Porbandar

Porbandar પોરબંદર Sudamapuri
City
Hari Mandir Temple
Nickname(s): pbr
Porbandar Show map of Gujarat Porbandar Show map of India
Coordinates: 21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E / 21.63000°N 69.60000°E / 21.63000; 69.60000Coordinates: 21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E / 21.63000°N 69.60000°E / 21.63000; 69.60000
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Porbandar
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	217,307
Languages
• Official	English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	360575
Vehicle registration	GJ-25
Website	porbandar.gujarat.gov.in

Porbandar  pronunciation  is a coastal city in the Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama (friend of Lord Krishna). It is the administrative center of Porbandar District.

History

Harappan settlement (1600-1400 BCE)

Onshore explorations in and around Porbandar brought to light, for the first time, the remains of a late Harappan settlement dating back to the 16th - 14th century BCE, which is similar to that from Bet Dwarka. This is another evidence to suggest that the Harappan legacy of maritime activity continued till the late Harappan period on the Saurashtra coast. The discovery of ancient jetties along the Porbandar creek signifies the importance of Porbandar as an active centre of maritime activities in the past.

Past Harappan age and classical Vedic ages, Indian mythology says it is the birthplace of Sudaama (Friend of Lord Krishna in Dwaparyug), hence it is referred to as Sudaamapuri or Sudamapuri.

Princely Porbandar (1600 CE onwards)

Porbandar was formerly the seat of the eponymous princely state in British India. The ruling family of the state belonged to the Jethwa clan of rajputs and had been established in the area since at least the mid-16th century. The state was subordinate to the Mughal governor of Gujarat until being overrun by the marathas in the latter half of the 18th century, whereafter they came under the authority of the Gaekwad court at Baroda, and eventually of the Peshwa. In common with the other states of Kathiawar, the state first came into the ambit of British influence in 1807, when the HEIC guaranteed security in the area in lieu of a fixed annual tribute to be paid to the Peshwa and the Gaekwad. In 1817, the Peshwa ceded his share to the HEIC; in 1820, the Gaekwad agreed to have the HIEC collect his due tributes in Kathiawar and remit the same to his treasury.

Huzoor Palace built by last ruler of Princely State of Probandar, Rana Natwarsinhji, in early 20th century, stands near sear shore at Marine Drive in city.

During the British Raj, the state covered an area of 1,663 square kilometres (642 sq mi), encompassing 106 villages and a population, in 1921, of over 100,000 people. It enjoyed a revenue of Rs.21,00,000/-. By 1947, the rulers held the style of "Highness" and the title of "Maharaj Rana Sahib"; they were entitled to a salute of 13 guns as a hereditary distinction.

Upon the Independence of India in 1947, the state acceded unto the dominion of India. It was merged with the 'United State of Kathiawar', effective from February 15, 1948 and eventually came to form part of the present-day state of Gujarat. The last King of Porbandar was Natwarsinhji Bhavsinhji Maharaj.

Tourist attractions

Birth Place of Gandhi

• Kirti Mandir (birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi)
• Rana bapu’s Mahal
• Hari Mandir (Handeled by Ramesh Oza)
• Khimeshwar Mahadev Temple(Kuchchdi)(1600 years old temple as per Archaeological survey of India)
• Porbandar Bird Sanctuary (various species of birds like teals, fowls, flamingos, ibis, curlews can be seen)
• Barda Hills Wildlife Sanctuary(located at about 15 km from Porbandar, ideal for tracking)
• Bileshwara Shiva temple (built in 7th century)
• Jamvant cave(15 km located at Ranavav town)(historical place from the time of ramayan)^[1]
• Ghumli (37 km from the city, Capital of Jethwa kingdom till 1313, listed by Archaeological survey of India)
• Bharat Mandir (Permanent exhibition of culture, history and geometry about India. It was established by Shri Nanjibhai Kalidas Mehta)
• Tara Mandir (One of the oldest Planetoriam's of India)
• Ram Krishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda stayed here for 4 months)

-Best Time To Visit: October to March

-Janmashtami Mela(5 days), celebrated in the month of Shraavana as per Hindu Calendar, You can have rides, foods and enjoy much more stuffs , Must visit Once

Notable people

• Mahatma Gandhi the father of the Nation was born here
• Dilip Joshi actor (playing lead role as Jethalal Gada in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah)
• Sudama (also known as Kuchela) friend of lord Krishna(mentioned in Shrimad Bhagvat)
• Nanji Kalidas Mehta Founder of Mehta Group

Current situation

Kirti Mandir

As the birthplace of one of the most famous leaders of the world, Porbandar has a significant tourism-led infrastructure and economy. The area around Mahatma Gandhi's home has been renovated to become a temple of peace.

Porbandar's beach locally known as Chowpati has a long, sandy expanse along the ocean. Construction activities to provide attractions and manage litter and facilities on Chowpati Beach started in around 2003 and now it has been furnished with well-arranged seating arrangements for tourists and commuters and there is also a skating rink for children. The Chowpati ground has also been used for the Janamastmi Fair, an annual festival. This place is well equipped with a circuit house and a range of hotels located nearby for visitors.

