Remains of ancient settlement off the Dwarka coast in the Arabian Sea

AHMEDABAD: Dwarka, the ancient Gujarat coastal town closely associated with the legend of Lord Krishna and home to the revered Dwarkadhish Temple, is set to witness renewed rounds of archaeological excavations, both on land and underwater, senior officials of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have said. The proposed work aims to explore previously unexamined areas using modern technology to gain a deeper understanding of the region’s historical and cultural past, reports Parth Shastri. Underwater archaeological excavations at Dwarka were last carried out between 2005 and 2007, while limited exploratory studies were conducted again in 2025.Upcoming Dwarka exploration phase to be more extensive: ASIAccording to ASI officials, the upcoming phase will be more extensive and systematic. Alok Tripathi, additional director-general of ASI, told TOI that new areas at Beyt Dwarka and unexplored underwater zones will be covered by the agency’s Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW). “Dwarka has been under study for nearly 40 years, but the work so far has been limited in scope and objectives. We are now examining the other side of the mouth of the Gomti river,” Tripathi said. Experts said modern tools and technology would be deployed to enable larger and deeper excavations in the Arabian Sea. Tripathi himself was part of the five-member UAW team that conducted underwater exploratory work at Dwarka in Feb last year. During that time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also dived underwater off Dwarka coast to view submerged remains discovered on the seabed, drawing national attention to the site. On land, the focus will be on relatively undisturbed areas of Beyt Dwarka. Earlier excavations were largely concentrated near the cliff area. “We are now going deeper inside the forest area, where we have observed signs of a significant settlement. The site has some remarkable features, and excavations at lower levels could reveal important details about settlement planning, economic activities, arts and crafts, and the way of life of the inhabitants,” Tripathi said. The site has attracted attention alike due to the legend of the sunken city of Dwarka, believed to be founded by Lord Krishna. The ASI website indicates that explorations were carried out to understand the submerged archaeological remains off the coast of Dwarka as sculptures and stone anchors were found during low tide in coastal areas. The excavations so far have yielded many antiquities, including terracotta objects, beads, fragmented bangles, copper rings, iron ingots and pottery among others, according to the ASI website. Apart from Dwarka, the ASI has also initiated excavations at other key sites in Gujarat. Work has begun at Valabhipur, the ancient capital located in Bhavnagar district, and at Lothal, the Harappan-era site renowned for its water structure believed to be among the world’s oldest dockyards. With the upcoming National Maritime Heritage Complex near Lothal, archaeologists are exposing a larger area of the site using advanced tools and techniques. Tripathi emphasised that archaeology goes beyond excavation. “Our task is to place findings in perspective and fill gaps in historical understanding,” he said, adding that India’s use of technology in archaeology is on par with global standards and increasingly relies on interdisciplinary approaches. Gujarat has seen significant archaeological activity over the past decade, including extensive ASI-led excavations at Vadnagar in Mehsana district, PM Modi’s hometown, uncovering evidence of continuous habitation over two millennia. The state is also home to major Harappan sites such as Dholavira, now a Unesco World Heritage Site, and Lothal, highlighting Gujarat’s rich and layered archaeological heritage.

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing preliminary plans for a possible attack on Iran, including the option of large-scale airstrikes, reported The New York Post, citing the Wall Street Journal. Officials are discussing how to follow through on President Trump’s recent threats against the Islamic Republic, including what sites might be targeted.A massive aerial strike campaign on multiple Iranian military targets is one option being considered, though Washington has not reached consensus on a plan of action. No military equipment or personnel have been moved, and sources emphasised that the planning is routine.President Trump has warned Iran against continuing to kill protesters and indicated that the United States stands ready to act. In a Truth Social post on Saturday (US local time), he wrote: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”Trump also cautioned Friday: “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.”The US has previously struck Iranian territory. In June, the United States dropped at least six “bunker buster” bombs on three sites, including Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant, a deeply fortified facility hidden nearly 300 feet beneath a mountain. The bombing followed threats from Iran to use its nuclear capabilities against Israel during their 12-Day War and was coordinated with Israel’s own attacks on Tehran’s military infrastructure.Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded to the United States’ warnings by accusing Trump of having “hands stained with the blood of Iranians.” He told a crowd of supporters Friday: “[The terrorists] are ruining their own streets … in order to please the president of the United States because he said that he would come to their aid. He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.”Authorities in Iran have tightened their crackdown on nationwide protests, with the death toll rising to at least 65, including 50 protesters. Officials have warned that anyone providing aid to protesters will be considered “enemies of God,” a crime that carries a death penalty. Fears are growing that the true total of deaths may exceed 200.

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday stepped up its attack on the INDIA bloc over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. It accused opposition parties of shifting positions and turning a constitutional exercise into what it called a “spectacle”, after the Samajwadi Party questioned the credibility of the Election Commission over the scale of voter deletions in Uttar Pradesh. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said SIR is increasingly becoming “Yaksha prashna” for opposition parties making them unable to “speak openly or remain silent” on the issue.Referring to the Samajwadi Party and Congress, Trivedi said they are contradicting themselves on whether SIR was cutting or adding votes. He cited recent statements by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders to argue that the opposition’s stand had kept changing. “The issue of SIR appears to be turning into a real conundrum for the INDIA alliance. Their situation has become such that they can neither speak openly nor remain silent. Today, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said —just 12 days ago—that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s votes had been cut. A few days before that, the Congress party was saying that through SIR, opposition votes were being cut. Now today, they are saying that SIR is not meant to cut votes but to add votes.”He went on to say, “I request the INDIA alliance parties – Samajwadi Party and Congress – to clearly explain, according to them, whose votes are being cut and whose votes are being added,” adding that SIR was “a constitutional process being carried out with professional competence and on a completely technical basis”. Using a Hindi idiom, the BJP MP described the opposition’s position as inconsistent. “If I were to put it in one line: in a moment it is a ‘tola’, in another moment it is a ‘masha’; in a moment it is one thing, in the next it is something else,” he said, calling the issue a “Yaksha prashna” created by the opposition itself. He urged opposition parties to cooperate with the process “with seriousness and awareness”.The BJP’s remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Uttar Pradesh BJP leaders had advance knowledge of how many voters would be excluded from the SIR draft electoral roll, raising questions about the poll panel’s neutrality. The draft roll, published on January 6, excluded 2.89 crore voters while retaining 12.55 crore out of 15.44 crore names listed earlier.Speaking in Lucknow, Yadav said he had been apprehensive about the removal of three crore voters, but claimed BJP leaders had publicly cited even higher figures before the draft was released. “If BJP leaders, a former party MP, and the chief minister are making such statements, then what is the credibility of the Election Commission?” he asked, according to PTI.The SP chief also questioned discrepancies between voter data used for assembly and panchayat elections and sought clarity on figures compiled by BLO. He said the party would demand answers from the Election Commission and expressed hope that “genuine voters will have their names added to the voter list” before the final roll is published on March 6.Yadav said party workers had been given draft complaint formats to flag alleged irregularities and reiterated his demand for linking voter information with Aadhaar, alleging misuse of fake identification during elections.