Bhavnagar District is a district of southeastern Gujarat , India, on the Saurashtra peninsula . The administrative headquarters is in the town of Bhavnagar .
43-721: Bhavnagar is a city and the headquarters of Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat . It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Gohil. It was the capital of Bhavnagar State , which was a princely state before it was merged into the Indian Union in February 1948. Bhavnagar is situated 190 kilometres away from the state capital Gandhinagar and to the west of the Gulf of Khambhat . It has always been an important city for trade with many large and small scale industries along with
86-475: A council of state under his own presidency. This innovation—which had the support of the governor of Bombay , Lord Reay —provoked a virulent attack upon the chief, who brought his defamers to trial at the High Court of Bombay . The punishment of the ringleaders broke up a blackmailing system to which rajas were regularly exposed. The public spirit toward Takhtsinhji in freeing his brother chiefs from blackmail
129-432: A lighthouse, which was damaged in the 2001 earthquake . Bhavnagar has produced many reformists, thinkers, socialists, poets, writers, artists, educationists, and independence activists. Bhavnagar is popular for its fafadiya ganthiya , bhavnagari samosa, Kathiyawadi Chanamath, pav ganthiya, Daal Puri and bateta bhungla. Bhavnagar district Bhavnagar District covers an area of over 8334 km . The coastal area
172-540: A maximum magnitude of 3.8. These events were confined to an area which covered the southern part of Bhavnagar city and Tarsamiya village on the outskirts of the town. There was no loss of life recorded due to this earthquake. According to historical records, an earthquake of magnitude 7 occurred near Bhavnagar in February 1705. Earthquake swarm activity also occurred in and around Paliyad (60 km north of Bhavnagar) during July–August 1938 for about two months, with four earthquakes of magnitude greater than or equal to 5 and
215-565: A maximum magnitude of 6.0. Multiple town planning schemes were designed and implemented under the guidance of the progressive rulers of Bhavnagar. During the reign of Sir Takhtsinhji , the British State Engineer Proctor Sims supervised the construction of Barton Library, Sir Takhtsinhji Hospital. A few architectural examples include: Modern Bhavnagar comprises Takhteshvar Plots, Krishnanagar, Sardarnagar and surrounding area. During 1935–1937, Krishnanagar area
258-462: A policy of progressive administration. Further educational establishments, hospitals, dispensaries, trunk roads, bridges, handsome edifices, and other public works projects followed. Takhtsinhji was awarded the Empress of India Gold Medal in 1877, and knighted as a KCSI in 1881. In 1886, he inaugurated a system of constitutional rule, by placing several departments in the hands of four members of
301-465: A sex ratio of 930 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 125,441 (5.24%) and 8,039 (0.34%) of the population respectively. Hindus were 2,176,962 while Muslims were 187,148 and Jains 21,851. The population development of the cities and towns in Bhavnagar. Census 1991-03-01 Census 2001-03-01 Census 2011-03-01 Languages of Bhavnagar district (2011) At the time of
344-415: A territory nearly 3,000 square miles (7,800 km ) in size. His first public act was to sanction a railway connecting his territory with one of the main trunk lines, which was the first enterprise of its kind on the part of a raja in western (if not all) India. The amount of commerce, trade, economic and social development of the state that came in the wake of this railway confirmed Takhtsinhji as supporting
387-401: A total of 640 ). The district has a population density of 288 inhabitants per square kilometre (750/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 16.53%. Bhavnagar has a sex ratio of 931 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 76.84%. The divided district has a population of 2,393,272, of which 676,189 (28.25%) lived in urban areas. Bhavnagar had
430-478: Is a coastal city on the eastern coast of Saurashtra, also known as Kathiawar , located at 21°46′N 72°09′E / 21.77°N 72.15°E / 21.77; 72.15 . It has an average elevation of 24 metres (78 ft). It occupies an area of 53.3 km (20.6 sq mi) and 5th most populated city of Gujarat. The general slope dips towards the northeast at the apex of Gulf of Khambhat . A small non-perennial river named Kansara Nala passes through
473-516: Is an important center for the diamond cutting and polishing industry in Gujarat as well as India. Thousands of skilled diamond-polishing workers are employed in diamond-cutting and polishing firms, whose subsidiary offices are involved in cities like Surat , Mumbai , and Antwerp . Bhavnagar stands second in the diamond cutting and polishing industry after Surat in India, with 6,000 units operating from
