During the time of the Harappan Civilization, a major enterprise was the shell industry located in Bet Dwaraka, an island located 30 km north of Dwaraka. This artefact making industry was more popular than both ivory and bone and recent excavations have revealed that the industry was bigger than previously assumed.
“The presence of cut and unfinished pieces and waste pieces on the island tells us that this was an industry site,” Gaur said. The NIO team found fragments of bangles, beads, a seal and unfinished ladles from the Bet Dwaraka site.
While archaeologists have suspected that the shell artefacts for the Indus people came from the Gulf of Kutch, only one site for an ancient shell industry had been identified 15 years ago — Nageshwar, a Harappan site on the Gujarat coast. The studies by the NIO scientists on Bet Dwarka, conducted during 2000-01, show that the island’s shell-industry might have been one of the largest enterprises of its time.
In a report in the latest issue of the journal Current Science, scientists have documented similarities between the shells at Bet Dwarka and artefacts recovered from Harappan sites. A unique late Harappan seal constructed out of a conch shell with a short-horned bull, a unicorn and goat engraved on it found during underwater excavation near the island is similar to a seal recovered from Mohenjodaro.[Hint of Harappa shell industry]
When we mention Dwaraka, we have to talk about Krishna. Marine Archaeologist S R Rao found evidence of a city under the sea in Dwaraka and since some of the specifications matched the description of Dwaraka mentioned in Harivamsha, a prologue of Mahabharata, some people concluded that it was Krishna’s Dwaraka.
Not so fast, says a scientist at ISRO. Krishna’s Dwaraka was not in Jamnagar, but in Junagad according to Dr P S Thakker and also there nine sites in Gujarat which claim to be Krishna’s Dwaraka.
A senior scientist with the ISRO’s space application centre, Dr P S Thakker, who has worked on this project, said, What is interesting is that ISRO’s findings corroborate what is mentioned in the vedas and other ancient Hindu scriptures about the geographical location of Dwaraka but contradicts what the archaeologists and modern historians say about the present Dwarka which they claim is in Jamnagar district of Gujarat.
Though the study was done by the ISRO four years back it was confined to abstract papers on a dusty shelf.
Satellite images can pinpoint things that are not visible to the naked eye. For example, it can indicate the presence of ruins of a city which has been long buried under the soil.[Lord Krishna’s Dwarka not in Jamnagar but in Junagadh: ISRO]
But then what about the city which S R Rao discovered?
However, Mr Thakker claims this unknown feature of a city discovered by Dr Rao could be any other city settled after he said that the study of the satellite data perfectly matches with the description given in Tri Shasthi Shlaka Purush Charta (history of 63 outstanding personalities) written by Hemchandrachary, a distinguished Jain muni of the 11th century who has given a geographical description of Lord Krishna’s Dwarka built by kuber at Lord Indra’s behest.
Mr Thakker said the presence of Navda village in the vicinity (which means boat) and milollite limestone found in the vicinity of Girnar in Junagadh suggested the presence of a sea in this area.
Thus it seems that Lord Vasudev’s dwarka which was submerged in the sea as well and the Dwarka of Lord Krishna were located in Junagadh district near Prabhash Kshetra. Excavation and further study is required to get more scientific information on Dwarka, he added.[Lord Krishna’s Dwarka not in Jamnagar but in Junagadh: ISRO]
Here is the connection from the two stories. The sea shell sites excavated in Bet Dwaraka are 3800 years taking it back to around 1800 B.C which was the declining phase of the Harappan Civilization. According to Dr. Takker, Lord Vasudeva’s Dwaraka submerged in the Arabian Sea about 3500 years back, i.e 1500 B.C. Interesting times in Gujarat, it must have been.
Even ISRO has got saffronised these days. Operation detox please
Where Dwaraka Stood
Where Dwaraka Stood
…
“Thus it seems that Lord Vasudev’s dwarka which was submerged in the sea as well and the Dwarka of Lord Krishna “.
Are they talking about father and son in this case ? If so, then are they talking about two different Dwarkas? I was under the impression that during Krishna’s time, there was just one Dwarka where the entire clan of Yadu lived.
Shashi, Why is identifying Dwaraka called saffronization? Saffronization, I thought was a term used to denote change of history to suit Hindutva. Here someone is presenting a theory based on some facts he observed. If something is technically wrong, you should dispute it with facts, not with stupid slogans.
Ashwini, I too don’t know of any other Vasudeva. It would seem odd that there were two Dwaraka’s during that time. Got to verify this.
Isn’t lord krishna also addressed as Vaasudeva(With hard a).
I think father was Vasudeva (with soft a).
Or as I read there was an imposter Vaasudeva (Vasudeva ?)
So confusing….
I think Shashi was being sarcastic..
Regards
This wasn’t covered too well, so here we go: http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/22tsu.htm
One of the first Sangam age architectural finds showing signs of Tsunami damage.
Well I know it is a long time back, but I would still like to get the record clear on this point “you should dispute it with facts, not with stupid slogans.”
As Gaurav rightly pointed out I was being sarcastic
Yes Bet Dwaraka is the place where Lord Krishna’s palace was there. Now the core dwaraka is under the sea.
Vasudeva (with soft a) is the name of Krishna’s father.
Son of Vasudeva is known as Vaasudeva (with hard a)that is lord Krishna.
It is true as per the puranas that Lord Krishna lived at the place called Dwaraka and that is submerged under the sea near Bet Dwaraka,So what ever was Mr S R Rao has escavated is the true Dwaraka wher Lord Shri Krishna ruled and lived.
‘Saffronisation’ is a word invented by Anti-Indian Culture global-lot that believes the age human culture only about 6000 years old, as per Bible. Then how a civilisation on a corner of the Earth can be older than creation of the God ? Is this not a fact that the settelite pictures of Admam’s bridge, taken by US in mid fifties of 20th century, were hidden from common masses of India until late nineties, unless forced by US exhibition at New Delhi by themselves ? These are all not the desires for scientific studies but activities backed by political aims and desires. These government salaried class of archeoligists and their foreign subject-guides want a sign-board of “Dwarka” with its population figure and the date in ‘B.C.’ mentioned under water, to accept that a city named ‘Dwarka’ of Hindus existed, as believed by them. Is this not their moral responsibility to protect the faith of the holy book ? Is this not a fact that the ‘carbon-dating’ methodolody for surface remains has already gone under debate for beyond certail narrow tile-limit ?