Enchanting Dwarkadhish temple, Dwaraka

 Dwarkadhish temple, Dwaraka, Gujarat. www.ecstaticindiatours.com

Situated on the banks of river Gomti, the town of Dwarka  in Gujarat is interwowen with the Hindu culture and mythology  and its history  dates back to several centuries, In the  great  epic Mahabharata, it is referred to as  the Dwaraka Kingdom and the  capital of Lord Krishna.

Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir is dedicated to  god Krishna, who  is worshipped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. The main impressive  shrine is made of 5-stories  supported by 72  strong ornate pillars. Also referred to as "Nija Mandir," archaeological findings suggest  that this temple of great antiquity  is  roughly 2,200 - 2,000 years old.  This temple saw additional constructions in the  15th- 16th centuries and  is made of mainly limestones rocks. There are two entrances  to the shrine - "Moksha Dwara" in the north and  "Swarga Dwara" in the south. The temple flag has both the Sun and the moon symbol and the temple tradition here has been that the flag is  changed  5  times  a  day. The beautiful  Dwarkadhish Temple  which is 78. 3 meter tall is a Pushtimarg temple, hence it follows the guidelines and rituals proposed by Shree Vallabhacharya and Shree Vitheleshnathji. The important feature about this temple is the style and  designs  of   various  intricate, artistic  sculptures, characteristic of successive dynasties that ruled this area centuries ago.

Dwarkadhish Temple. /en.wikipedia.org/

Dwarkadhish Temple - Lord Krishna Shringar Darshan - Dwarka - Jamnagar -Gujarat  www.youtube.com

This  temple  was  visited by the great Hindu Philosopher Adi Shankaracharya of Kaladi (Kerala), who expounded "Dwaidha" Philosophy in the 8th century  and after his visit,  this temple  became part of the Char Dham pilgrimage considered sacred by Hindus in India.  The other three being comprising Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu, Badrinath of himachal Pradesh   and  Puri of Odisha. There is a memorial here in this temple about Adi Shnakarar's visit to this holy shrine. The original temple is  believed to have been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, over the Hari-griha -  Lord Krishna's residential place.   Dwarakadhish is one of the 108th

Stairs leading up to the Main Entrance, of Dwarakadheesh temple, Dwarka  en.wikipedia.org/wiki

Divya Desam shrines of Lord Vishnu  glorified in the Divya Prabandham,  sacred texts of Vaishnavites,
 
Dwaraka is a well-known busy pilgrimage center on the west coast of India and thousands of people visit this holy shrine every day which is closely associated with Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarkadhish_Temple