Panchanada Tirtha, Dwarka

Panchanada Tirtha is a set of five sweet-water wells located on an island amid the sea, at the confluence of the sacred Gomti river and the Gulf of Kutch in Dwarka, Gujarat (India). It would be more appropriate to say that it lies right behind the Sri Dwarkadhish temple in Dwarka.

In spite of being surrounded by the salt water ocean from all the sides, the water in the five wells tastes sweet and different from each other.

How was the Panchanada Tirtha created?

The Prabhasa Khanda of Skanda Purana narrates details about the Panchanada Tirtha. When Lord Krishna came to Dwarka, all the devatas headed by Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva also arrived in Dwarka. After meeting Lord Sri Krishna and achieving his objective, Lord Brahma created a lake in Dwarka which came to be known as Brahma Kunda. This kunda destroys all the sins and bestows auspiciousness. Lord Brahma installed Suryadev on the banks of this kunda and worshipped. Since Lord Brahma who is the mula (origin) of the devatas worshipped Suryadev who is also considered as the Mula of the Devatas, this place is called as Mulasthana.

Following Lord Brahma, Chandra also created a lake which was very pleasing to the devatas. Anyone who takes bath in Chandra Sarovara and worships Mulasthana and Lord Dwarkadhish on the Magha Masa’s shukla saptami day, shall have all the desires fulfilled and live in Brahmaloka after death.

After that Savitri Devi also created her tirtha which came to be known as Savitri Vav. Savitri Vav is also famous for the origin of current Dwarkadhish vigraha of Lord Sri Krishna. It is a small and neglected well in Dwarka.

Even Indra created a beautiful lake which came to be known as Indrapad. Indra installed Sri Vriddha Linga on the banks of the lake and worshipped it. And then Lord Shiva also created an auspicious lake. This lake came to be known as Mahadev Sarovar. Then Varuna also created a divine lake out of his devotion to Lord Vishnu, which is known as Varunpad. After having darshan of Varunpad, Kubera created a lake named Yakshadhipa sarovara.

To please Lord Vishnu, Maharishi Vasishtha had brought down river Mandakini from the heavens to the Earth which came to be known as Gomati. Maharaja Ambarisha along with prajapatis reached Dwarka for the darshan of this transcendental river. Eventually these prajapatis created various tirthas, temples and Panchanada Tirtha in the holy kshetra of Dwarka.

They invoked the five sacred rivers who arrived along with the devatas. Gomati river arrived for the sake of Marichi, River Lakshmana for Atri Muni, River Chandrabhaga for Sage Angira, River Kushavati for Rishi Pulaha and River Jambavati for the Krtu Muni. All these fortunate sons of Brahma took bath in these rivers and named this tirtha as Panchanada Tirtha.

tasmat panchanadam tirtham sarva papa pranashanam
snatavyan tatra manujaih svarga mokshaarthibhis tatha

This Panchanada Tirtha destroys all the sins. Anyone who desires liberation should take bath in this holy tirtha and offer arghya to the holy rivers. (Dwarka Mahatmya, Prabhas Khanda, Chapter 14)

One should offer tarpana and perform shraddha for one’s ancestors here. One should donate pancha ratna and seven varities of grains to the brahmanas along with charity to the needy in this place. By doing this one’s desires shall be fulfilled and at the end of one’s life he will enter Vishnuloka.

Five rivers appeared for the sake of Pandavas

Another popular belief states, the Panchanada Tirtha is said to have been created during the exile period of the Pandavas. After losing all their belongings in a dice game with the Kauravas, the Pandavas had come here to do penances. They were chastised for engaging in the dice game and losing everything.

It is said that five Sages were called to perform special rituals on the behalf of each Pandava. Thus, sitting alongside each Pandava, the five Sages offered prayers and using their special yogic powers, drew the waters of five sacred rivers near the sitting place of each Pandava. Thus, a separate kunda was formed at the sitting place of each of the Pandava.

The five sacred rivers from which waters were drawn and their respective Kundas are:

1. Laxmana river from Badrinath and Himachal – This sacred river formed the Yudhisthira Kunda
2. Gomti river from Lucknow – This sacred river formed the Arjuna Kunda
3. Jambuvanti river from Gaya – This sacred river formed the Bhima Kunda
4. Ushawati river from Goa – This sacred river formed the Nakula Kunda
5. Chandrabhaga river from Maharashtra and Odisha – This sacred river formed the Sahadeva Kunda

Thus, five sacred rivers were invoked to complete the rituals being performed by the Pancha Pandavas. These sacred wells dedicated to the Pancha Pandavas are collectively the Panchanada Tirthas. The water of each well tastes as per the nature of the respective Pandava.

How to reach Panchanada Tirtha

This temple also houses the insignia of the foot-prints of the Pancha Pandavas and their mother Kunti Devi. If you are traveling with Tirtha Yatra on their Pancha Dwarka Yatra, you will have no worries to visit this place.

You will have to travel to Dwarka city to visit the Panchanada Tirtha as they lie on the Gomti Ghat behind the Sri Dwarkadhish temple in Dwarka. The priest of the nearby Lakshmi-Narayana temple can help you visit the Panchanada Tirtha and relish the sacred waters from them.

You can reach Dwarka through the following means of transportation –

By Land: Dwarka is well-connected to major towns and cities. You can travel using a private vehicle. Or else, enough taxis and buses are available from Jamnagar, Porbandar and nearby cities.

By Rail: Dwarka has its own railway station (DWK) which is well connected to major cities in India. You can catch a train that goes directly to Dwarka or makes a stopover. So, no worries about changing buses or cars.

By Air: The nearest airports to Dwarka are in Jamnagar and Porbandar at a distance of 131 kms and 109 kms respectively. You can fly into Jamnagar/Porbandar and catch a taxi or bus to Dwarka.

Panchanada Tirtha – What do they express?

The Panchanada Tirthas are non-different from any sacred lake or river you may see throughout Bharatavarsha. They are five sacred rivers which dwell in five different wells. The unique thing is that the Pandavas, who are great devotees of Lord Krishna were instrumental in bringing these sacred rivers here from all over Bharatavarsha.

This reminds us of the presence of the Pancha Pandavas here and the tribulations they underwent when they were exiled out of their own kingdom. You don’t need to visit any other part of Bharatvarsha to relish the waters of these sacred rivers.

Being the very own transcendental land of Lord Dwarkadhish, the presence of the Panchanada Tirtha here adds to the eternal glories of this holy dham.

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