New Delhi: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has once again started “onshore and offshore expeditions” at Gujarat’s Dwarka to find evidence of legendary stories about the city, which houses the Dwarkadhish Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna.
The underwater archaeological wing of the ASI started the expedition earlier this week, reported Deccan Herald.
The expedition started after a brief fieldwork was conducted by a team of experts led by professor Alok Tripathi, additional director of the ASI. Tripathi had earlier led the team of ASI to scientifically survey Gyanvapi mosque adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
“Dwarka is an important place from historical, archaeological and cultural point of view, which has always been a matter of research mentioned in the ancient literature. It has remained a significant part of cultural history of India. Considering its importance, Dwarka has been explored and researched by historians and archaeologists in the past as well,” the ASI said in a statement.
The ASI stated that a five-member team carried out an investigation south of Gomati Creek, on the eastern side of Dwarka to take the research forward.
“It was aimed to inspect earlier explored areas and examine present conditions,” ASI stated.
Union minister of culture and tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (March 27), that the objectives of the exploration off the coast of Dwarka and Bet Dwaraka are to search, document, and study submerged archaeological remains besides imparting training to archaeologists.
In recent times, the autonomy of the ASI has been questioned, with some in the wake of the multiple claims by Hindutva organisations about presence of remains temples of beneath famous mosques.
The Places of Worship Act, 1991, froze the religious character of a place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947, and prohibits any change in that character. Despite this law, the Supreme Court in 2022 gave the green light for a “survey” to be conducted at the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, and following this, a number of disputes that the 1991 law was meant to put an end to have been revived.
