Tamil new Year

Tamil literary and historical evidence

The Tamil calendar is based on the signs of the zodiac. The early Tamil literary work,

·        The Nedunalvaadai is dated to between the years 100 and 300 of the common-era (CE). This was the Sangam era that represented the earliest outpourings of Tamil literature that survived the centuries. The poet Nakkirar authored the Nedunalvaadai. Lines 160 to 162 of the poem describe the movement of the sun through the 12 signs of the zodiac starting with Medam or Mesha .

·        Koodaloor Kilar, a contemporary of Nakkirar, in the 229th Poem of the Puranaanooru also refers to the 12 signs of the zodiac that begin with Medam in April.

·        The Tolkaapiyam is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar. This is dated by several to 400 CE. The Tolkaapiyam divides the year into six seasons where Chitterai in April marks the start of the Ila-venil season or summer. Thai in January conversely does not commence any season.

·        The Silappadikaram is a Tamil epic that is dated by some to 500 CE. Canto 26 of the text once again refers to the 12 signs of the zodiac with the sun commencing its journey through the heavens in the sign of Medam in April. Canto 5 of the Silappadikaram describes the foremost festival in the Chola country that was celebrated in Chitterai.

·        The Manimekalai, another classical epic in the Tamil language refers to the Tamil solar calendar as we know it today.

·        The early medieval Urai-aasiriyar or commentator, Adiyaar-ku-nalaar mentions the 12 months of the Tamil calendar with particular reference to Chitterai.

Tamil Hindu tradition influenced Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and Laos between 400 CE and 1200 CE. This coincided with the adoption of the Pallava grantha script, the centralization of royal authority and the adoption of the Tamil new year in these countries. This explains the celebration of the new year in mid-April in Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. There are inscriptional references in Pagan, Burma to Vaishnavite courtiers from the Chola country, known in Burmese as the Sankran Bumnah, who were tasked with calculating the start of the new year in mid-April. These inscriptions can be dated to circa 1000 CE. Similar inscriptions in Sukhothai, Thailand refer to South Indian keepers of the calendar in the 14th century CE.

The observance of the traditional Tamil new year in April continued in the days of the 10th century Chola empire as witnessed in Saivite Tamil texts and inscriptions and in the days of the Jaffna Kingdom. It was hallowed by tradition. Kandyan royalty intermarried with aristocratic families from Thanjavur which led to the Nayakar dynasty ruling the Kandyan kingdom from 1739 to 1815 CE.

Robert Knox documents the celebration of the April new year in the Kandyan kingdom during the Dutch era. He had used the Julian calendar then prevalent in England and therefore described the event in late March, April in today’s reckoning.

The 1920s: A Time of Ferment

Events in the 1920s provide the backdrop to Karunanidhi’s efforts in 2008 to shift the date of the Tamil New Year. The Indian National Congress (INC) was becoming a mass-based freedom movement in the 1920s. It was making deep inroads into the Madras Presidency as witnessed in the efforts of anti-colonial freedom fighters such as V.O Chidambaram Pillai, affectionately remembered as Kapal-otiya Tamizhan, Subrahmanya Bharati and Subramanian Sivam. The leadership of the INC in Madras however was Tamil Brahmin dominated. The Vellalar or farmer caste and the Telugu Brahmin were under-represented. The colonial authorities leveraged the Vellalar-Chettiar-led Justice Party to counter the influence of the INC. The Justice Party backed the continuation of British rule.

Maraimalai Adigal, a Saivite Vellalar, provided the religious underpinnings of this movement. Amongst other things, he called for a change in the date of the Tamil new year from Chitterai in April to Thai Pongal in January in the 1920s. He dismissed the April new year as a Brahmin event while Pongal was then a pre-eminently Vellalar festival. His suggestion was not accepted by the population at large. It bears mention, however, that seven other Saivite Vellalar activists including Navalar Somasundara Bharatiyar, K. Subramaniapillai, Kalyanasundera Mudaliyar and Sachidanandapillai supported his efforts. Maraimalai Adigal claimed that Pongal was uniquely Tamil, an assertion that was incorrect as demonstrated below. Critics charge that the real motive was to align the Tamil calendar with the English year that began in January. Regardless, the proposal was forgotten for the next 80 years.

