Jamnagar is a district of the state of Gujarat in India. It is locate on the southern coast of the Gulf of Kutch. The eponymous city of Jamnagar is the districts headquarter. Several large Indian companies such as Tata and Essar have their production facilities in the district. Marine National Park and a Bird Sanctuary, also known as Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary are two of the several attractions of the district.

Jamnagar City is a municipal corporation, located in Jamnagar district. In the 1920s, Maharaja Shri Ranjitsinhji built up the city. It was then known as Nawanagar. The city lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch. It is situated at a distance of 337 km west of Gandhinagar, which is the state capital. Recently Reliance Industries, which is Indias largets private company, has set up the world's largest oil refinery near the village of Moti Khavdi in Jamnagar. The place has shot to prominence since then. Another oil refinery namely Essar Oil refinery is also located near the town of Vadinar. As a result Jamnagar has been given the nickname of Oil City of India.

Jamnagar History

King Tamachi was one of the conspirators in killing of Jam Rawals father. He and his entourage marched out of Kutch, attacked and killed King Tamachi and conquered the town of Dhrol and its dependencies. The rule of Dhrol province was bestowed upon Hardholji by Jam Rawal,his brother. Hardholji was later killed in a battle and the throne was passed to his eldest son, Jasoji. Jam Rawal formed his kingdom by conquering parts of Saurashtra.

On the land of present day Jamnagar, on a certain hunting trip, Jam Rawal was deeply impressed by a hare, which was brave enough to turn on the hunting dogs and putting them to flight. Jam Rawal thought that if this land can create such brave hares, then the men who are born here would be of a superior quality than other men. As a consequence, he made this place his capital. He laid the foundation of his new capital on the banks of the two rivers namely Rangmati and Nagmati, on the 7th day of the bright half of the month of Srawan, VS 1956. He named it Nawanagar. Eventually Nawanagar came to be known as Jamnagar, which means the town of the Jams.

Jamnagar Culture

The residents of Jamnagar are mostly Gujarati. They speak the Gujarati language. Kachchi language is spoken by a small portion of the population. It is written in the Gujarati script, but not mutually intelligible with Gujarati. For day to day communication, Kathiawadi Language is used. The Satvaras (Dalvadis), Ahirs (Yadav), Patels, Bhanushalis, Rajputs (Darbars), Mers, Jains, Lohanas are the major communities.

The Marine National Park is the only marine sanctuary in India. It is located near Jamnagar, on the coral reef island of Pirotan. Jamnagar is famous for its four marble Jain temples. They are Vardhman Shah's Temple, Raisi Shah's Temple, Sheth's Temple, and Vasupujya Swami's Temple. They are all built between 1574 and 1622. Another famous temple in Jamnagar is the Bala Hanuman Temple. It is recorded in The Guinness Book of World Records for the longest continuous chanting of "Ram Dhun".

Jamnagar Climate

The minimum temperature was 9.9 centigrade, in the proper city of Jamnagar district, during the year 2003. The maximum temperature recorded that year only was 37.8 centigrade. Except the coastal areas the city is extremely cold in winter and in summer it is extremely hot as well. The southward-westward part of the district has most of the rainfall. June to October is the rainy season. The weather remains dry during November to May. Among the ten Talukas, the Kambhaliya, Kalyanpur and Okhamandal Taluka faces scarce rainfall. During the year 2003, the district has the record of having a rainfall of 1429 mm in average for 24 days.

Jamnagar Tourism

Tourist places in Jamnagar

Darbargadh Palace
Lakhota Fort
Willingdon Crescent
Pratap Vilas Palace
Kotha Bastion
Solarium
Bhujio Kotho
Bohra Hajira
Mota Ashapura Maa Temple
Shantinath Mandir
Vardhman Shahs Temple
Bala Hanuman Temple
Khijadia Bird Sanctuary
Marine National Park
Rozi and Bedi Ports
Cremation Park
Jogger's Park