If Dwarka Was Krishna’s City, Why Was It “Found” Under the Sea So Late?

For nearly 3,000 years, Dwarka existed in an unusual space between faith and history. Ancient Indian texts described it as a planned coastal city built by Lord Krishna, with fortified gates, wide roads, and harbours engaged in maritime trade. While pilgrims believed in it and scholars debated it, modern history faced a hard question: if Dwarka was real and important, why did no physical evidence surface until the 20th century?

The answer lies not in imagination, but in erasure. Geological studies show that between 10,000 BCE and 3,000 BCE, global sea levels rose by 30–40 metres, reshaping coastlines across the world, including India’s western seaboard. Surveys indicate that the shoreline near present-day Dwarka once extended several kilometres into the Arabian Sea, placing any ancient settlement far offshore today. Combined with the fact that underwater archaeology only became viable after the 1960s, Dwarka remained beyond scientific reach. Its “late discovery” reflects shifting seas, buried remains, and delayed technology, not a delayed past.



Ancient Indian texts never described Dwarka as a city meant to survive forever. The Mahabharata, Harivamsa, and Puranic texts explicitly state that the sea reclaimed Dwarka soon after Krishna’s departure, marking the beginning of Kali Yuga around 3102 BCE.

What matters here is intent. Dwarka was remembered as a city that vanished, not one that could be visited centuries later. This framed it as sacred memory rather than a site expected to leave visible ruins, unlike cities that declined gradually.

Geological studies show that around 9000–3000 BCE, global sea levels were significantly lower than today. India’s western coastline extended several kilometers further into the Arabian Sea.

As sea levels rose gradually after the Ice Age, coastal settlements were submerged step by step. Dwarka’s disappearance fits this long-term process, not a sudden flood. Over time, stone structures became buried under thick marine sediment, making them invisible from the surface.

Dwarka sits along a coastline shaped by strong currents, shifting sands, and tectonic activity. Marine geologists identify:

• Submarine fault lines
• Evidence of gradual land subsidence
• Heavy silt movement from ancient river systems

These conditions do not preserve ruins neatly. They break structures, scatter blocks, and bury evidence deeply. This is why Dwarka does not appear as a single dramatic underwater cityscape, but as fragmented remains spread across zones.



For most of human history, archaeology stopped at the shoreline.

Before the mid-20th century, researchers lacked:

• Scuba diving technology
• Side-scan sonar
• Marine sediment dating methods
• Safety systems for strong tidal waters

Only after the 1960s could scientists realistically search underwater. Dwarka was not ignored; it was technologically unreachable.

Serious investigation began when the Archaeological Survey of India initiated offshore surveys in the 1960s.

Key developments:

• 1970s: Stone blocks and anchors found underwater
• 1980s: Evidence of walls and platforms mapped
• 1990s onward: Sonar imaging confirms planned structures

This timeline explains the “late discovery.” Dwarka emerged not from myth but from methodical marine science.

Underwater excavations near Dwarka and Bet Dwarka revealed:

• Anchors dated between 1500–3000 BCE
• Stone constructions shaped by human tools
• Signs of docks, pathways, and boundary walls

These findings prove Dwarka was a major maritime settlement, active in long-distance trade. While archaeology cannot confirm Krishna’s personal presence, it confirms that a large, advanced coastal city existed where texts place Dwarka.



One key reason the mystery persisted is that Dwarka was not built once.

It appears to have been rebuilt, occupied, submerged, and reoccupied over centuries.

Carbon dating suggests:

• Some structures date to the Late Harappan period
• Others belong to early historic and medieval eras

This layered history blurred conclusions for decades. Archaeologists had to separate mythic timelines from physical ones with extreme caution.

Dwarka remained a living city on land, even as older parts sank offshore. Pilgrims never stopped coming. Temples were rebuilt. Rituals continued.

What was missing was not belief, but material evidence. And evidence waits for tools, patience, and unbiased inquiry. When those arrived, Dwarka did too.