Porbandar

Porbandar
Porbandar skyline in 2007
Porbandar Location of Porbandar in Gujarat and India
Coordinates	21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E / 21.63°N 69.6°E / 21.63; 69.6
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District(s)	Porbandar
Population	133,083 (2001[update])
Official languages	Gujarati · Hindi · English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 0 m (0 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 360575
Website	www.porbandarcity.info

Porbandar (Gujarati પોરબંદર) pronunciation (help·info) 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.

City

The name "Porbandar" came from the combination of two words: "Porai", the name of a local goddess, and "Bandar" means port or harbour. Thus, 'Porbandar' translates to 'Porai's harbour'. Several sources refer to the area as 'Pauravelakul', a name known to have been in use during the 10th century; this ancient name may possibly translate to 'land of Porai's clan' or to that effect. The town is mentioned in the Hindu epics as the hometown of Sudama, a beloved friend and class-fellow of lord Krishna; the town has also often been referred to as 'Sudamapuri' on that account.

Rokhadia Hanuman temple in 1958

Located in the extreme west of India, Porbandar is an important all-weather port on the Arabian sea. It supports a population (c. 2001 CE) of over 150,000. Because it's the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Porbandar is today something of a tourist centre and is served by an airport and train line. Its deep sea port was built during the last quarter of the 20th century.

Places of interest

• Kirti Mandir (birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi)
• Sudama Mandir
• Bharat Mandir
• Gita Mandir
• Gayatri Mandir
• Ram Dhoon Mandir
• Rokadia Hanuman temple
• Sandipani Vidyaniketan
• Bird Sanctuary
• Rana Bapu's Mahal
• Chowpati
• Satyanarayan's Mandir
• Kamla Nehru park
• Sai Baba Dat Sai Mandir which is on the national highway; every Thursday people visit this temple to get "prasad" of khichdi and vegetables.
• Shri Hari Mandir
• Many vandis (community centres)
• Ram Krishna Mission
• Nehru Planetarium
• Tara Mandir: Tara is Gujarati for stars. Tara Mandir houses a planetarium which is among the first two planetariums started in India by Shri Jawaharlal Nehru. These days it is very rundown and lacks any state-of-the-art exhibit or infrastructure.^{[citation needed]} The entry fee for a ten-minute show is Rs 5 for adults and Rs 2 for children.
• Swaminarayan Mandir
• Bhutnath Mandir - is located opp. Bhavshiji Hospital (Civil Hospital)

People of interest

• Nikesh Mandalia
• Bunty Mandalia
• Nav Star
• Naunit Sunderji
• Sonika Sunderji
• Bhagyashree Sunderji
• Priyesh Ranmal
• Jaymal Modhavadia

Educational institutions — colleges

• 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 assets to society. Assets such as those, who knew not to ask but only to give. 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.^[1]
• 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.
• Dr V. R. Godhaniya College, Porbandar is managed by Shri Maldevji Odedra Smarak Trust. This college is affiliated to Saurashtra University. This institute runs courses for women in the morning and offers co-education during afternoons. The courses for the morning session are B.A. and B.Com (Gujarati and English medium), BSc (Home Science). The afternoon courses are B.C.A., M.Sc. (IT & CA), P.G.D.C.A., D.C.S., M.A. (English literature) and B.Ed. ^[2] .
• Maharshi Dayanand Science College, Porbandar: This college is the only science college in the district. It is affiliated with Saurastra University and runs three year degree course for Bachelor of Science with specialization in Chemistry, Maths or Botany.
• Shri K. H. Madhwani College, Porbandar : This college is affiliated to Saurashtra University and runs three-year degree courses for Bachelor of Arts (B.A), Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) and Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A).
• Dhanjibhai D. Kotiyawala Municipal (DDKM) Law College, Porbandar : This college is affiliated with Saurashtra University and runs three-year degree courses for Bachelor in Law (LL.B).
• Ramba Graduate Teachers' College, Porbandar : This is the only government college for education in the Saurashtra region. It is highly reputed for education and is affiliated with Saurashtra University. This college offers a one-year degree Course in Bachelors of Education (B.Ed.) under a grant-in-aid scheme and offers Master of Education (M.Ed.) in self-finance mode.
• V.J. Modha College, Porbandar: This college is affiliated with Saurashtra University. It offers B.C.A. and P.G.D.A. courses and also runs Tally Academi and DOEACC Center at its sister firm, NPG-UNIQUE Computers. This college is the only one in the District that is purely dedicated to computer education.
• Swaminarayan P.T.C. College, Chhaya
• Kendriya Vidhyalay.

