Kingdom of the Mahabharata
Dwaraka
द्वारका
Kingdom of Krishna and Yadavas
Dwaraka: Kingdom of Krishna and Yadavas, located at coordinates 22.23°N, 68.97°E.
Key Facts
| Type | Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit name | द्वारका |
| Coordinates | 22.23°N, 68.97°E |
| Significance | Kingdom of Krishna and Yadavas |
About Dwaraka
The legendary city of Krishna, built on the coast of Gujarat. A city of gold that was later submerged in the sea.
Why it matters: Kingdom of Krishna and Yadavas
Rulers and Custodians
- Vasudeva
- Krishna
- Balarama
Details
- Builder
- Vishwakarma, built on land reclaimed from the sea
- Fate
- Submerged in the sea after Krishna's departure
- Notable
- Krishna's Sudarshana Chakra protected this city
On the Map
Dwaraka sits at 22.23°N, 68.97°E.
View on the full mapEvents at Dwaraka
- Sudama Visits KrishnaYear -35Sudama, Krishna's poor childhood friend, visits Dwaraka with only a handful of beaten rice as a gift.
- Arjuna Elopes with SubhadraYear -29Arjuna falls in love with Subhadra, Krishna's sister. With Krishna's approval, he abducts her according to ancient warrior tradition.
- Krishna and the Flying City - The Fall of SaubhaYear -20To avenge Shishupala, King Shalva attacks Dwaraka with Saubha, a flying iron city granted by Shiva, while Krishna is away at the Rajasuya. Young Pradyumna holds the walls; Krishna returns, chases the city across the sea, survives its cruelest illusion - his own father's staged beheading - and cuts Saubha in half with the discus.
- Krishna's DepartureYear 23Krishna's Yadava clan destroys itself in a civil war. Krishna is accidentally killed by a hunter. Dwaraka sinks into the sea.
- The Jewel of the SunYear 23When a brilliant sun-jewel goes missing, the greedy Satrajit accuses Krishna of murder and theft. To clear his name, Krishna patiently traces the truth into the forest - a lion, a bear-king's cave - and battles the immortal Jambavan for days, until the bear recognizes the Lord he served as Rama in a former age. Krishna returns with the jewel and his name cleared, proving the patient truth the answer to every lie.
- The Sea Takes DwarakaYear 36After Krishna's departure and the Yadava self-slaughter, Arjuna evacuates the women and elders of Dwaraka - and as the last of them leave, the ocean closes over the golden city.
- The God of Love RebornYear 47The god of love, burned to ashes by Shiva, is reborn as Pradyumna, son of Krishna and Rukmini. The demon Shambara, fated to be slain by the child, steals the newborn and casts him into the sea - but a fish swallows him and carries him into the demon's own household, where Mayavati (his destined wife, Rati, in disguise) raises him. Grown, he slays Shambara and returns to Dwaraka in joy.
- The King Who Became a LizardYear 53King Nriga, famous for giving cattle beyond counting, gives away by oversight a single cow that was not his; for that one injustice with another's property he is cursed to live ages as a lizard, until the touch of Krishna frees him - a warning to all who hold power over others' wealth.
- The Bride From Another AgeYear 73Princess Revati waits with her father in the Creator's timeless hall while ages pass on earth; her whole world long gone, she is given to Balarama of a later age. Too tall, being of an older and greater race, she is brought to his stature by the touch of his plough - a tale of the vastness of time.
