Ancient site · Other
Submerged structures off Dwarka
Also known as Dvaraka, Dwaraka
Divers of India's National Institute of Oceanography explored the sea off Dwarka and Bet Dwarka in Gujarat from 1983. They found stone blocks, walls and many stone anchors.
The excavator S. R. Rao argued that they belonged to a city of about 1500 BCE and identified it with Dvaraka, Krishna's capital in the Mahabharata, which the epic says was swallowed by the sea. Later surveys compared the anchors to types used from ancient to late medieval times and dated the structures to the historical period. Dwarka is a sacred pilgrimage town.
- Dates
- disputed: c. 1500 BCE (S. R. Rao) or historical to medieval times
- Still standing
- No, or only traces
- Location
- 22.24° N, 68.95° E
How we know
Real stone walls and anchors lie on the sea floor, but their age is disputed and nothing proves they are Krishna's city of the epics.
Nearby sites
- Junagadh rock inscriptions (Girnar) Ashoka c. 250 BCE; Rudradaman c. 150 CE; Skandagupta c. 456 CE
- Dholavira c. 3000–1500 BCE (phases debated)
- Lothal c. 2300–1900 BCE
- Kot Diji c. 3300–2100 BCE
- Mohenjo-daro c. 2500–1700 BCE
- Karla Caves 2nd century BCE–5th century CE