The Karunanidhi Era

Much later, in 2008 the Tamil Maiyam led by Father Jagath Gasper Raj revived the call for a change in the date of the Tamil new year, a suggestion accepted by Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. While all political parties in Tamil Nadu initially supported the move, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by Jayalalithaa, and the pro-LTTE Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by Vaiko, quickly opposed Karunanidhi’s proposed change in the date of the new year. The Union Territory of Pondicherry did not accept the change either. Popular sentiment ignored efforts of Karunanidhi to move the Tamil New Year to January. A case was filed by a group purportedly including Dalit, Thevar, Nadar, Vanniyar and Chettiar caste members, in the Madurai bench of the Tamil Nadu high court challenging Karunanidhi on this count. The High Court, after much delay, is likely to hear the case in April 2011.

Karunanidhi, in an effort to accommodate public opinion in Tamil Nadu, conceded the celebration of the April new year with a new term called Chithirai Tiru-naal, the holy day of Chithirai. The day remained a public holiday in Tamil Nadu, albeit purportedly to commemorate the birthday of the veteran Dalit leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Cases against jayalalitha

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha has many firsts to her credit. The actress-turned politician was the first woman chief minister of Tamil Nadu. But she is also the first chief minister to be declared guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

  In the past few years, the Tamil Nadu government has set up three special courts to exclusively deal with the cases against the 52-year-old AIADMK leader. As of now, there are as many as 12 major corruption cases against Jayalalitha alone and 33 cases against her associates, including her confidante Sasikala, former AIADMK ministers and senior Tamil Nadu bureaucrats. Fighting these cases and the judgements on them has variously affected Jayalalitha's political career.

Here is a ready reckoner to cases that Jayalalitha has fought and is fighting.

 

Colour TV Case

Jayalalitha is alleged to have received kickbacks of Rs 85 million in a 1995 deal for purchase of 45,302 colour TV sets for village community centres across Tamil Nadu. The case was tried in a special court. On May 30 this year, Jayalalitha, her close aide Sasikala Natarajan and Sasikala's relative S R Bhaskaran were acquitted.

The court however convicted seven others, including former local administration minister T M Selvaganapathy, and sentenced them to undergo five years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each. Besides Selvaganapathy, those convicted were former chief secretary N Haribhaskar, Indian Administrative Service officials H M Pandey and M Sathiyamoorthy, the minister's personal assistant K Janarthanam, TV agents S Duraisamy and S Muthukumaraswamy. 

Tansi Land Case

Jayalalitha was accused of using her official position to acquire government land in 1992 for Jaya Publications, of which she was a partner. It caused a loss of Rs 35 million to the exchequer. On January 13 this year, the Madras high court discharged her in the case. 

Gift Case

This is the only major case against Jayalalitha that the apex Central Bureau of Investigation is probing. According to the CBI, she received a donation of Rs 30 million from abroad and showed the same in her income tax returns during 1992-93. Since it was a gift in foreign exchange, no tax was levied. But when Tamil Manila Congress leader P Chidambaram was finance minister in the H D Deve Gowda government, he asked the then CBI chief Joginder Singh to identify the source of the donation. Singh sent a letter rogatory to the Channel Islands in the United Kingdom. The CBI investigation on the case is still on.

Pleasant Stay Hotel Case

Jayalalitha and her erstwhile ministerial colleagues are accused of having allowed a seven-storeyed luxury hotel to come up in the hill station of Kodaikanal in brazen violation of building laws applicable to such areas, which permit only two floors. On February 2, 2000, Special Judge V Radhakrishnan convicted and sentenced Jayalalitha and her four colleagues to one year's rigorous imprisonment for favouring the owner of the hotel in return for monetary considerations when she was ruling Tamil Nadu from 1991-96.

