the seven holy cities that give moksha, as listed in the Garuda Purana. No other city is on both lists.
The Char Dham - Four Sacred Corners of India:
Uttarakhand. Lord Vishnu (Badri Narayan). In the Himalayas.
Gujarat. Lord Krishna as King of Dwarka. On the Arabian Sea coast.
Odisha. Lord Jagannath (Krishna). On the Bay of Bengal.
Tamil Nadu. Lord Shiva (Ramanathaswamy). On the sea coast.
The Sapta Puri - Seven Holiest Cities of Hinduism: Ayodhya (birth of Lord Rama), Mathura (birth of Lord Krishna), Haridwar (where Ganga comes to the plains), Kashi/Varanasi (city of Shiva), Kanchipuram, Avantika/Ujjain (city of Mahakaleshwar), and Dwarka (Krishna's kingdom).
पुरी द्वारावती चैव सप्तैता मोक्षदायिकाः॥ Ayodhya Mathura Maya Kashi Kanchi Avantika. Puri Dwaravati chaiva saptaita mokshadayikah. Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika (Ujjain) and the city of Dwaravati (Dwarka) - these seven cities grant moksha. Source: Garuda Purana.
Why Did Lord Krishna Come to Dwarka?
श्री कृष्ण द्वारका क्यों आए?
The story of 17 battles, the decision to leave Mathura, and the golden city built by Vishwakarma
After Lord Krishna killed the tyrant Kamsa in Mathura, Kamsa's father-in-law Jarasandha, the powerful king of Magadha, wanted revenge. He attacked Mathura again and again - seventeen times. Each time Krishna and Balarama defeated his army, but every war brought suffering to the people of Mathura.
When Jarasandha prepared to attack for the eighteenth time, a second enemy, Kalayavana, also marched on Mathura. Krishna chose to protect his people instead of fighting the same war again. He led the Yadavas far away to the western sea coast and built a new city there. This story is told in the Bhagavata Purana (10th Skandha).
Because he left the battlefield, Krishna got the name "Ranchhod" (Ran = battlefield, Chhod = to leave). For devotees it is a name of love - it shows that Krishna cared more for his people than for his own glory. In Gujarat, Krishna is lovingly called Ranchhodrai, and the famous Ranchhodraiji temple at Dakor carries this name.
Krishna asked Lord Vishwakarma - the divine architect of the gods - to build a new city at the western tip of the Saurashtra coast, where the Gomti river meets the Arabian Sea. Tradition says the sea god Varuna gave 12 yojanas of land from the ocean, and on it Vishwakarma built the golden city of Dwarka.
The Bhagavata Purana describes the city as very beautiful - wide roads, palaces, gardens and temples. The Yadavas moved here from Mathura and Krishna became Dwarkadhish, the Lord of Dwarka. Here he married Rukmini, his chief queen, and from here he guided the Pandavas in the Mahabharata age.
The Mausala Parva of the Mahabharata tells the sad end of Dwarka. Due to a curse, the Yadavas fought among themselves at Prabhas (near Somnath) and the clan was destroyed. Soon after, Krishna was sitting under a tree when a hunter named Jara mistook his foot for a deer and shot an arrow. Krishna accepted this and left his earthly body.
Arjuna came to Dwarka to take the women, children and elders to Hastinapura. As they left, the sea rose and covered the city of Dwarka.
The archaeology of Submerged Dwarka: From the 1980s, marine archaeologists of the National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR), led by Dr S.R. Rao, carried out underwater explorations off the Dwarka coast. They reported stone structures, stone anchors and pottery under the sea. The official dwarkadhish.org website has a "Submerged Dwarka" page on these findings. The age of these remains is still debated by scholars.
The Dwarkadhish Temple - Jagat Mandir
जगत मंदिर
History of the temple, the idol, the architecture and the Shankaracharya Peetha
The Dwarkadhish Temple is also called Jagat Mandir - "the temple of the Lord of the Universe." The temple stands at the point where the Gomti river meets the Arabian Sea, on the western tip of the Saurashtra peninsula.
Who built the first temple: Tradition says Krishna's great-grandson Vajranabh built the first temple here, over the residence (Hari Griha) of Lord Krishna.
Destruction and rebuilding: The temple was destroyed by Sultan Mahmud Begada in 1473 and rebuilt later. The present structure dates to the 16th century. Adi Shankaracharya visited Dwarka and established the Dwarka Sharada Peetha here - one of his four main mathas, for the western direction.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Spire height | 78 metres (256 feet) |
| Storeys | 5 storeys |
| Material | Limestone and sandstone. Maru-Gurjara style. Supported by 72 carved pillars. |
| Main idol | Lord Dwarkadhish - black stone idol with four arms (conch, chakra, mace and lotus). Photography not permitted. |
| Moksha Dwar | Gate of Liberation - the north gate, facing the main market. |
| Swarg Dwar | Gate of Heaven - the south gate. 56 steps lead down from here to the Gomti Ghat. |
| The Flag (Dhwaja) | A large triangular flag with the sun and moon - devotees believe Krishna will remain as long as the sun and moon exist. A new flag is hoisted several times a day. Sponsorship is booked in advance through the temple. |
| Shankaracharya Peetha | Dwarka Sharada Peetha - the western matha established by Adi Shankaracharya. |
Shree Dwarkadhish Temple Dwarka - Complete Guide
- Page 1 (this page): Story of Lord Krishna, Char Dham and Sapta Puri, Temple History, Submerged Dwarka
- Page 2: Complete Timetable (from dwarkadhish.org), Aartis, Darshan Rules, Live Darshan
- Page 3: Five Sacred Places - Gomti Ghat, Rukmini Temple, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Bet Dwarka
- Page 4: How to Reach, Janmashtami, Hotels, Gujarat Pilgrimage Circuit, FAQ
- Page 5: Fact Check - True or False, Myths, Submerged Dwarka Archaeology
More from Dekho Dham:
Sources and References
Facts checked against these sources in October 2026:
- Dwarkadhish Temple Official Website (dwarkadhish.org)
- dwarkadhish.org - Submerged Dwarka
- Wikipedia - Dwarkadhish Temple
- Wikipedia - Dwarka
- Wikipedia - Sapta Puri
- Bhagavata Purana, 10th Skandha (Krishna's time in Dwarka)
- Mahabharata, Mausala Parva (the sinking of Dwarka)
Temple timings may change on festival days. Always verify at dwarkadhish.org/jagad-mandir/time-table/ before travelling.
जय द्वारकाधीश. Jay Dwarkadhish. Jai Shri Krishna.