JAMNAGAR

Jamnagar a coastal town is also known as the "Jewel of Kathiawad". It was built in 1540 A.D. by Jam Raval, a Jadeja Rajput leader. Jamnagar was the capital for four centuries of the prosperous princely state of Nawanagar. It is the home town of the world famous cricketers Ranjit Sinh and Duleep Sinh. Jamnagar is an important air and naval base because of its location, which is very near to the neighbouring country of Pakistan. Jamnagar is a charming blend of the old and the new with its ancient monuments and broad streets, imposing facades, and squares which make it one of the most beautiful cities in the Saurashtra peninsula. There are a number of ancient Temples in and around the town which is why it also known as Chothi Kashi. The town is also famous for its exquisite handicraft items such as silk and gold embroidery, silver ware and bandhani or tie-and-dye fabrics. Nutcrackers (especially the ones made for betel nuts) are made in Jamnagar.

General Information

Population : 396,000
Area : 14,125 Sq. Km
Position : 22.27° North (latitude) and 70.07° East (longitude)
Languages Spoken : Gujarati, Hindi, English

Places of Interest

Willingdon Crescent
 The most remarkable of Ranjit Singh's construction is Willingdon crescent, the swooping arches of its curved facade overlooks the wide streets of Chelmsford Market.

Lakhota Fort and Kotha Bastion
In the centre of old Jamnagar, on an island in the middle of the lake, are two magnificent old structures - the Lakhota Fort and the Kotha Bastion. This diminutive palace (Lakhota fort) once belonged to the Maharaja of Nawanagar. Lakhota Fort is Jamnagar's Museum and its terraces display a fine collection of sculpture that spans a period from the 9th to 18th Century. The museum is reached by a short causeway from the northern side of Ranmal Lake. The Kotha Bastion is Jamnagar's arsenal. One of its most interesting sights is an old well, the water of which can be drawn by blowing into a small hole in the floor.

Marine National Park
The North-West coast of Saurashtra, bordering the heavily tidal Gulf of Kutch, is fringed with more than forty small islands, whose ever depleting mangrove population gives rise to some of the richest marine life off mainland India. The park is spread over an area of 458 sq kms. Here you will find plants that look like animals and animals that look like plants. Turtles, shrimp, sponge, eels, sea urchin lurk among corals. The Marine National Park is 30 kms from Jamnagar.

Bala Hanuman Temple
The Bala Hanuman Temple is on the South-Eastern side of Ranmal Lake, and here, 24 hours a day since 1 August 1964, there's been continuous chanting of the invocation Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram'. This devotion has earned the Temple a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Early evening is a particularly good time to visit as it's fairly animated then. In fact this whole area on the South-Eastern edge of the lake becomes very lively around sunset

Jain Temples
Out of a pair of Jain temples, one is dedicated to Adinath (the first Tirthankara) and other built to honour Shantinath (the sixteenth ). The quality and quantity of the murals on the walls, ceilings and pillars of the temple are extraordinary. Hazy yellows, greens, pinks, oranges and blues depict a riot of flowers, people, Gods and domestic objects, while tableaux tell the life stories of Jain saints. The most spectacular of the two, Shantinath Mandir, is a maze of brightly coloured columns, each section of roof between them highlighted with individual designs. The marble floor beneath is emblazoned with distinctive Jain patterns in yellow, black, white and red. Above the main sanctuary, an enormous dome rises in a series of concentric circles glinting with gold. The outer side of the large dome over Adinath Mandir is inlaid with gold and coloured mosaic, and both Temples have cupolas enriched with design of mirrors above the entrance porch.

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