Her conviction sparked off violent protests all across the state, leaving three college girls dead. The three girls were burnt to death when an angry group of AIADMK workers set ablaze a Coimbatore Agriculture University bus near Dharmapuri. Jayalalitha has appealed against the judgement in the Supreme Court. 

Coal Import Case

Jayalalitha is alleged to have caused a loss of Rs 65 million to the state exchequer in a 1993 deal for import of 2 million tonnes of coal for the state electricity board. The prosecution case is that during 1992-93, Jayalalitha and nine others had entered into a criminal conspiracy to import substandard coal for Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. A special court on July 3 framed charges against the former chief minister and others. The court also posted the case for August 10, for examination of prosecution witnesses. Jayalalitha had earlier appealed before the Supreme Court against the case. But a division bench of the apex court comprising Justices K T Thomas and R C Lahoti directed Jayalalitha to face trial in the case on May 9.

Besides Jayalalitha, the other important accused in the case are former AIADMK minister S Kannappan, the then chief secretary T V Venkatraman, the then TNEB chairman N Haribhaskar and IAS officials Narayanan and Ramachandaran. 

Grapes case

The Income Tax department is scrutinising Jayalalitha's tax returns on the sale of grapes. According to the AIADMK chief's income-tax returns, between 1987 and 1993 she earned a tax-free Rs 6 million from the sale of grapes grown on a 30-acre farm she owns in the Jeedimetla area of Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh. But IT officials claim there was no cultivation on the farm during those years. The farm came into Jayalalitha's possession in 1991. 

SAF games advertising case

Jayalalitha waived Rs 20 million in rights' fees due to the government from Meena Advertising Agency, agents for the 1995 South Asian Federation Games. The Tamil Nadu government investigation into the case is still on.

Disproportionate wealth

During her tenure as chief minister, Jayalalitha along with her associates acquired more than 100 properties, besides jewellery and other assets worth Rs 660 million. Different agencies of the Tamil Nadu government are yet to complete investigations into the case.

Granite quarry case

Jayalalitha is alleged to have received Rs 390 million by granting quarry licences to private parties when she was chief minister. The investigations into the case are still on.

TIDCO disinvestment case

She is accused of abusing her official position as chief minister to grant privileges to two local industrialists, leading to a loss of Rs 280 million to the state. The case is being investigated. 

Failure to file returns

Jayalalitha did not file income tax returns for 1993-94 thereby hiding an income of Rs 10 million. She has already been chargesheeted in the case, which is now pending before the economic offences court. 

Donation case

Jayalalitha allegedly received US $ 300,000 from Bankers' Trust Company in the United States under Voluntary Deposit (Immunities and Exceptions) Act, 1991, not applicable to public servants. 

Cases against Sasikala Natarajan

FERA violation

Foreign Exchange Regulation Act violation charges have been slapped against Sasikala Natarajan for payment of US $ 680,000 to two foreign firms on account of JJ TV, a company of which Jayalalitha was the chairperson. Sasikala was arrested and charged in 1996 by the Enforcement Directorate. 

JJTV

Sasikala allegedly paid US $ 615,160 on behalf of JJ TV, to a Russian satellite firm and to Singapore Telecom with the permission from the government and clearance from the Reserve Bank of India. 

Money laundering

Sasikala allegedly stashed US $ 342,000 in a dummy foreign account of a Malaysian citizen with an Indian branch of the State Bank of India. The Enforcement Directorate probe still on. 

Foreign deposits

Sasikala's two nephews - V Bhaskaran and T T V Dinakaran, have been charged with depositing dollars equivalent to Rs 350 million with Barclays Bank in the account of a company in Virgin Islands. The CBI is investigating the case.

