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How to Get There:
• By Air: Jamnagar has a domestic airport has daily flights connecting it with Mumbai and Bhuj.
• By Rail: Jamnagar Railway Station is well connected with Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Calcutta, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and other important cities of India through regular trains.
• By Road: Jamnagar is well connected by a network of roads, all of which are in good condition. Most traffic is to Dwarka, Junagadh, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. Buses are easily available, including ‘Deluxe’ airconditioned buses. The fastest means of getting to Ahmedabad is by hitching a lift in the oil tankers returning to that city after fuelling Jamnagar airport, or carrying output from the Reliance refineries to Ahmedabad.
• By Sea: Jamnagar has two active ports, Rozi and Bedi, though it has a shallow slope. It is also home to Alang shipyard, which dismantles all derelict metal ships. Companies from overseas outsource their dismantling to Alang. |
What to See:
Darbargadh Palace, the old royal residence of Jam Sahebs; Lakhota Fort on an island in the middle of the Lakhota lake; Willingdon Crescent; Pratap Vilas Palace, a building that has European architecture with Indian carvings that give it a totally distinct appeal; Kotha Bastion, has a fine collection of sculptures, coins, inscriptions and copper plates and the skeleton of a whale. One of its most interesting sights is an old well where the water can
be drawn by blowing into a small hole in the floor; Bhujio Kotho, a fortress monument with five floors, believed to be constructed for protection during invasions; Bohra Hajira; Mota Ashapura Maa Temple, Shantinath Mandir, Vardhman Shah’s Temple -one of the four main Jain temples in Jamnagar.
Demographics:
Jamnagar has a population of just over half a million. The average literacy rate is 70%. Most residents of Jamnagar are Gujarati and speak Gujarati. A small percentage speak Kachchi language, written in Gujarati script but not mutually intelligible with it. Kathiawadi Language (a variant of Gujarati) is widely used for day to day communication. Major communities include Satvara (Dalvadi), Ahirs (Yadav), Patels, etc. Over 90% of the population is Hindu, with close to 9% Muslim.
Jamnagar contains several ancient and archeologically important temples,such as Sidhnath Mahadev Temple in Jamnagar city area, the Navlakha Temple in Ghumli, Kileshwar Temple in Barda Hills, The Ancient Sun Temple at Gop and The Ancient Bhid Bhanjan Temple built by the Jams. Bala Hanuman is highly venerated among the devotees of Rama. The Bala Hanuman Temple is noted for the continuous chanting of the mantra "Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram". Started on 1 August 1964, the chant continues for 24 hours a day, in shifts, and is still continuing. This has earned the temple a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Jamnagar is now called the 'Oil City' because the world's biggest oil refinery (Reliance
Industries) and a smaller one belonging to Essar Oil are located there. It was earlier known as
'Brass City' or Sikka Cement City, the city housing more than 5,000 large scale and 10,000 small scale units manufacturing brass items in and around the industrial estates of Shankar Tekari, Udhyognagar, M P Shah Udhyognagar and Dared. Over 200 tons of brassware are produced in this area daily. The Sikka cement factory is a prominent landmark. Jamnagar also houses a well known school at a beach close by at Balachadi, an Indian Navy training base as well as an Indian Air Force operational base.
Where to Stay:
Hotel Express Residency, Hotel President and Hotel Vishal International are good hotels. There are a large number of smaller hotels, catering to the pilgrims from all over India. Jamnagar is a safe city.
Where to Eat:
Swati Restaurant, Flavours Restaurant, Madras Cafe, Kalpana Restaurant, Aram Restaurant, Maruti Restaurant, Icy Spicy and the Havmor Restaurant.
Liquor is not served in this city as Gujarat is a dry State.
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