Bet Dwarka (also spelled Beyt Dwarka) or Shankhodhar is an inhabited island at the mouth of the

Gulf of Kutch The Gulf of Kutch is located between the peninsula regions of Kutch and Saurashtra, bounded in the state of Gujarat that borders Pakistan. It opens towards the Arabian Sea facing the Osman Gulf. It is about 50 km wide at the entrance bef ...

, situated off the coast of the town of Okha,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, India, and north of the city of

Dwarka Dwarka () is a city and a municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat in Western India. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at the mouth of the Gulf of Kut ...

. Northeast to southwest, the island measures long and averaging wide. The island's name "Shankhodhar" derives from the fact that the island is a large source of conch shells ( hi, शंख, lit=conch or scallop shell, translit=shankha).

History

Indus Valley Civilization, Late Phase (1900-1300 BCE)

Bet Dwarka is considered to be part of the ancient city of

Dvārakā Dvārakā, also known as ''Dvāravatī'' (Sanskrit द्वारका "the gated ity, possibly meaning having many gates, or alternatively having one or several very grand gates), is a sacred historic city in the sacred literature of H ...

. In Indian epic literature such as the ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

'' and the ''

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumara literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, w ...

'', this city is the abode of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. Gujarati scholar

Umashankar Joshi Umashankar Jethalal Joshi () (21 July 1911 – 19 December 1988) was an Indian poet, scholar and writer known for his contributions to Gujarati literature. He wrote most of his works in Gujarati. Biograpy Early years Umashankar Joshi was ...

suggested that Antardvipa in the ''

Sabha Parva Sabha Parva, also called the "Book of the Assembly Hall", is the second of eighteen books of Mahabharata.van Buitenen, J. A. B. (1978) ''The Mahabharata: Book 2: The Book of the Assembly Hall; Book 3: The Book of the Forest''. Chicago, IL: Univer ...

'' of the ''Mahabharata'' can be identified as Bet Dwarka, as the

Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and ...

s of Dwarka are said to have travelled to it by boat. Undersea archaeological remains suggest the existence of a settlement during the

Late Harappan The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...

period of Indus Valley civilization, or immediately after it. The settlement can be reliably dated to the time of the Maurya Empire, as a part of Okha Mandal or Kushdwip area. Dwarka is mentioned in a copper inscription (dated 574 CE) of Simhaditya, the son of Varahdas (the king of Dwarka) and the minister of the city of

Vallabhi Vallabhi (or Valabhi or Valabhipur, modern Vala; Devanāgarī: वल्लभी) is an ancient city located in the Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat, near Bhavnagar in western India. It is also known as Vallabhipura and was the capital of the S ...

during the

Maitraka dynasty The Maitraka dynasty ruled western India (now Gujarat) from approximately 475 to approximately 776 CE from their capital at Vallabhi. With the sole exception of Dharapaṭṭa (the fifth king in the dynasty), who followed the Mithraic mysteries, ...

During the 18th century, the island, along with Okhamandal region, was controlled by the Gaekwads of Baroda. During the

Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

, the

Vagher Wagher, Vagher or Waghir (Gujarati: ISO 15919: ''Vāghēr or Vāghir'') is a jāti from the Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat in India. Some Waghers are Hindu and others are Muslim. They speak Kutchi as a mother tongue. History Rebell ...

s captured this region. In 1859, through a joint offensive with the British, Gaekwad and other princely state troops ousted the rebels and recaptured the region. After Indian Independence in 1947, the area was integrated into the

Saurashtra State Saurashtra, also known as United State of Kathiawar, was a State of India that existed between 1948 and 1956, on Saurashtra alias Kathiawar peninsula, with Rajkot as its capital, History Formation as United State of Kathiawar Saurashtra ...

. Later, Saurashtra merged with Bombay State under the state reorganization plans. When

was created from the bifurcation of Bombay State, Bet Dwarka was under the jurisdiction of the

Jamnagar district Jamnagar District is a district of Gujarat in Western India. Its headquarters are located in the eponymous city of Jamnagar. It hosts the production facilities of large Indian companies such as Reliance. Among its attractions are several palac ...

of Gujarat. In 2013, it became part of the

Devbhumi Dwarka district Devbhumi Dwarka District is a district of India located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Kutch in the state of Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, mos ...

, created from the Jamnagar district.

Archeology

During investigations undertaken in the 1980s, the remains of earthen pots and other artifacts of the

period were found. In 1982, a -long protection wall dating from 1500 BCE was found, which is believed to have been damaged and submerged following a sea storm. The artifacts recovered include a Late Harappan seal, an inscribed jar and a mold of a coppersmith, and a copper fishhook. The shipwrecks and stone anchors found during excavations suggested historic trade relation with Romans. The temples on the island were built around the end of the 18th century.

Places of worship

Dhwarkadhish Temple and Shri Keshavraiji Temple are major temples of

on the island. Additional pilgrimage places include Hanuman Dandi, Vaishnav Mahaprabhu Bethak, and a

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

. The small temple of Abhaya Mata is situated on the southwest side of the island.

Access

Bet Dwarka can be reached by ferry service from Okha. As of 2016, the

Okha–Beyt Dwarka Signature Bridge The Okha–Beyt Dwarka Signature Bridge is an under construction cable-stayed sea bridge in India, connecting the Beyt Dwarka island in the Gulf of Kutch and Okha. The total length of the bridge is . History Approval for the construction of t ...

—the first sea bridge in Gujarat—is under construction between Okha and Bet Dwarka. The long bridge is estimated to cost 400 crore. The island is made of sandstone and is surrounded by several sand beaches. On the eastern side is a thin peninsula known as Dunny Point. Bet Dwarka is the first place in Gujarat developed for ecotourism, and temporary camps are set up for tourism during the summer.

Gallery

Hanuman-Dandi-Temple-dwarka.jpg, Hanuman Dandi temple Shri Keshavraiji Temple Main Gate.jpg, Shri Keshavraiji Temple Main Gate Gurudwara Bet Dwarka.jpg, Gurudwara Bet Dwarka Samudratiram at bet dvaraka.JPG, Sea from Bet Dwarka

References

Bibliography

* * Gaur, A.S., Sundaresh, P. Gudigar, Sila Tripati, K.H. Vora and S.N. Bandodkar (2000
Recent underwater explorations at Dwarka and surroundings of Okha Mandal
Man and Environment, XXV(1): 67–74. * Gaur, A.S. and Sundaresh (2003
Onshore Excavation at Bet Dwarka Island, in the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat
Man and Environment, XXVIII(1): 57–66. {{Authority control Islands of Gujarat Archaeological sites in Gujarat Beaches of Gujarat Tourist attractions in Gujarat Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Devbhoomi Dwarka district Dwarka