Top 10 Traitors

10. Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes was part of a revolutionary group of Roman Catholics, who plotted to blow up most of England’s aristocracy in 1605. The infamous Gunpowder plot was foiled by authorities who caught Fawkes before he could carry out his murderous intentions: he was apprehended due to his attire of cloak, boots and spurs, a suspicious costume designed to ensure a quick getaway.
Fawkes and his colleagues worked hard at their plot, using a cellar under The House of Lords as their base, and hiding over 1800 pounds of explosives in the small space.
Fawkes and his co-conspirators wished to loosen the influence of the Spanish kingdom on British affairs, feeling that they drained resources from England.
Guy Fawkes believed in his ideals, and he didn’t break, even under torture, refusing to name his comrades until he was sure they had already confessed. He was sentenced to by hung, drawn, and quartered in 1606, but foiled authorities by jumping from the scaffold to his demise at the last minute: even in death, he was crafty and mischievous.
His story is referenced in the film, V For Vendetta. To this day, the rebellious acts of Guy Fawkes are legendary, and the English have a special event each year, Bonfire Night, every fifth of November: it celebrates the failure of his notorious plot.

9. Robert Hanssen

Hanssen grew up in a dysfunctional home, suffering abuse at the hands of his father. He started a career as a police officer in Chicago, but left to pursue employment as an FBI Special Agent in 1976.
Hanssen had strange proclivities: his interest in videotaping his sexual activities with his own wife, and showing them to neighbors, put him well outside the mainstream. In 1979, he became involved with FBI counterintelligence, and this paved the way for some of the most treasonous acts in American history.
In 1983, Hanssen transferred to the Soviet espionage unit within the FBI. Using his vast knowledge of computers, wiretapping, and electronic surveillance, he went on to sell lists of FBI double agents and other moles to KGB agents for large sums of money.
Hanssen was turned in to the FBI by his own brother-in-law, Mike Hauck: he is currently serving a life sentence, in solitary confinement, at ADX Florence, a supermax facility in Colorado.

8. Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda grew up as Hollywood royalty, surrounded by luxury and privilege. After an easy entrée into the acting world, greased by family connections and her own good looks, Jane became a passionate activist, involving herself in causes that were controversial and, in the eyes of many American veterans of the Vietnam War (including Jon McCain) highly treasonous. “Hanoi” Jane sympathized with the North Vietnamese, posing with their anti-aircraft guns, and “questioning” American POW’s (through her comrades, the North Vietnamese) about the “benevolent” treatment they were receiving from their captors. The soldiers tried to explain to Fonda that they were in fact being ill treated, and sometimes tortured, but she didn’t believe it. Some soldiers claim they withstood more torture and suffering because they would not speak to Jane and parrot the viewpoint that their captors were kind and peaceful. Many veterans tried to bring Jane Fonda up on charges of treason after the war, but, as some rich and famous people tend to do, she managed to escape any real punishment for her role in supporting the enemy during the Vietnamese conflict. She says now that she regrets her acts, but veterans of that conflict have yet to forgive “Hanoi Jane” for her easy embrace of the enemy.

7. Brutus

Julius Caesar, self-appointed “dictator for life” of the Roman Empire, was a leader whose tyranny led to his assassination: he had many enemies in high places, including a group of senators who conspired to kill him, with the help of his own nephew, Marcus Junius Brutus. Brutus joined the Senate in Rome after an early and very lucrative career as a moneylender.
On the day of Caesar’s assassination, there were rumors that the plot had been discovered, and many of the conspirators were wary of carrying out the plan. Brutus’ own wife pleaded with him to stay far away from the Senate that day. Brutus was undaunted, and he went to lie in wait for his uncle, along with a group of senators who then attacked the dictator with their bare hands. The famous quote, “Et tu, Brutus?” was uttered by Caesar as he took in the depths of his betrayal by his own nephew. The assassins attacked Julius Caesar so savagely, that they themselves were injured in the melee.
Brutus committed suicide after losing the Second Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C.

