Dwarka - Krishnas Golden City Submerged

Dadi: "Guddu beta, have you ever built a sandcastle at the beach?"

Guddu: "Yes Dadi! But the waves always wash it away..."

Dadi: "*smiles* Then you'll understand tonight's story. It's about the most beautiful city ever built - Lord Krishna's own city called Dwarka. And what the ocean did to it."

Guddu: "Krishna had his own city? Like a real king?"

Dadi: "Oh, it's a long story, beta. You see, after Krishna killed his evil uncle Kamsa, a very powerful king named Jarasandha became angry. He attacked Krishna's home in Mathura again and again - seventeen times!"

Guddu: "Seventeen times! Did Krishna lose?"

Dadi: "Never! Krishna and his brother Balarama won every single battle. But beta, think about it - even when you win a fight, things break, people get hurt. The people of Mathura were suffering from all this war."

Guddu: "So what did Krishna do?"

Dadi: "Here's where Krishna shows us something important. Some people might have said, "Stay and fight! Never run!" But Krishna thought differently. He said, "My people's safety matters more than my pride." So he decided to move everyone to a new, safe place."

Guddu: "Where did they go?"

Dadi: "*eyes sparkling* He found a spot by the sea, in what we now call Gujarat. And then, beta, something magical happened. Krishna asked Samudra Dev - the god of the ocean - for land. And the ocean pulled back and gave him a huge area to build on!"

Guddu: "The ocean moved? Just like that?"

Dadi: "For Lord Krishna, yes! And then he called Vishwakarma, the architect of the gods. Can you guess how long it took Vishwakarma to build an entire city?"

Guddu: "Hmm... one year? Two years?"

Dadi: "*laughs* One night, beta! In a single night, Vishwakarma built the most magnificent city the world had ever seen. They called it Suvarna Dwarka - the Golden City - because it was made with so much gold, silver, and precious gems!"

Guddu: "A whole city in one night? What did it look like, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Imagine this - huge walls protecting the city on all sides. Four big gates facing north, south, east, and west. Wide roads arranged like a grid. Beautiful gardens everywhere. Palaces that seemed to touch the sky! And a port where ships came from faraway lands."

Guddu: "It sounds like a dream!"

Dadi: "It was, beta. Ten thousand people lived there happily. Krishna ruled from there for many years. But... *pauses* every dream has to end sometime."

Guddu: "What happened, Dadi?"

Dadi: "*sighs* Two curses came upon the Yadava clan. Some sages were angry at a prank the young boys played, and they cursed that the Yadavas would destroy each other. And then Queen Gandhari, whose hundred sons died in the great war, blamed Krishna. She cursed that his clan would also face destruction."

Guddu: "That's scary... Did the curses come true?"

Dadi: "*nods* Eventually, yes. The Yadava men got into a terrible fight among themselves. Krishna's brother Balarama passed away. And Krishna himself... he was sitting alone in the forest when a hunter named Jara mistook his foot for a deer and shot an arrow."

Guddu: "*gasps* Oh no, Dadi..."

Dadi: "But Krishna was not angry, beta. He blessed the hunter and said this was all meant to happen. And then... *voice becomes soft* the moment Krishna left his body, the ocean came back."

Guddu: "The ocean?"

Dadi: "Remember how Samudra Dev had given the land? Now he took it back. The waves rose higher and higher. In just one day, the entire golden city of Dwarka was swallowed by the sea. All those beautiful palaces, those gardens, those roads - all went under the water."

Guddu: "That's so sad... Is it still there, under the ocean?"

Dadi: "*brightens* And here's the amazing part, Guddu! For thousands of years, people thought this was just a story. But then, some scientists went diving in the ocean near Dwarka in Gujarat. And guess what they found?"

Guddu: "The city?!"

Dadi: "They found walls, stones, anchors from ancient ships - proof that a great city really existed there! Even now, scientists are exploring what lies beneath those waters."

Guddu: "So the story was true all along!"

Dadi: "*nods* And every year, millions of people visit Dwarka. There's a beautiful temple there called Dwarkadhish Temple. Krishna's great-grandson Vajra built the first one. It's one of the four holiest places every Hindu should visit in their lifetime."

Guddu: "Dadi, what does this story teach us?"

Dadi: "Many things, beta. First, that nothing lasts forever - not even the most beautiful, golden cities. Second, that a true leader thinks of their people's safety before their own pride, like Krishna did. And third... *points out the window* even when something is gone, the love and memories remain. Dwarka is underwater, but Krishna lives forever in our hearts."

Guddu: "Can we visit Dwarka someday, Dadi?"

Dadi: "*hugs him* Absolutely, beta. We'll stand by that ocean and imagine the golden towers rising from the waves. And who knows - maybe one day, scientists will discover even more of Krishna's magical city!"

Guddu: "I'd like that. Thank you for the story, Dadi."

Dadi: "Thank you for listening, my little one. Now close your eyes and dream of golden cities and kind kings."