Porbandar

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This article is about the municipality in India. For its namesake district, see Porbandar district.

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Porbandar
પોરબંદર
Sudamapuri
City
Kirti Mandir
Street in front of Kirti Mandir
Nickname(s): pbr
Porbandar is located in Gujarat
Porbandar
Porbandar
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country India
State Gujarat
District Porbandar
Elevation 1 m (3 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 133,083
Languages
 • Official Gujarati · Hindi · English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 360575
Vehicle registration GJ-25
Website porbandar.gujarat.gov.in

Porbandar <phonos file="Porbandar.ogg">pronunciation</phonos> 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 Sudhaama (Friend of Lord Krishna in Dwaparyug), hence it is referred to as Sudhaamapuri or Sudhamapuri.

Princely Porbandar (1600 CE onwards)

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Main article: Porbandar State

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.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)
  • Ghumli (37 km from the city, Capital of Jethwa kingdom till 1313, listed by Archaeological survey of India)
  • 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

Notable people

Current situation

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.

Fishing and small-scale and industrial fish processing 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.[1]

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 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..[2] It has an average elevation of 1 metre (3 ft).

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot semi-arid (BSh).[3] It is the least hot city of the rest of the major cities in Gujarat.

Climate data for Porbandar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 37
(99)		 40
(104)		 42.9
(109.2)		 43.1
(109.6)		 43.4
(110.1)		 44.5
(112.1)		 39
(102)		 39
(102)		 38.8
(101.8)		 42
(108)		 40
(104)		 37.2
(99)		 44.5
(112.1)
Average high °C (°F) 26.6
(79.9)		 27.2
(81)		 29.7
(85.5)		 30.7
(87.3)		 31.5
(88.7)		 31.8
(89.2)		 30
(86)		 29.2
(84.6)		 29.5
(85.1)		 31.7
(89.1)		 31.4
(88.5)		 28.2
(82.8)		 29.79
(85.64)
Daily mean °C (°F) 20.6
(69.1)		 21.6
(70.9)		 24.8
(76.6)		 26.8
(80.2)		 28.9
(84)		 29.5
(85.1)		 28.3
(82.9)		 27.4
(81.3)		 27.1
(80.8)		 24.3
(75.7)		 25.5
(77.9)		 22.2
(72)		 25.58
(78.04)
Average low °C (°F) 14.6
(58.3)		 16.1
(61)		 19.9
(67.8)		 22.9
(73.2)		 26.3
(79.3)		 27.3
(81.1)		 26.7
(80.1)		 25.7
(78.3)		 24.8
(76.6)		 23
(73)		 19.6
(67.3)		 16.2
(61.2)		 21.92
(71.43)
Record low °C (°F) 1
(34)		 2
(36)		 8.6
(47.5)		 13
(55)		 15.4
(59.7)		 6
(43)		 16
(61)		 12
(54)		 17.2
(63)		 16
(61)		 8
(46)		 7
(45)		 1
(34)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1
(0.04)		 1
(0.04)		 1
(0.04)		 0
(0)		 1
(0.04)		 106
(4.17)		 285
(11.22)		 151
(5.94)		 56
(2.2)		 14
(0.55)		 12
(0.47)		 1
(0.04)		 629
(24.75)
Source #1: Climate-Data.org (altitude: 629m)[3]
Source #2: Voodoo Skies (records)[4]

Demographics

Porbandar skyline

As of 2011 India census,[5] 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.[6][7]

Transport

File:PBD airport.jpg
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.

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 Airport Authority of India (AAI) has built a new terminal building at Porbandar. The Porbandar Airport has daily flight to Mumbai operated by Jet Airways and twice in a week Tuesdays and Thursdays direct flight to Ahmedabad operated by Mehair.

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.[8]

Sports

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Porbandar
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ [1]
  7. ↑ [2]
  8. ↑ Sandipani Vidhaniketan
Sources

External links

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