Porbandar

Porbundar is most famous today for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of our Nation. If we delve a little deeper, we find that it is an ancient port city, very important from the time of Harappan Civilisation. On shore explorations have brought to light remains of settlement during 16th-14th century BCE and the discovery of ancient jetties along the Porbandar creek signifies the importance of this city as an active centre of maritime activities in the past. Porbundar has its share of legend too. It is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishnas childhood friend Sudama. Porbundars pilgrimage sites include Sudama Mandir, Gita Mandir, Rokadia Hanuman Mandir, Swaminarayan Mandir and Sai Baba Dat Sai Mandir.
Coming back to the present, this coastal city is well-connected by road, rail and air to various cities across the country. The most prominent of tourist attractions is Mahatma Gandhis home, the area around which has been renovated to become a temple of peace known as Kirti Mandir.
Porbandar has an excellent beach locally known as ‘Chowpati’, which has the pristine ocean itself as the greatest attraction for all generations. Now it has been furnished with well-arranged seating arrangements for tourists and commuters and there is also a skating rink for children. Besides the beach, visit worthy places are Bird Sanctuary, Rana Bapu’s Mahal, Kamala Nehru Park and Nehru Planetarium.
Best Time to Visit: October to April

Languages Spoken: Gujarati
Climate: Hot and dry summers and pleasant winters
Holy places: Sudama Mandir, Bharat Mandir, Gita Mandir, Gayatri Mandir, Ram Dhoon Mandir, Rokadia Hanuman temple, Satyanarayan Mandir, Sai Baba Dat Sai Mandir, Sri Hari Mandir, Ramakrishna Mission, Swaminarayan Mandir, Bhutnath Mandir, Chadeshwar Mahadev and Ajani Mataji’s temple
Historical sites: Kirti Mandir (birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi), Rana Bapu’s Mahal
Fun places & Knowledge centres: Chowpatty (Beach), Kamla Nehru Park, Bird Sanctuary, Nehru Planetarium, Sandipani Vidyaniketan

Road journeys – Diu to Porbandar, Land of the Father of Nation

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“Mangrol is an important harbour as far as the fish industry is considered. There are many fisheries located here and exports to many European nations. The fishermen of Mangrol are infamous for being caught many-a-times by the Pakistan Coast Guard for entering their naval territories in search of fish”.

We were looking forward to see the much heard and boasted coastal highway running parallel to the Arabian Sea. Though almost the entire highway runs along the coast but the sea or its shores is visible only for a stretch of one kilometer. After long wait we finally reached a concrete fly-over kind of bridge at Madhavpur. The sight of infinitive majestic blue of Arabian Sea on our left at a hand shaking distance and rows of palms and greenery comprising tall pillars with massive blades of the wind mills standing erect with pride & humility on the right was like reaching a dream land. The SUZLON wind-mills claim providing 24 hour power to the state. According to official data, wind power generations capacity in the state has increased a staggering ten times in just six years. As per C-WET data, the total installed capacity in Gujarat stood at 3093 MW.

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