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Porbandar
Brief
At the Western coast of Saurashtra, this ancient port city, came into prominence, as the birthplace of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. A picturesque seaport, on the Arabian Sea, having pleasant beaches with beach villas, it is also known as the White City, because of its white stone construction. The major attraction of the city, beside memorials connected with the Mahatma, is the Bharat Mandir, depicting great men and religious preceptors of India. The chowpatty offers a beautiful view of the beachfront, and lately, modern villas have sprouted. The city is also an industrial center with a number of units for production of cement and chemicals.
History
In ancient times, the city was called Sudamapuri, after Sudama, a compatriot of Krishna. The birthplace of the Father of the Nation, and to commemorate the birth of Gandhiji, a 79 ft high, imposing building has been built, in an otherwise Spartan lane of the city, where Bapu was born in 1869. The Kirti Mandir's premises, is a three storeyed, ancestral house of Gandhiji where Putlibai, Gandhiji's mother, had given birth to the child Gandhi' who was marked by a Swastika. The adjoining new building, Kirti Mandir, houses a Gandhian library, a prayer hall, a nursery and a steeple decorated with episodes from Gandhiji's life. Behind Kirti Mandir is Navi Khadki, where Kasturba, Gandhiji's wife was born.
CultureClimate & Geogaphical Location
The summers are warm and the winters are cool and pleasant. Porbandar is situated at the Western coast of Saurashtra.
How to Reach
Porbandar is well connected by air and road. By Air, Porbandar is connected by Jet Airways with Mumbai and Keshod by a flight that operates six days a week (except Saturday). By Road, GSRTC and private coach operators link the city with all major centres of the region, like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Dwarka, Junagadh, Mumbai etc.
Tourist Places
Bharat Mandir.
This is essentially a large hall, located in a garden, just opposite the planetarium. The floor shows a huge map of India in relief, while the pillars in the hall depict 100 religious figures and scenes from Hindu epics.
Kirti Mandir
This memorial to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, stands next door to the 300-year-old house he was born in. The memorial was erected in 1950 and is a good place to source literature on the Mahatma. A photo gallery documents his life and his struggle to lead India to independence.
Nehru Planetarium
Nearly 2km from the heart of the town, this planetarium is part of a series of planetariums, set up in the major cities of the country. Men and women enter the planetarium from separate doors, which display photographs, that highlight India's Nonalignment policy.
Others
BILESHWAR - Approximately 15km east of Porbandar, is home to a Shiva temple, that was built sometime in the early 7th century. The temple has a multi-storey shikhara, which is more like a pyramid than a spire. The Barda Lion Sanctuary is located closeby.
GONDAL - Prettily situated on the bank of the Gondli river, this seat of the erstwhile State of Gondal, is famous for its Naulakha Palace and the Riverside Palace of the erstwhile Maharaja, which have now been made, into Heritage Hotels.
MORVI - The town is famous for its clocks, tiles and the ceramic manufacture. The erstwhile ruler of the State, constructed a temple with an adjoining secretariat, which is known as Wag Palace or Wellington Secretariat.