Dhoraji
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| ?Dhoraji Gujarat • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 73 m (240 ft) |
| District(s) | Rajkot |
| Population | 1.25.000 (2001) |
| Codes • Telephone |
• ++912824 postal_code = 360410 vehicle_code_range = |
Dhoraji is a large and flourishing town on the banks of small river Safura, a branch of the river Bhadar. Dhoraji is a city and a municipality in Rajkot district in the state of Gujarat, India.
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[edit] Dhoraji Fort
The fortification of Dhoraji was completed in 1755 AD. The massive fort wall has several bastions, 4 main gates and 3 smaller gates, known as baris. The four main gates are Kathiawadi Darwaja in the East, Porbandar Gate in the West, Halar Gate in the North and Junagadh Gate in the South. The smaller gates are- Darbari Bari, Bhimji Bari and Sati Bari. Darbargadh in Dhoraji is located at the highest point in the town and is approached by Darbari Bari; a beautiful gate adorned with jharokha, resting on brackets of 4 elephant statues in different poses. A finely carved entrance gate leads to Darbargadh in the middle of a courtyard. Darbargadh is a three a multi-storey structure on a high plinth. The facade is ornamented with sculptures of musicians, complex geometric pattern, images of lions in different postures on long caves, profusely carved pillars, horizontal friezes, decorative kanguras and windows framing the skyline. It is designed like a jewel box - in the same architectural style of Navlakha Places at Gondal.
Sir Bhagwatsinhiji, the noble ruler of Gondal State, was born at Dhoraji Darbargadh. He was a fellow of Bombay University and received honours from Edinburough University. During his extensive travels to Europe and England, he was greatly impressed by Paris and got interested in the principles of European town planning. On his return to Gondal, he established a town planning department and in the late 19th century, introduced town planning principals to regularize and monitor the growth of the fortified town of Gondal, Dhoraji and Upleta.
With the arrival of railways, a new part of the Dhoraji town, between the railway station and the old town, was designed using axial planning, having broad avenues, road junctions, parks, bazaars and public buildings. It is a good example of urban planning of an Indian town during British Raj.
As of 2001 India census[1], Dhoraji had a population of 1.25.000. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Dhoraji has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78% and, female literacy is 65%. In Dhoraji, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Places to Visit
- Municipal Garden - A garden is located near the high court in Dhoraji.
- A Dam - There is a dam located 2 km from Dhoraji city. The name of the dam is Bhadar 2. This dam was built in 2004 on the river Bhadar and provides water for drinking and agricultural use to people of Dhoraji. The panchnath Mahadev temple is a beautiful place to visit. It is located on the bank of the river and has lush green surroundings.
- The temple of Goddess Ashapur is located on the left of Darbargadh. At present, the royal campus badly needs conservation. Not very far from Darbargadh, one can walk into the streets lined with beautiful houses belonging to wealthy Memon merchants.
- Temples of Shree Sukhnath Mahadev (recently renovated to a high standard) and Shree Fulnath Mahadev are located near the city centre.
- Girnar Mountain range. (approx 20 km from Dhoraji), range of mountains in Junagadh district where the only lions are lived in the Asia.
- Dargah (Grave) of Khawja Maukum Din Serani & Dargah of Lalshah Bapu very good
- Various Dargah including Panch Pir ni Dargah
- Patanvav mountains:- its 20km to dhoraji small mountains. its a historical place where five pandavs were lived in their vanvas time.
- Bhagat singhjhi statu at station road
- Old Railway Station
[edit] Other Attractions
Fort: The massive fort wall has several bastions, 4 main gates and 3 'baris' (small gates). The four main gates are Kathiawadi Darwaja in the East, Porbandar Gate in the West, Halar Gate in the North and Junagadh Gate in the South. The smaller gates are- Darbari Bari, Bhimji Bari and Sati Bari. Darbargadh in Dhoraji is located at the highest point in the town and is approached by Darbari Bari; a beautiful gate adorned with a jharokha, resting on brackets of 4 elephants statues in different poses. A finely carved entrance gate leads to Darbargadh in the middle of a courtyard. Darbargadh is a three storey structure on a high plinth. The façade is ornamented with sculptures of musicians, complex geometric patterns, images of lions in different postures on long eaves, profusely carved pillars, horizontal friezes, decorative 'kanguras' and windows framing the skyline. It is designed like a jewel box- in the same architectural style of Navlakha Palace at Gondal.
Temple Of Goddess Ashapura: The temple of Goddess Ashapura is located on the left of Darbargadh. At present, the royal campus badly needs conservation. Not very far from Darbargadh, one can walk into the streets lined with beautiful houses belonging to wealthy Memon merchants.