Stories Set at Dwaraka
The Theft of Rukmini
How Krishna Won His Queen at the Edge of a Wedding
The Imperial Sacrifice
Indraprastha, Jarasandha, and the Rajasuya Yagna
The Great Departure
Krishna's Death, the End of the Yadavas, and the Pandavas' Climb to Heaven
The Iron Maces
Book 16 - The Curse That Destroyed Krishna's People
Arjuna's Wandering Years
Three Wives in Three Kingdoms
The Friend Who Brought Rice
Sudama and the Grace of Krishna
The Jewel of the Sun
Krishna, the Syamantaka, and Jambavan
The Slaying of Naraka
Krishna, Satyabhama, and the Festival of Lights
The Thousand-Armed King
Usha, Aniruddha, and the War of Banasura
The God of Love Reborn
Pradyumna, Shambara, and the Return to Dwaraka
The King Who Became a Lizard
Nriga's long penance for one careless wrong
The Bride From Another Age
A princess of a former yuga wed across the ages
Krishna and the Flying City
The Fall of Saubha
The Flight to Dwaraka
The City Built in the Sea
The False Vasudeva
Paundraka, the King Who Dressed as God
The Parijata Tree
Satyabhama and the Flower of Heaven
Uttanka's Clouds
The Sage Who Nearly Cursed God
Samba and the Dragged City
Balarama's Plough at the Walls of Hastinapura
The Ape at the Gates
Balarama and Dvivida
The Actor Spies of Dwaraka
Pradyumna and Prabhavati
The Second Theft of the Syamantaka
Shatadhanva's Ride
The Eight Queens of Dwaraka
The Marriages of Krishna
The Demon of a Thousand Illusions
The Fall of Nikumbha
The Hunter Called Old Age
Who Jara Was
The City of Doors
Dwaraka Described
Kritavarma's Road
Small compromises on the way to atrocity
Satyaki of the Vrishnis
Loyalty that outran judgment
Subhadra of Dwaraka
Sister, wife, and guardian of the line
The Teacher of Maces
Balarama between his two pupils
Devaki and the Six Who Came Before
A mother's arms filled for one evening
The Moon's Son
The sixteen-year loan of Abhimanyu
When the Gandiva Failed
Arjuna's last, lost escort
The Chariot at Raivataka
An abduction the bride's own brother advised
The Children Sent Away
What exile costs in other people's growing up
The Race for Allies
How eighteen armies were bought before a shot was fired
Prabhasa, Where the Sea Meets the End
The shore tirtha of the Yadavas
Durvasa Tests Krishna
The wrathful sage who found no anger to curse in all of Dwaraka
The News Krishna Held Back
A grandfather is spared until his daughter refuses it
The Horse Goes South
Ekalavya's son, and the day Dwaraka grabbed the bridle
The Sacrifice of Profuse Gold
Yudhishthira gives away the earth and is given it back
The Banners and the Bows
Sanjaya names every standard on the field
The Omens of Dwaraka
A City Watches Its Own Death Approach
Balarama Returns to the Sea
The Serpent Leaves by the Mouth It Came From
The Death of Vasudeva
Krishna's Father Outlives Everyone
The Weapon He Could Not Lift
Ashvatthama's bargain on the Dwaraka shore
The Verdict at the Fallen King
Balarama's plough, Duryodhana's indictment, and the flowers that fell from the sky
The Weapon Not Made of Steel
Krishna tells Narada what his own kinsmen do to him
The Choice at Dwaraka
Ten crore soldiers on one side of the bed, one unarmed man on the other
The Promise Made in the Kamyaka Woods
The allies arrive, and Draupadi asks Krishna what her friendship is worth
The Council at Prabhasa
The Yadavas find the exiles on the shore and argue about ending the exile by force
Arjuna Empties Dwaraka
One bowman escorts a dead city inland, and the sea walks behind him
The Weighing of the Bharata
The gods put the epic in a balance against the four Vedas, and Sauti recites the eighteen books
Kunti's Blessing
A mother-in-law names seven wives, a throne nobody owns yet, and a son not yet born
Krishna Takes Leave of Indraprastha
The farewell on the road to Dwaraka, and the promise to return
Narada as Krishna Praised Him
Ugrasena asks why everyone speaks well of one sage, and Krishna answers him item by item
How Vishnu Got the Discus
Upamanyu tells Krishna where Sudarsana came from, and Krishna climbs Himavat to ask Mahadeva for a son
Gifts Under the Lunar Mansions
Narada tells Devaki what to give under each star, and the gods ask Brahman for ground to stand on
The Child Who Stopped Indra's Arm
A boy on Uma's lap holds the thunderbolt in the air
Arjuna's Hymn at Parting
On the road to Hastinapur, Arjuna praises Krishna and gives him leave to go home
Uddhava Takes His Leave
The one Yadava who left Prabhasa before the grass turned to iron