Book on Underwater Archaeological Studies at Dwarka and Somnath

Underwater search for Lord Krishna’s Dwarka on Gujarat coast on the west coast of India is an ongoing process and occasionally Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) comes with vital clues regarding the existence of an ancient city, which was swallowed by sea. A new book titled ‘Underwater Archaeology of Dwarka and Somnath’ by National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, India, details the scientific analysis of systematic explorations carried out in Dwarka and Somnath. The book is writeen by A.S.Gaur, Sundaresh and K.H.Vora and they have published several other research papers on the same topic.

Epic Mahabharata mentions about the phenomenon of sea level rising and the total destruction of Dwarka as predicted by Lord Krishna. Many people scoffed it as wild imagination and fiction. But today sea level rising and swallowing land is a common phenomenon and it is happening around the world. Once oceanography accepted sea level rising as a fact, large-scale excavations have been taking place to find more about Dwarka on land and undersea.

Since 1982, National Institute of Oceanography and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have been exploring the west coast of India especially the places near Dwarka, one of the Char Dhams or holy places associated with Lord Vishnu.

According to Mahabharata, Lord Krishna founded the holy city of Dwarka, which subsequently got submerged under sea. Marine archaeological explorations off Dwarka have brought to light a large number of stone structures and stone anchors, which are randomly scattered over area. These findings suggest that Dwarka was one of the most busy port centers during the past on the west coast of India. The comparative study of surrounding sites indicates that the date of the structures of Dwarka may be between historical period and late medieval period.

The new book ‘Underwater Archaeology of Dwarka and Somnath’ sheds light on the scientific analysis done in the region from 1998 to 2002. The book is scholarly in approach and discusses extensively the date and the identification of anchors and other objects recovered from underwater exploration. A major highlight of the book is the underwater and surface photographs and illustrations.

Underwater Archaeology of Dwarka and Somnath
By A.S.Gaur, Sundaresh and K.H.Vora
Published: National Institute of Oceanography, Goa
Distributed by: Aryan Books International,
Pooja Apartments, 4B, Ansari Road,
New Delhi – 110002.
Price: 1500 Rupees