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Porbandar

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This article is about the municipality in India. For its namesake district, see Porbandar district.
Porbandar
પોરબંદર
Sudamapuri
City
Kirti Mandir
Street in front of Kirti Mandir
Nickname: 
pbr
CountryIndia
StateGujarat
DistrictPorbandar
Elevation
1 m (3 ft)
Population
 (2001)
 • Total133,083
Languages
 • OfficialGujarati · Hindi · English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
360575
Vehicle registrationGJ-25
Websiteporbandar.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 Sudhaama (Friend of Lord Krishna in Dwaparyug), hence it is referred to as Sudhaamapuri or Sudhamapuri.

Princely Porbandar (1600 CE onwards)

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

Notable people

  • Mahatma Gandhi the father of the Nation was born here
  • Dilip Joshi actor (playing lead role as Jethalal Gada in Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah)
  • Sudama(also known as Kuchela)friend of lord Krishna(mentioned in Shrimad Bhagvat)
  • Jaydev Unadkat Indian cricketer

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 21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E / 21.63000°N 69.60000°E / 21.63000; 69.60000.[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
(99.0) 		44.5
(112.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 26.6
(79.9) 		27.2
(81.0) 		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) 		29.8
(85.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 20.6
(69.1) 		21.6
(70.9) 		24.8
(76.6) 		26.8
(80.2) 		28.9
(84.0) 		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
(72.0) 		25.6
(78.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 14.6
(58.3) 		16.1
(61.0) 		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) 		21.9
(71.4)
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
(63.0) 		16
(61) 		8
(46) 		7
(45) 		1
(34)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1
(0.0) 		1
(0.0) 		1
(0.0) 		0
(0) 		1
(0.0) 		106
(4.2) 		285
(11.2) 		151
(5.9) 		56
(2.2) 		14
(0.6) 		12
(0.5) 		1
(0.0) 		629
(24.6)
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.

Educational institutions

Schools

  • 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]
  • Shree Bhavsinhji Vidhayalaya, the school for boys founded by the King of Porbandar, Shree Bhavsinhji (Father of Shree Natwarsinhji Bhavsinhji (king of Porbandar)).
  • Maharani Shree Baluba Kanya Vidhalaya, Porbandar. It is the link between the old and new era of the city. The School was founded by the visionary King of Porbandar, Shree Natvarsinghji Rana, in the remembrance of his mother-in-law, Shree Baluba. The school is the icon of better education and women's empowerment in the city.
  • Ghediya Prathmic Shala, Porbandar, one of the best Gujarati Medium School to impart over all development in the children.
  • K. B. Joshi High School
  • The Saint Mary's School was established in 1985, which is a Catholic school run by AINACS.[9] Saint Mary's School is well known for its quality of education and popular alumni like Jaydev Unadkat.
  • Suruchi English Medium School
  • St Joseph CMI school Adityana
  • The M.E.M. School at Porbandar was the first English-medium school in Porbandar.
  • V.J. Madressa Boys' & Girls' High School, Porbandar, was established over 125 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, Durban (South Africa). The secretary of this school is Mr. Faruq Suria.
  • 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 or Commerce stream in their higher-secondary years.
  • Kendriya Vidyalay is an English-medium school. It is one of the school among government employee children.[citation needed]
  • Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is CBSE affilicated school, run by Navodaya Vidyalaya Sameeti
  • 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.
  • O.N. Modha Vidhayalya is a big school at Khapat Porbandar.
  • Navyug vidhayalay, Government school, located in middle of city, most number of students study there.
  • The Bharti Vidhayalaa, Boys and Girls' primary and high school, at Chaaya Choki, Porbandar
  • Cham Memorial English & Gujarati Medium School, near new fountain, Porbandar, also a very good school; founded by late Shri Kanjibhai D. Cham.
  • Sunrise English Medeum School-Gadhada
  • Shree G. D. Lakhani Primary School

Colleges

The following are institutions of higher learning:

  • 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), B.Sc (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), M.Com (English Medium) and B.Ed[10]
  • 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 courses for Bachelor of Science degrees with specializations in Chemistry, Maths or Botany.
  • Shri K. H. Madhwani College, Porbandar: This college is affiliated with Saurashtra University and runs three-year degree courses for Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).
  • Dhanjibhai D. Kotiyawala Municipal (DDKM) Law College, Porbandar : This college is affiliated with Saurashtra University and runs three-year degree courses for Bachelor of Laws (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 leading to Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degrees under a grant-in-aid scheme and offers Master of Education (M.Ed) degrees 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. It was the first college in Porbandar to have an AC section.
  • Swaminarayan P.T.C. College, Chhaya, Swaminarayan GURUKUL, Chhaya.
  • Kendriya Vidhyalay.
  • Government polytechnic.Diploma engineering study centre approved by,A.I.C.T.E and G.T.U

Sports

References

  1. ^ Kaushik, Himanshu. "Task force on dugong soon". Times of India. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  2. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Porbandar
  3. ^ a b "Porbandar - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  4. ^ "Porbandar Monthly Temperature weather history". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  5. ^ "Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ Sandipani Vidhaniketan
  9. ^ Saint Mary's School porbandar, an allied with of AINACS
  10. ^ www.drvrginstitute.org Godhayniya College - Porbandar
Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porbandar.
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