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#1732776636630516-472: Is divided into ten talukas : Bhavnagar , Sihor , Umrala , Gariadhar , Palitana , Mahuva , Talaja , Ghogha , Jesar and Vallbhipur . There are close to 800 villages in this district, for example, Tana . According to the 2011 census Bhavnagar district has a population of 2,880,365, roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica or the US state of Kansas . This gives it a ranking of 133rd in India (out of
559-431: Is extreme as can be seen from annual totals as high as 1,428.9 millimetres or 56.26 inches in 1970 but as little as 157.2 millimetres or 6.19 inches in 1974. The semi-arid classification is due to the city's high evapotranspiration . The average temperature from November to February is around 23 °C or 73.4 °F, with low humidity. The region of Saurashtra is a geologically active part of West India , and falls in
602-404: Is full." Between 1870 and 1878, the state were put under joint administration, due to the fact that Prince Takhtsinhji was a minor. This period produced some notable reforms in the areas of administration, revenue collection, judiciary, the post and telegraph services , and economic policy. The ports were also modernized. The two people who were responsible for those reforms were E. H. Percival of
645-591: Is mostly alluvium . Bhavnagar borders with Ahmedabad District to the northeast, Botad District to the northwest, the Gulf of Cambay to the east and south and Amreli District to the west. Bhavnagar State was a salute state during the Raj , ruled by the Gohil Rajputs. Bhavnagar lost two talukas , Botad and Gadhada , to the creation in August 2013 of the new district of Botad . Bhavnagar District
688-416: Is one of the oldest institutions to provide higher education. Some of the other institutions which provide higher education are Bhavnagar University , Shantilal Shah Engineering College, Government Engineering College, Bhavnagar . Because of its salt and marine environment, Bhavnagar has a research and development centre known as - Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI). Bhavnagar
731-480: Is well known for its diversity of life, including many vulnerable or endangered species. There is a ruined fort which was built in 1325. The island has mangrove vegetation and also nesting site for two endangered species of sea turtle; Olive ridley sea turtle and Green sea turtle , and around fifty species of birds, mostly seabirds. Takhtsinhji Maharaja Raol Sir Takhtsinhji Jaswantsinhji GCSI KIH (6 January 1858 – 29 January 1896),
774-578: The Bhavnagar State Railway was constructed. This made Bhavnagar the first state that was able to construct its railway system without any aid from the central government, which was mentioned in The Imperial Gazetteer of India . Mr. Peile, a political agent, described the state as follows: "With flourishing finances and much good work in progress. Of financial matters I need say little; you have no debts, and your treasury
817-694: The Bombay Civil Service and Gaurishankar Udayshankar Oza , Chief Minister of Bhavnagar State Bhavnagar Boroz. In 1911, HH Maharani Nundkanvarba of Bhavnagar was awarded the Order of the Crown of India , the highest Imperial award for women of the British Empire . The former princely state of Bhavnagar was also known as Gohilwad, "Land of the Gohils" (the clan of the ruling family). Until
860-684: The Persian Gulf . Bhavsinhji ensured that Bhavnagar benefited from the revenue that was brought in from maritime trade, which was monopolized by Surat and Cambay . As the castle of Surat was under the control of the Siddis of Janjira , Bhavsinhji brokered an agreement with them, giving the Sidis 1.25% of the revenue by Bhavnagar port. Bhavsinhji entered into a similar agreement with the British when they took over Surat in 1856 . Whilst Bhavsinhji
903-575: The University of Cambridge awarded him the degree of LL.D. As the first pupil of Rajkumar College, Rajkot , Takhtsinhji became its greatest patron and benefactor following his accession to the throne of Bhavnagar. He was also a great benefactor to Gujarat College , Fergusson College , and the Wadhwan Girassia School , as well as several girls' and women's schools. He founded Samaldas Arts College in 1885, which he named after
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#1732776636630946-612: The independence of India in 1947, Bhavnagar was an independent state ruled by the Rajput Gohil family. In 1947, the Deputy Prime Minister of the newly independent Indian Union Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel undertook the ambitious and complex process of unifying 562 princely states with the Union of India. The last ruling Maharajah of Bhavnagar, Krishnakumar Sinhji handed over the administration of his Bombay State to