6. Wang Jingwei

Considered the greatest traitor in Chinese history, Wang Jingwei was born in 1883. When he turned 21, he went to school in Japan, where he encountered Sun-Yat Sen, a famous Chinese revolutionary. Under the influence of Sen, he began to participate in plots against the government, including an abortive assassination attempt on the Manchu Regent in Beijing.
Jang stayed in prison until the Wuchang uprising in 1911: after that time, Sun remained his mentor. Sun Yat-Sen’s Guangdong government rose to power in 1920: when Sun lay on his deathbed in 1925, Wang was his chosen successor. Wang could not hold onto power, however: Jiang Jieshi’s military faction usurped him the very same year.
When Nanjing fell to the Japanese in 1937, Wang began his traitorous dealings with the Japanese government, earning his place in history. He supported Japan’s plans for an armistice in a notorious telegram that led to his expulsion from the Chongqing government. When China was in crisis and needed him most, Jingwei took pains to ally with the Japanese and go along with its invaders. Wang died before he could witness the defeat of the Japanese by Allied forces in WWII.

5. The Rosenbergs

Selling atomic secrets to the Russians during the Cold War is about as treasonous it as gets: the Rosenbergs were a married couple willing to do anything to further their Communist beliefs.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s were affiliated with the Communist Party quite openly until 1943, when they suddenly seemed to retreat from any political activity: this was the same year they joined forces with Soviet super spy, Feliksov.
From then on, Julius Rosenberg was heavily involved in espionage against the American government: he acted as a mule for covert information exchanges with the Russians, and sought out new recruits to betray and spy for the USSR. He was arrested as he shaved one morning in 1950. He and his wife, Ethel, were executed on June 19, 1953.

4. Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold was an American general who served the cause of the American Revolution until he decided to shift his allegiance to the British. Born in Connecticut in January 1741, he came from a troubled background, where his family struggled to survive poverty and hardship. Always known as a troublemaking child, he grew to become a prominent figure in the military, where he trained soldiers and planned out attacks.
From an early start as a war hero and patriot, Arnold plotted to turn over the American fort at West Point, New York to British forces during the American Revolution. His plot was unsuccessful and he was driven to escape by sea, under cover of darkness, to Britain, where he was not welcomed with open arms: they, too, distrusted the man who would betray his own country so readily. He died in poverty in Canada in 1801.

3. Aldrich Ames

Ames entered the Soviet Embassy in Washington in 1985 and offered to sell American secrets for one reason only: money. He was an alcoholic with a very expensive second wife, a woman name Rosario who burned through his paychecks from the CIA with alarming frequency.
In order to give the woman he loved the lifestyle she demanded, he was willing to do a lot of damage to the US government: by releasing the names of American spies and other counterintelligence information, he compromised over 100 United States military operations.
Thanks to Aldritch, who earned about 4.6 million dollars for his efforts, 10 Americans were executed because their covers were “blown”. In time, he revealed the names of every US agent in operation against the USSR. His lavish lifestyle raised red flags for the CIA, and he was arrested and convicted to life in prison: his wife, Rosario, was deported to South America.

2. Vidkun Quisling

Considered a lunatic right-winger in his native Norway, Quisling went unnoticed until forming his National Unity Party in 1933. He adored Hitler and was a firm believer in the doctrine of Fascism. Quisling, a military general, met with Hitler and made sure he had all the information he needed about Norwegian military strategy, so that Hitler could secure the occupation of Norway.

When the Germans invaded, Quisling was appointed as Premier, as the deposed government officials scattered and ran, trying to stay alive. The citizens of Norway were disgusted by his appointment, and rebelled until he was forced to step down. Nonetheless, Hitler had him reinstated that November. A failure and a weak politician, Quisling often made a fool of himself, even in the eyes of his Nazi collaborators. After the German surrender in Norway, Quisling was tried and convicted for deaths of 1000 Jews, along other war crimes. He was executed in 1945.

