Week 9 Writing Homework
- December 14, 2024
- 3:00 pm
- One Comment
Writing Homework :
Write a feature article on a city of your choice – you can include issues such as pollution, environmental damage, temperature, flooding. Remember to include emotional stories, interviews, facts and statistics.
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Dwarka: The Mythical City Battling for Its Life
For centuries, the stories of Dwarka, the fabled kingdom of Lord Krishna, have fascinated archaeologists, scientists, historians, and devotees alike. Once described as a golden city with 900,000 palaces adorned with precious jewels, the glory of Dwarka has been immortalised in texts like the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. However, the passage of time has not been kind to this mythical place. Today, while modern Dwarka thrives as a popular destination, its ancient ruins struggle against coastal erosion.
The Legends and the Landscape:
Legend has it that Dwarka was shortly submerged after Lord Krishna departed from the world. The Arabian Sea, a witness to countless tides and tempests, now holds the remnants of this ancient marvel. While modern scientific theories attribute Dwarka’s submersion to rising sea levels and tectonic shifts, the ongoing erosion of its coastal boundaries presents a continuing challenge.
“Every year, we lose a little more of our coastline,” says Dr Meenakshi Sharma, a marine archaeologist studying the site for over a decade. “The forces of nature are relentless; we risk losing whatever remains of ancient Dwarka beneath the waves.”
Archaeological Efforts and Discoveries
In the 1980s, a team led by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) made groundbreaking discoveries off the coast of Gujarat. Using underwater exploration techniques, they uncovered remnants of what could be the mythical city: stone structures, pottery, and evidence of a highly advanced harbour system dating back to 1500 BCE. The discoveries renewed interest in Dwarka, drawing researchers and tourists alike to this special site. Among the most significant findings were large stone blocks arranged in a way that suggested the presence of roads and buildings. Some even speculated that these structures were part of an elaborate urban planning system, showcasing the sophistication of ancient Indian civilisation.
Stories from the Present
For the fishermen of Okha, a small town near Dwarka, the sea’s changing landscape is not just a matter of archaeology—it’s a daily reality. “The sea has taken away parts of our village,” says Kantilal Patel, a local fisherman in his sixties. “My father used to say that the sea always reclaims what belongs to it. Perhaps that’s why it swallowed Dwarka too.”