The ancient India city of Dwarka, is said to have sunk beneath the Arabian Sea. Now,

underwater archaeologists are looking for the foundations of its city walls to prove its

existence.

One of the seven holy pilgrimage centres in India, the city of Dwarka is not only of religious

importance, but also archaeological. The city’s ancient incarnation, referred to in the epic

Mahabharata as the ancient kingdom of Krishna, was spread across almost 84km as a

fortified city where the Gomti River and the Arabian Sea meet. According to the text, the

ancient city was sunk beneath the Arabian Sea upon Krishna’s death.

Searching for India’s ‘Atlantis’

In the second half of the last century, archaeologists made attempts to find physical evidence

of the sunken city off the coast of the modern-day Dwarka so they can prove its existence

beyond doubt. As a result, many artefacts have been discovered underwater such as stone

blocks and pillars; however, the exact age of these findings is still being debated. Now,

archaeologists are planning an underwater dig to look for the foundations of the ancient

city walls. If they find the exact location of the settlement, it’ll be of tremendous historical significance to India.

By Punarvi, (past pupil, batch of 2023)

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