1. Judas Iscariot

According to the Bible, Satan “entered Judas” before he betrayed the son of Christ to Roman authorities. This infamous member of the Twelve Apostles betrayed his friend for money alone – thirty pieces of silver. Judas arranged a special signal to let the authorities know the identity of Jesus Christ: he would kiss Jesus to identify him. This “Judas kiss” led to the prosecution and death by crucifixion of the Son of God, and puts Judas Iscariot at number one as the most notorious traitor in human history:  Judas died shortly after his monumental act of greed.

Veerapandiya Kattabomman

Reign     2 February 1790 – 16 October 1799
Full name     Veemaraja Jagaveera Pandiya Kattabomman (Karuthaiah)
Born     3 January 1760
Birthplace     Panchalankurichi,Tamil Nadu
Died     16 October 1799
Place of death     Kayathar,Tamil Nadu
Cause of Death - Refused to give tax to the British
Source of Death - Hanged

Brothers
1.  Dalavai Kumarasami  (Sevathaiah)
2. Duraisingam. ’ (Oomaithurai)

 Kattabomman refused to pay his dues and for a long time refused to meet Jackson Durai, the Collector of the East India Company. Finally, he met Jackson at Ramalinga Vilasam, the palace of Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram. The meeting turned violent and ended in a skirmish in which the Deputy Commandant of the Company’s forces, Clarke was slain. Kattabomman and his men fought their way to freedom and safety, but Thanapathi Pillai, Kattabomman’s secretary was taken prisoner.

Kattabomman refused to meet the Collector and a fight broke out. Under Major Bannerman, the army stood at all the four entrances of Panchalankurichi’s fort. At the southern end, Lieutenant Collins was on the attack. When the fort’s southern doors opened, Kattabomman and his forces audaciously attacked the corps stationed at the back of his fort, and slew their commander Lt. Collins.

Veerapandiya Kattabomman hid in so many places including Thirumayam, Virachilai and finally stayed at Kolarpatti at Rajagopala Naicker’s house where the forces surrounded the house. Kattabomman and his aides fled from there and took refuge in the Thirukalambur forests close to Pudukkottai. Bannerman ordered the Raja of Pudukkottai to arrest Kattabomman. Accordingly, Kattabomman was captured and on October 16, 1799 the case was taken up (nearly three weeks after his arrest near Pudukkottai).
After a summary trial, Kattabomman was hanged unceremoniously on a Tamarind tree in Kayathar (near Thirunelveli).

Is Ettappam (Venkateshwara Ettappa Maharaja. ) a traitor :

              It is said that kings of Ettapayapuram were called so (ETTAPPAN) because of the fact that one of the Kings, named Nalama Nayak, accepted himself as a father to eight oprhaned siblings of another king who he defeated in the war.

From the early 1780’s the Ettayapuram family were good friends with the British and obtained much preferential treatment thus alienating them from the other warring/rebellious poligars. They were later accused by these poligars, especially Kattabomman of frequently offering information and troop support to the British. The Ettapap nayak in this discussion was named Venkateshwara Ettappa Maharaja.

              The History of Tinnevelly by Rev R Caldwell is a fine book covering all these events and the Poligar history if one needs the details. It quotes on Major Bannerman’s letter to the Secretary of the British Government.

“I have received a letter from Mr Lushington (Collector Tinnevelly) that he has received a letter from the Tondaiman (Pudukottai Poligar who was also aligned with the British) informing him that he had succeeded in his exertions to seize the person of Kattabomma Nayka”, and desiring to be furnished with orders respecting the disposal of that rebellious Poligar.

            Thus it becomes clear that the Pudukottai people were the ones who located and captured Kattabomman, not the Ettayapan Nayak or his people, as rumored.

