D for Dwaraka’s Description - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste,

Dwaraka (gateway to heaven) is a city Krishna andthe Vrishni clan built as their safe haven when Jarasandha continued to attackMathura. It is said to be built by Vishwakarman, the celestial architect.Dwaraka is an island kingdom (or a coastal region), with close association withthe (now Arabian) sea. 

In Sabha Parva, we get a detailed description ofDwaraka during the Rajasuya yagna. Bhishma shared the story of Krishna’sgreatness and why he was the right person to receive the honor of theyagna. 

According to the descriptions – 

The city was surrounded by exquisite gardens andtrees on all sides. Fruits and sweet-smelling flowers were found in abundance.The buildings shone like the sun and moon and were sky-high, resembling theMeru Mountains. Moats surrounded the place, filled with lotus blooms andgliding swans. The gardens in Dwaraka were much like the celestial gardens andhad a variety of plants. Just about every tree and herb grew in the city’sgardens. 

The Raivataka Hill was on the east, while theLatavesta Hill (also known as the Rainbow Hill) was on the south. Sukaksa Hillwas on the west side, and Venumanta Hill was on the north. Krishna hadpersonally planted Vaijayanthi flags on these hills. 

The western part of Dwaraka had a lake called Puskarini,which was measured as spread over a hundred bow lengths. Indradyumna is anotherlarge lake in the city. There were fifty gates to enter the city, with allentrances fortified with gigantic machinery and weapons to prevent invadersfrom entering. Eight thousand chariots lay waiting outside the citygates. 

The central area was eight yojanas wide and twelveyojanas long (one yojana is appx. eight kilometers). The adjoiningregions were double in size. The city had eight main roads and sixteen large crossroads.By-lanes extended into the interior regions from seven main roads. 

Sweet music could heard anywhere in the city. Thehouses had large porches with gold-washed rooftops and whitewashed walls. Thewindows, domes, and grillwork were studded with gemstones. The houses were madeof different materials to suit people’s tastes. Some were of gold, some ofbrick, and some of marble, with Jambu-gold (gold from River Jambu) and bluestone doors. All houses in Dwaraka had bells. 

Krishna’s palaces (all together) were four yojanassquare and had so many rooms that it was impossible to not get confused.Krishna’s personal palace was one yojana square, built to suit Rukmini’s taste.Satyabhama’s palace was white and had gem-studded staircases designed for coolingeffect. Between Rukmini and Satyabhama’s palaces was Jambhavti’s palace,reflecting her preferences. Similarly, the other five queens also had their ownpalaces. 

Then there was Viraja, Krishna’s favorite resting place with perfectsymmetry. 

All this is only a part of the description. Justimagine how magnificent Dwaraka was. A fitting abode for Krishna! 

However, everything good has to come to an end. In Mausala Parva, we read about the destruction of Dwaraka and the end of Krishnavatar. 

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