Pani No Kotho: Next to it, an exceptional building, named 'Pani no kotho', is situated. From a distance, the beautifully carved balconies on all four sides with columns and arches, give an impression of a palace, but in reality it houses a water tank and pumping station. It is a perfect example, showing a blend of functions and aesthetics to create a wonderful structure. A mosque and Jain temple in the town are beautiful specimens of architecture.
Kutiyana: (53 km from Dhoraji) Kutiyana is located on the banks of river Bhadar. Before independence, Kutiyana was under the rule of the Junagadh Nawabs. Rich traders of the Memon community, before independence inhabited the town. The houses of Kutiyana reflect the high aesthetic taste of Memon Muslims. Kutiyana is a well-planned town with a central main bazaar street leading to a magnificent mosque with high minarets and impressive façade. The shops at lower level of arcade form an urban edge. The courtyards within the water tank for 'vazu' and the profusely plaster-decorated architectural elements, painted in yellows, greens and blues make it a perfect representative example of mosque architecture of the late 19th century.
[edit] Environmental Issues
- Major pollution is caused due to Jetpur cotton industries. There are many produciton units located in Jetpur. Jetpur is located 25 km on upstream of Bhadar river. Polluted water from Jetpur cotton industries is directly thrown in Bhadar river without treatment and it pollutes Bhadar river up to a great extent.
- In Last 5 years, Many of the Jetpur cotton Industries have closed down and business of cotton dyeing has shifted to Pali Town in Rajasthan and the present Cotton units are asked to take pollution control measures and also effluent disposal to avoid pollution of the river. But the pollution is much less now. Water for sanitation and drinking is now better than earlier. People are also mor aware oabout environmental issues as they are educated and know the consequences of pollution.
[edit] Major Business
- Edible Oil production industry. There are many oil production units located in Dhoraji. Due to this, the region near dhoraji is called, in local terms, "Telia Raja" meaning King of Oil.
- More than 250 plastic production units are located in and near Dhoraji. First a production unit of Plastic Pipes was started in 1978 as Jolly Plastic Industries Limited which is closed now. In fact they were the first in the Saurashtra kutch region. There are many other groups like Bhavna Group, Asian Group, Atlas Group etc.
- Agriculture - main crops are cotton, groundnuts, peanut, sugar cane, corn, vegetables etc.
- Back in the old days there were lots of sugar factories (sugar mills) located on national highway 8B between Dhoraji and Upleta.
[edit] Food Speciality
People of Dhoraji are known for their tasty and mouth watering food. People from Rajkot district used to come here for the great food.
- Ganthia - a product of Chick peas flour is a specialty. This is consumed especially during evening and night.
- Bhaji-Pav - is another specialty of the town.
- Pani Puri - called 'gol gappa' is available near Darbar Garh, station road and other places.
- Non vegetarian food - Fauji is famous for its tandoori chicken, omelettes, mutton etc.
- Pakoda - called 'Bhajiya' are also famous and available at many places.
- Potato - boiled potatoes with spicy masala is also very famous in this town. Most famous is served by "GAFAR" This food is available up to lunch time. People use to carry this snack to far places like Surat, Ahmedabad etc. Also called "malek na batata"
- Dabeli - (It is like bread sandwich with masala.) Oil / Butter DABELI is very tasty and available at many places. Its located in station road the name is annpurna dabeli.Also called popat's dabeli.
- The Sweets and Farsan (Snacks) are very popular. R.B.Sukhadia and Chatrabhuj Sukhadia are popular and are in manufacturing since 1950. Mava Penda ( Sweet), Kajjo Katri, Dotha Puri, Khajli and other Barfi sweets made from good quality Mava are very tasty
[edit] Education
Students of Dhoraji are very talented. Teachers and schools take care of their education. Students form different areas join different schools in Dhoraji affiliated to the Gujarat Higher Secondary Board. Some of the famous schools in Dhoraji are Adarsh Education Trust and Kaneria High School. Scholars from these schools get admission in all prestigious graduate colleges including medical and engineering colleges. A large school was built by and named after Sir Bhagwatsinhiji the noble ruler of the Gondal State. Even today students complete their education from there.
[edit] Accessibility
Air: Nearest airports are Porbandar (99 km), Rajkot (88 km), Keshod (70 km). Flights are available from Rajkot to Mumbai: 3 daily, 50min- 1hr.
Rail: Dhoraji and Upleta are on Ahmedabad-Porbandar line. Ahmedabad to Porbandar : 1daily, 10hr 25min.
Road: Motorable roads connect the place to the surrounding areas. The town of Dhoraji is on National Highway 8B. Rajkot (88 km), Ahmedabad (313 km).
Bus: The bus station is operated by Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC). There are also number of private bus operators in Dhoraji. Buses from Dhoraji to Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Una and Okha depart daily.
Local Transport: non-metered auto rickshaws.
Travel Guidelines Best time to visit: October to March
[edit] References
- ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
