Rao asserts that the unearthed remains at Dwarka were the historical city that was home to Krishna, believed to be the eighth Avatar of Vishnu. According to the Mahabharata, Krishna built Dwarka at Kushasthali—a fortress in the sea which is currently in ruins. Then he built another city at the mouth of the Gomti River. The Mahabharata also refers to how Krishna wanted every citizen to carry some sort of identity—a mudra.However, his claims were never widely accepted by the scholarly community.