989-536: The seismic zone 3 of the Zoning Map of the Bureau of Indian Standards . The region as a whole and the area around Bhavnagar, in particular, has been tectonically unstable. Between 9 August 2000 and 15 December 2000, there was a series of earthquakes in east Saurashtra with epicenters in Bhavnagar. 132 earthquakes between magnitude 0.5 to 3.8 were recorded. There were five earthquakes greater than magnitude 3, with
1032-677: The 2011 census, 97.87% of the population spoke Gujarati , 1.02% Hindi and 0.63% Sindhi as their first language. Among the many historical places in Bhavnagar District are: Velavadar Blackbuck National Park is the only tropical grassland in India recognised as a National park. It is spread over an area of 34.08 km . The park contains mainly blackbuck , antelopes , nilgai , wolves , jackals , hyenas , jungle cats , fox , and wild boar . Endangered birds such as Houbara Bustard , Lesser Florican , Sarus White Storks , White Pelican , Montagu, and Pallid harrier also call
1075-487: The Navab Saheb Ahmad Khan, and merged Ghogha Taluka into the state. In 1793, Vakhatsinhji conquered the forts of Chital and Talaja, and later conquered Mahuva , Kundla, Trapaj, Umrala and Botad . Bhavnagar remained the main port of the state, with Mahuva and Ghogha also becoming important ports. Because of the maritime trade, the state prospered compared to other states. During the late 19th century,
1118-406: The city and nearby villages. Bhavnagar has several places and sites of interest to tourists : Bhavnath Mahadev Temple is a historical and old temple of the city. It was built in 17th century. This temple is heritage protected site. Bhavnagar port had trade links with Southeast Asia, Africa, Arabia and ports of Red Sea since the early 18th century. The old port Bhavnagar Harbar was built by
1161-633: The city. The city is well-served by railways. Bhavnagar Terminus under the Bhavnagar railway division , provides connections to Ahmedabad , Mumbai , Surat , Vadodara , Mangalore , Kochi , Trivandrum , Mumbai , New Delhi , Kolkata , Chennai , Bangalore , Kanpur , Kakinada (Train No. 12756) and other major cities of India. Bhavnagar airport is connected to Mumbai by air links. Daily flights are currently operated by Alliance Air (India) . Private auto rickshaws are other modes of transport within
1204-459: The district and employing more than 300,000 people. Bhavnagar district has various Industrial estates where many MSME industries are growing very rapidly with a great reputation around the world. Many aides from the state and central government helped increase the Main crops: As of 2011 India census, Bhavnagar had a population of 593,768. Bhavnagar has an average literacy rate of 86%, higher than
1247-472: The first student. Afterward, he studied under an English officer, while the administration of the state was conducted jointly by Mr. E. H. Percival , a member of the Indian Civil Service , and Gaurishankar Udayshankar , C.S.I., one of the foremost native statesmen of India, who had served the state in various capacities since 1822. At the age of twenty, Takhtsinhji found himself the ruler of
1290-539: The later Diwan of State, Samaldas Mehta. During his reign, he undertook intensive developments, reformed the revenue department, erected water works and modern docks, extended medical relief, built a port, bridges, hospitals, and schools and worked to and modernize Bhavnagar. Celebrated as a "model ruler of a model state" during his own lifetime, the Maharaja died at the Moti Bagh Palace on 29 January 1896 at
1333-412: The national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 91% and female literacy of 80%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Adult males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bhavnagar is well-connected to other cities of Gujarat such as Ahmedabad , Surat and Vadodara by road, with bus services operated by the state-owned transport corporation . Buses serve as local transport within
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1376-429: The outer area of the city. Like most of Gujarat, Bhavnagar has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen : BSh ), with hot, dry summers from March to mid-June, the wet monsoon season from mid-June to October, and mild winters from November to February. There is essentially no rainfall outside the monsoon season, whilst during the monsoon the city receives around 655 millimetres or 26 inches of rain on average, though variability