It seems that Ma.Po.Si (Ma.Po.Sivanyanam) who wrote the dialogues for the film had some misunderstanding with the Ettappan family.

Lord Krishna

 Birth - July 19th 3228 BC (Predicted - No Proof)
Death - February 18th 3102 BC (Predicted - NO proof)
Cause of Death - Curse of Gandhari
Source of Death - Arrow shot by a hunter (Bali)

Around the time of Bhagwan Krishna's birth, Rohini Nakshatra was predominant as it is considered to be quite auspicious. This is so because it is under the supervision of Brahma, the creator of Universe. Sri Krishna was born in the month Of Sravana more than 5000 years ago.

According to some scholars, Krishna was born on Wednesday,the eighth day of second fortnight in Sravana month in the year of Visvavasu around 3227 BC, also known as Dwapur Yug. July 19th 3228 BC to be more accurate. He lived for 125 years and disappeared on February 18th 3102 BC on the new moon night of Phalguna. His death was the onset of the current corrupt age known as Kaliyug.

The death of Lord Krishna was destined to be in a desolate situation, by an ordinary man. Lord Krishna was deeply involved with the Pandavas during the War of Kurukshetra. He also joined them and aided them in every possible way during the Great War. Lord Krishna was the charioteer or `sarathi` of Arjuna during this war. While the war was on swing, Lord Krishna narrated Bhagavad Gita and was also a witness of Bhisma`s and Duryodhana`s death.

Lord Krishna received the curse of Duryodhana`s mother, Gandhari for not rescuing his son. She was an ardent worshipper of Lord Vishnu and recognised Krishna as his incarnation. She equally believed and revered Lord Krishna, but on seeing his son die in front of the Primal Male, he could not find any justification as to why Lord Krishna allowed such things to befall.

Duryadhona`s mother, Gandhari cursed Lord Krishna that he would perish after thirty-six years, all alone and in a miserable state. All his followers, devotees, relatives and loved ones will also die simultaneously. When this time arrived in Lord Krishna`s life; a madness seized the inhabitants of Dwaraka in such an extent that the people started to kill one another. All sons and grandsons of Krishna were also dead in the massacre. Only the women, Krishna and Balaram were alive in Dwaraka.

After a while Balaram desolated himself in a dense forest. Lord Krishna sent the women and children along with a messenger to the Kuru city and they were left with the Pandavas. Lord Krishna then went to his father, took blessings and left for the forest, where Balaram awaited him. He saw that his elder brother was sitting under a mighty tree on the fringes of the forest. Balaram was sitting in a posture of a Yogi, eventually a thousand headed snake, `Ananta naga` came out from his mouth and glided its way to the ocean. Soon, the ocean and other holy rivers came together to welcome Anant Naga into their realm.

Lord Krishna saw his brother depart from the real world and he started to wander in the forest. Finally he sat on the ground, started to think of Gandhari`s curse, and realised that the time for his departure has already arrived. He self-possessed his senses and concentrated on his Yoga. A hunter approached that spot of the forest and from a distant saw him and thought to be a deer. He loosed his shaft, took out the arrow, and mistakenly pierced Lord Krishna`s foot. He came hurried near to the Lord and saw him to be a man wrapped in yellow robes practicing yoga. The hunter immediately touched the feet of Lord Krishna and asked for apology.

Lord Krishna opened his eyes and comforted the hunter. He informed the hunter about his previous life of Bali who was killed by Lord Rama. He then ascended towards the heaven, thus filling the whole sky with glory. After passing through Lord Indra`s paradise, he reached his place at even higher strata. Krishna wives; including Rukmini became Sati and were burnt on pyre. The rest of the women of Dwaraka became ascetics and nuns. After each and every living being of Dwaraka moved away to other places, the ocean came about and engulfed the city, thus leaving no trace of the land of Lord Krishna.