Fishery gives a lot of employment to the city and to neighboring districts. Porbandar is also one of the last few coasts remaining where the threatened marine mammal dugong can be found. Officials are working out for the conservation policies for the mammal.^[2]

The current member of Parliament is Vitthalbhai Hansrajbhai Radadiya. The current member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly is Babubhai Bokhiriya.

Geography

Porbandar is located at 21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E / 21.63000°N 69.60000°E / 21.63000; 69.60000.^[3] It has an average elevation of 1 metre (3 ft).

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot semi-arid (BSh).^[4] It is the least hot city of the rest of the major cities in Gujarat.

Demographics

Porbandar skyline

As of 2011 India census,^[6] Porbandar had a population of 217,307. Males constituted 51.66% of the population and females 48.44%. Porbandar has an average literacy rate of 86.46%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 91.69%, and female literacy is 80.92%. In Porbandar, 9.11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Port

Porbandar is also an ancient port city at present having an all-weather port, with direct berthing facilities up to 50,000 DWT ships.^[7][8]

Transport

New terminal at Porbandar Airport

The local transportation of the city includes the city bus (operated by Kargil Parivahan company) connecting to major areas of the city and auto rickshaw. Sudama Chowk is the main hub of city buses and private taxis.

The city is well-connected by road, rail and air to the various cities across the country.

Road

The city is connected through National Highway 8B, connecting to Rajkot and Ahmedabad. National Highway 8E Ext (also known as State Highway 6) connects to Jamnagar, Dwarka in the north and Veraval, Bhavnagar in the south.

Major public transport is covered by the private and government buses.

Many private coaches are available daily to Rajkot, Dwarka, Veraval, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Vadodra, Surat, and Mumbai.

"NH8b" Highway

Large number of S.T. buses (State Transport Corporation operated by government) are available to multiple destinations including major cities of the state, small villages and towns.

From Narsang Tekri, you can also catch luxurious air-conditioned private buses for Rajkot and Ahmedabad. The booking is available in internet.

Rail

Porbandar railway station connects Porbandar with major cities of state and the country. There are daily trains to Rajkot (via Jamnagar, Bhanwad and Upleta, Dhoraji, Gondal as well), Somnath (via Junagadh) and Mumbai (via Ahmedabad, Vadodra and Surat). There are also trains to Delhi, Muzaffarpur and Howrah connecting to major cities of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha and West Bengal. A weekly train service also there, connecting Kochuveli (Kerala) and Secunderabad (Hyderabad) with Porbandar via Mangalore, Calicut, Kochi and Quilon(Kollam).

Airport

Porbandar Airport is presently non operational. Nearest airport is Jamnagar Airport.Also due to better connectivity Rajkot Airport is preferred.

Notable Educational institutions

• Arya Kanya Gurukul at Porbandar is amongst the most reputed education organisations dedicated to female education in India. The unique education system here is a blend of the rich ancient Vedic heritage and the modern educational system. It was established by Shri Nanjibhai Kalidas Mehta.
• Sandipani Vidhyaniketan is managed by Pujya Ramesh Oza. "Bhaishri" set up a Vidyaniketan that, he emphasized, would be run like an ashram and would be called Rishikul. This was the ancient way of imparting education in India. Life in the Vidyaniketan is self-dependent with set routines carried out with strict discipline. All his students will be called Rishikumars, said Bhaishri, who, after having completed their studies from the Rishikul would become great assets to the society. Bhaishri said the motto of the Vidyaniketan would be "Gyanarth Pravesh, Sevarath Prasthan". This implies that a student would enter the school vowing to gain knowledge and would leave the school covenanted to be of service to mankind at large.^[9]

Sports

• Duleep School of Cricket Ground is one of two cricket ground in Porbandar. The ground owned by Duleep School of Cricket. The ground is also home ground of Saurashtra cricket team. The ground hosted a six cricket matches from 1968 to 1986 before falling of the record. The ground is named after great Indian cricketer and Prince of Nawanagar Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji.
• Natwarsinhji Cricket Club Ground is one of two cricket ground in Porbandar. The ground has hosted a Ranji Trophy match in October 1960 between Saurashtra cricket team and Maharashtra cricket team. The match was Maharashtra cricket team won by 10 wickets as match had a low scores with Saurashtra scored 94 & 139 and Maharashtra scored 187 and 47/0 as scheduled for three days but was completed in two days. This was only cricket was ever played on the ground.
• Indian cricketer Jaydev Unadkat was born in Porbandar.

References

Sources

• for more details on porbandar
• Jayesh Hinglajiya known as Modern Gandhi Sets World Record to change Body Colors
• Hemant Sharma, Artist and Photographer from Porbandar set World Record
• Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Porbandar
• Application of geological and geophysical methods in marine archaeology and underwater explorations
• Porbandar district

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porbandar.

• Porbandar travel guide from Wikivoyage