1419-586: The park home. Raptors including the Greater Spotted Eagle , Juvenile Imperial Eagle , Bonelli's Eagle , Short-toed Snake Eagle , and Long-legged Buzzard are also seen in the park. The climate in Velavdar National Park makes it one of the best places for the migrating birds to breed. Piram Island is an island approximately 6 km offshore off Ghogha . It is said that this island was created about 3.5 million years ago. It
1462-448: The people's representative in 1948. Maharaja Krishna Kumarsinhji was one of the first to merge his kingdom to the Union of India. The erstwhile royal family of Bhavnagar continues to lead an active role in the public eye as well as in business (hotels, real estate, agriculture, and ship-breaking) and is held in high regard by the population both in the city as well as areas that comprised the former princely state of Bhavnagar. Bhavnagar
1505-421: The state of Bhavnagar, and hosted a light beacon since 1860. Bhavnagar port was later modernized in 1930 under the supervision of J. Johnston, then port officer of Bhavnagar state. Wharfs, warehouses, and railway transportation were added. A new port, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the old port, was built and made operational in the 1950s due to heavy silting at the location of the old port. This port also had
1548-533: The world's largest ship breaking yard, Alang which is located 50 kilometres away. Bhavnagar is also famous for its version of the popular Gujarati snack ' Ganthiya ' and ' Jalebi '. The Gohil Rajput of the Suryavanshi clan faced severe competition in Marwar . Around 1260 AD, they moved down to the Gujarat's coastal area and established three capitals: Sejakpur (now Ranpur ), Umrala, and Sihor . Sejakpur
1591-657: Was Maharaja of Bhavnagar , a Rajput chief of the Gohil clan, and ruler of Bhavnagar state in Kathiawar . He succeeded to the throne of Bhavnagar upon the death of his father, Jaswantsinhji , in 1870. Takhtsinhji attended the Delhi Durbar in 1877 and was granted a personal gun salute of 15 guns. During his minority studies, which ended on 5 April 1878, he was educated at the Rajkumar College, Rajkot being
1634-428: Was a carefully chosen and strategic location because of its potential for maritime trade. Naturally, Bhavnagar became the capital of Bhavnagar State. In 1807, Bhavnagar State became a British protectorate . The old town of Bhavnagar was a fortified town with gates leading to other important regional towns. It remained a major port for almost two centuries, trading commodities with Mozambique, Zanzibar , Singapore , and
1677-400: Was founded in 1194. In 1722–1723, the forces led by Khanthaji Kadani and Maratha Pilaji Gaekwad attempted to raid Sihor but were repelled by Maharajah Bhavsinhji Gohil. After the war , Bhavsinhji realized the reason for repeated attacks was the location of Sihor. In 1723, he established a new capital near Vadva village, 20 km away from Sihor, and named it Bhavnagar after himself. It
1720-487: Was in power, Bhavnagar grew from a small chieftainship to a considerably important state. This was due to the addition of new territories as well as the income provided by maritime trade. Bhavsinhji's successors continued to encourage maritime trade through Bhavnagar port, recognizing its importance to the state. The territory was further expanded by Bhavsinhji's grandson, Vakhatsinhji Gohil, when he took possession of lands belonging to Kolis and Kathis , obtained Rajula from
1763-431: Was one of the earliest towns to have underground drainage in Gujarat, and was among the first cities in Gujarat to have a water filtration plant. Bhavnagar has various schools and educational institutions. Nanabhai Bhatt, Gijubhai Badheka , Manbhai Bhatt (founder of Shishuvihar), Harbhai Trivedi, and Taraben Modak helped develop the rural and women's education. Samaldas Arts College where Mahatma Gandhi studied in 1888
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1806-549: Was planned and developed by late Shri Virendrabhai C. Mehta, the official town planner for the State of Bhavnagar. In 1961, he extended his Krishnanagar plan towards Sardarnagar. In 1975, he created a master plan for Bhavnagar. A salient feature of town planning is to have gardens at the junction of roads. Gardens are located at Ghogha Circle, Mahila College Circle, Rupani Circle, Meghani Circle, Shivaji Circle, Sardarnagar Circle, Jewels Circle and Crescent Circle. The city of Bhavnagar
1849-535: Was widely acknowledged throughout India, as well as by the British authorities. In 1886, he was promoted to GCSI , and five years later his hereditary title of Thakur was raised to that of Maharaja . In 1893 he took advantage of the opening of the Imperial Institute to visit England in order to pay personal homage to Queen Victoria , then sovereign of the British Empire . During that occasion,
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