String of structural anomalies south of Gomati creek reignite search for sunken city of Dwarka

New clues hinting that Dwarka, the sunken city that was once Lord Krishna's kingdom, lies under the water have been discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India’s Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW). Side-scan-sonar and multibeam surveys revealed a string of structural “anomalies” off Dwarka and Bet Dwarka in March this year. Scientists say that the structures found include “possible jetty walls and grapnel-type stone anchors”. Several artefacts have been recovered from the site, the most precise targets yet revealed. An interim field note filed on 16 April talks about everything that has been recovered - clusters of Harappan-style stone anchors, inscribed potsherds and copper rings. An L-shaped dressed-stone segment was spotted lying 5–12 metres below the eastern flank of Gomati Creek. Also Read: 'Mom it's an alien': Doorbell camera seemingly captures an extraterrestrial being in freaky encounter

All-woman diver team explored Gomati Creek

An all-woman team of diver-archaeologists explored the region and checked through the south of Gomati Creek, an area first explored in the 1980s. The five-member core team included Dr Aparajita Sharma, Poonam Vind and Rajkumari Barbina, and was led by Prof. Alok Tripathi. Photogrammetry is being run on the artefacts to refine the dating, possibly from the late Harappan date of c. 1800–1500 BCE. The crew is combining data from high-resolution photogrammetry, sediment coring and optically stimulated luminescence dating. Using the data, the team is preparing a plan to conserve the stone ruins, instead of pulling them out of the waters. Also Read: Another city detected under Egyptian pyramid by scientists who found Khafre towers. 'Bu****it', says expert

This method was endorsed in a June 2025 peer-reviewed study that studied Dwarka’s bathymetry. It proposed a calibrated chronology for a stone jetty between 1,800 and 1,500 BCE. The expedition will resume in the winter, and the ASI is calling for people to join. Nominations have been opened for a two-week underwater archaeology course and lectures. Dives will also be conducted in Dwarka before the main expedition. The UAW has scheduled a third “ground-truthing” season for October–November 2025 since the Arabian Sea is especially choppy in summer. Tripathi told The New Indian Express that the entire area will be surveyed and a call will be taken on excavation based on that.

Is the submerged city of Dwarka real?

Earlier digs carried out in 2005–07, threw up anchors, sculpture fragments and 26 cultural layers near the Dwarkadhish Temple. However, it was not confirmed whether Krishna's port city was real. According to Mahabharata, Krishna established his kingdom in Dwarka after killing his uncle Kamsa. A legend states that after Krishna fulfilled his task on Earth and departed for heaven, leaving behind his mortal body, Dwarka submerged in the water. Hindu mythology says that it is partially submerged in the Arabian Sea. While people associate it with a submersion after Krishna left Earth, some believe that it was gradually swallowed by rising seas.