Eastern Spirituality

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Dvārakā, also known as Dvāravatī, sometimes transcribed as Dwaraka and Dwaravati meaning "the many-gated [city]" in Sanskrit, is a city in Hindu tradition. The name Dvārakā is said to have been given to the place by the Hindu god Krishna. Dvārakā is one of the seven sacred cities (saptapuri) of Hinduism. In the Mahabharata it was an existing city in present day Dwarka, formerly called Kushasthali, the fort of which had to be repaired by the Yadavas. In this epic the city is described as a capital of the Anarta Kingdom. According to the Harivamsa the city was located in the region of Sindhu. According to this Purana, it was built on proposal of Garuda on request of Krishna by Vishwakarma, to secure the Yadava people. They left the city of Mathura for Dvārakā because of an attack of the two kings Kalayavana and Jarasandha before the Kurukshetra War, the great war of the Mahabharata.

Glossary Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z