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 Gulf of Oman. It is about 50 km wide at the entrance b ...

, situated off the coast of the town of Okha,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

, India, and north of the city of

Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...

. 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 Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...

shells ().

History

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

Dvārakā Dvārakā, also known as Dvāravatī (Sanskrit द्वारका "the gated

ity The pyramid of Ity was probably the tomb of Pharaoh who reigned during the 8th dynasty. It has never been discovered and is known only from a cliff-face inscription at Wadi Hammamat in the Eastern Desert, where there were several quarries in P ...

, possibly meaning having many gates, or alternatively having one or several very grand gates), is a sacred historic city in the sacred literature of Hi ...

. In Indian epic literature such as the ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

'' and the ''

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

'', this city is the abode of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

. 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. Biography Early years Umashankar Joshi was b ...

suggested that Antardvipa in the ''

Sabha Parva The Sabha Parva ("Book of the Assembly Hall") is the second of the eighteen ''parvas'' (books) of the Indian epic '' Mahabharata''.van Buitenen, J. A. B. (1978) ''The Mahabharata: Book 2: The Book of the Assembly Hall; Book 3: The Book of the For ...

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

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

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 period of

Indus Valley civilization 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 from 2600 BCE ...

, or immediately after it. The settlement can be reliably dated to the time of the

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary source ...

, 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) 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 Kingdom of Valabhi, an early medieval state rule ...

during the Maitraka dynasty. Baroda state 1909

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 Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, the Vaghers 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 State, formally known as United State of Kathiawar and later United State of Saurashtra, was a state of India that existed between 1948 and 1956, on Saurashtra alias Kathiawar peninsula, with Rajkot as its capital. History For ...

. Later, Saurashtra merged with

Bombay State Bombay State was a large Indian state created in 1950 from the erstwhile Bombay Province, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Province (in British India roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Mah ...

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. Its headquarters are located in the city of Jamkhambhaliya. The district was created on 15 August 2013 from Jamnagar ...

, created from the Jamnagar district.

Archaeology

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

Dwarkadhish Temple The Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir and occasionally spelled Dwarakadheesh, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna, who is worshiped in the temple by the name ''Dwarkadhish (Dvārakādhīśa)'', or 'King of Dwarka'. The tem ...

and Shri Keshavraiji Temple are major temples of

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

gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

. The small temple of Abhaya Mata is situated on the southwest side of the island. According to Devi Bhagavata Purana and Padma Purana which enlists 108 Shaktipeethas, it includes Dharaā in Sankhodhara. However unfortunately no such temple or details about it is available online.

Access

Bet Dwarka can be reached by ferry service from Okha. As of 2016, the Okha–Beyt Dwarka Signature Bridge—the first sea bridge in Gujarat—is under construction between Okha and Bet Dwarka. The long bridge is estimated to cost 400

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

. This bridge, known as Sudarshan Setu, was completed and inaugurated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

in February 2024. 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 Islands of India Populated places in India