Educational institutions — schools

• The M.E.M. School at Porbandar was the first English-medium school in Porbandar.
• The Victoria Jubilee (V.J.) Madressa Boys' and Girls' High School, Porbandar was established over 120 years ago by Sheth Haji Abdullaha Jhaveri, the founding president of the Natal Indian Congress and a person who encouraged Gandhi to move to South Africa. V. J. Madressa Girls School is recognised by IGNOU (Indira Gandhi Open University) as a Special Study Centre. This institution is managed by Porbandar Madressa Trust.
• The Birlasagar Higher Secondary School is another English-medium school which is popular among students in Porbandar. It was started by the management of Saurashtra Chemicals (formerly held by S K Birla group) for the wards of their employees. It follows the course-curriculum prescribed by the CBSE and students may choose Science of Commerce stream in their higher-secondary years.
• Kendriya Vidyalay is an English-medium school. It is one of the best school among government employee children.^{[citation needed]}
• Swaminarayan Gurukul is an educational organization in the city serving Gujarati- and English-medium education. Swaminarayan has balmandir (K.G./L.K.G./S.K.G), primary Gujarati medium, primary English medium, secondary high school and P.T.C. college with a religious hostel for boys. All the school buildings and the hostel are in the Chhaya sub-town of Porbandar.

History

Harappan settlement (1600-1400 BC)

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 BC, 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.

Princely Porbandar (1600 AD 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.

During the Raj, the state covered an area of 1,663 sq.km, 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' with effect from February 15, 1948 and eventually came to form part of the present-day state of Gujarat.

Current situation

Mahatma Gandhi's image in
the Gita Mandir, Porbandar

Despite being the birthplace of one of the most famous leaders of the world, Porbandar lacks any significant tourism infrastructure, although the area around Mahatma Gandhi's home has been renovated to become a temple of peace.

The major complaint of tourists is that the town is not known well enough, and that heavy traffic means that bus journeys take many hours.

Porbandar has an excellent beach and a brilliant azure sea which could become a tourism hot spot, however the government has failed to assure cleanliness and although the ocean itself is pristine, reconstruction activities were carried on to give Chowpati Beach a new look by some collector in around 2003 and now it has been furnished with well arranged sitting arrangements for tourist and commuters and there is also a skating rink for children. Although the local civic body does not pay enough attention to cleanliness, their condition can be said to be better than many beaches across the country. Fishing industries give a lot of employment to city and to neighbouring districts.

The current Member of Parliament is Harilal Madhavji Patel. The current Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly is Arjunbhai Modhvadia.

Regarding any collectorate inquiry you can visit http://collectorporbandar.gujarat.gov.in/

Geography

Porbandar is located at 21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E / 21.63°N 69.6°E / 21.63; 69.6.^[3] It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 ft).

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[4] Porbandar had a population of 133,083. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Porbandar has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 67%. In Porbandar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transport

New terminal at Porbandar Airport

The local transportation of the city includes City Bus (operated by kargil parivahn company) connecting to major area of the city and Auto Rikshaw. Sudama chowk is the main hub of City Bus and private Taxis.

City is well connected by Road, Rail and Air to the various city across the country.

Road City is connected through National Highway 8B connecting to Rajkot and Ahmedabad. National Highway 8E Ext. (Also known as State Highway 6) connecting 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.

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.

Railway City is well connected with major cities of state and some of major cities in the country. There are daily trains to Rajkot (via Jamnagar), Bhanwad, Okha and Mumbai (Via Ahmedabad, Vadodra and Surat). There are also trains to Delhi, Motihari and Howrah connecting to major cities of Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Airport Airport Authority of India(AAI) has buildup a new terminal building at Porbandar. The Porbandar Airport daily flights connecting to Mumbai and Diu operated by Jet Airways

Sister City

In 1967, Porbandar became a sister city of Skokie, Illinois. Later, the Village of Skokie erected a statue of India's "Father of the Nation", on the McCormick bicycling trail, between Dempster and Church steets.

References

• 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

• Information on the city of Porbandar
• Sandipani Vidhyaniketan
• Kirti Mandir, Birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi
• 2009 SSC Toppers List, Porbandar District