Mahemdabad
| Mahemdabad Mahemdavad | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Mahemdabad | |
| Coordinates: 22°49′0″N 72°46′0″E / 22.81667°N 72.76667°ECoordinates: 22°49′0″N 72°46′0″E / 22.81667°N 72.76667°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Kheda |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Gujarati, Hindi |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 387130 |
| Telephone code | 02694 or 912694 |
| Nearest city | Nadiad |
Mahemdabad sometimes also spelt as Memdavad is one of taluka place in Kheda district, Gujarat state of India. It is situated on the main railway-line between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. It is situated on the river Vatrak. It was founded by Mughal Emperor Mohamud Beghado.
Mahemdabad is a serene cool place. It is surrounded by lush green trees all over the place making it a beautiful country place.
Mahemdabad has some historical places such as the Bhammariyo Kuvo (Kuvo meaning well), Chanda-Suraj No Mehal (Chanda meaning Moon, Suraj meaning Sun and Mehal meaning palace) as well as Roza- Rozi. It is believed that there are some underground secret routes connecting from Bhammariyo Kuvo to Ahemdabad, Pavagadh and Junagadh. The site is currently being restored and developed as a place of cultural heritage. Roza- Rozi is a popular picnic spot for the local residents and during the auspicious events of Eid, a fun-fare is set up in there. Chanda-Suraj no mehal is believed to be built by the emperor as a resting place after he went for hunting.
There is a very famous Hanuman temple on Khatraj road. It is believed that if you seek for Lord Hanuman's blessing at this temple and make a wish, then your wish would definitely be granted. Most of the local residents go to this temple on Saturdays.
Educational institutes of Mahemdabad include: Shanti Niketan English School, Seth J. H. Sonawala High school, St. Xavier's high school, Vedanta high school and local municipal school. A PTC college has come up recently in the town. Most of the schools instruct their students in Gujarati.
The market place is situated at the heart of the town. The market area is marked by the "Virol Darwaja". The market remains open on all days except for Saturday. A variety of small scale cottage industries are found in Mahemdabad. The most popular is the leather bag cottage industry. People from surrounding cities come specially to Mahemdabad to buy purses, hand bags and school bags. In addition, the cobbler is also very famous for his ever-lasting shoes. Apart from these, there are a number of cloth merchants, Pharmacy stores, one or two gold merchants, a few utensils merchants etcetera. On the whole trade and commerce are developed to a good extent here.
Surrounding the market area, a number of residential societies have developed. The oldest of these are: Navjeevan-1,2 and Bapukaka society. These are situated right beside the railway station. There is a Shiv temple in Navjeevan-1. During the festival of Navratri, people celebrate and play Garba in the yard of this Shiv temple. New society areas like Ashutosh, Sarvoday Society, Mrudul Park, Shroff Nagar, Jyoti Park etc. have developed on the road opposite to the Viral darwaja.
Entertainment is very limited in this town. There are two run-down theatres which screen some local Gujarati movies. One or two cyber- cafes have come up recently.
As well as a municipal hospital, there are private hospitals, including the well known "Lucky Hospital" just outside the city walls near to the railway station. This is the oldest private owned hospital, which has been there for around 30 years and is owned by a well known Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Dr. Vijay Ajmera.
During the summer season, a number of Gola- wala's fill the road between Viral Darwaja and Railway station. People are seen loitering till late nights on these roads and eating gola's (gola is made by pressing small ice cubes on a wooden stick and then a flavored liquid like rose, kala khatta etc. is poured on it). In addition, one or two dabeli wala, pav-bhaji wala and sugar- cane vendor make good business during the cool summer nights.
Near the Railway station, there is a samadhi of Eknathji- a local saint.
Mahemdabad is a peaceful town. It is not a business hub like nearby Nadiad, and many local residents commute mostly by train to Ahmedabad or to Anand-Nadiad for education or for their jobs.
Geography
It is located at 22°49′0″N 72°46′0″E / 22.81667°N 72.76667°E.[1] In 90's Mahemdabad is famous for its "Dhebri" a delicious crunchy item at mahemdabad station.
Location
Nearest airport is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at Ahmedabad.
National Highway 59 passes through Mahemdabad.
Places of interest
- Dhumkal Sanctuary
- Kankariya Lake
Schools
Shanti Niketan English School near Khatrej Circle.