From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia: Mandvi
Mandvi is a city
and a
municipality in
Kachchh
district in the
Indian
state of
Gujarat.
It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao
(king) of the Kachchh. The old city had a surrounding fort. Remains of
the fort wall can still be seen. The city has more than four hundred
years old ship building industry and still manufacturing small ships.
Geography
Mandvi is a port city located at
 22.81°
N 69.36° E where river Rukmavati meets gulf
of Kachchh. It is about 56 km south of
Bhuj(district
headquarter). Distance from
Ahmedabad(a major city of Gujarat) is 446 km. Mandvi has no rail
transport. The nearest public airport and train station is Bhuj.
History
- Mandvi was at the junction of two
famous trade routes the maritime
spice
trade-route and the
desert
camel
caravan route, acting as an important trade centre.
- Mandvi was originally a fortified
town having a
fort wall of about 8 m high and 1.2 m wide stone masonry. The
fort had several gateways and 25
bastions; but at present, most of the wall has disappeared. The
bastion on the southwest is largest and acts as a lighthouse.
- In the heyday of
maritime trade, before the arrival of
steamboats, Mandvi was a rich and prosperous town, earning four
times more revenue from
export
than
import. It was a profit-making centre of the Kutch state,
surpassing the capital city of
Bhuj in
terms of wealth.
Points of
interest
Mandvi has a very pleasant climate
throughout the year and was a summer retreat of the Kutch maharajas
(kings).
-
Vijay Vilas Palace: The center of attractions at Mandvi is
the Vijay Vilas Palace, a Royal abode set in the middle of well-laid
gardens with water channels and marble fountains. The architect and
craftsmen from
Jaipur
designed and constructed the palace in
1920
AD. The palace has all the elements of
Rajput
architecture and draws largely on the plan of palaces of
Orchha
and Datia.
The central high dome on the pillars, the
Bengal
domes on the sides, the windows with coloured glass, carved stone 'jalis',
domed bastions at the corners, extended porch and other exquisitely
stone-carved elements, make the palace worth visiting. The Vijay
Vilas Palace has its own private beach which offers air-conditioned
tented accommodation. Being private with conditional access it is a
must visit for all beach lovers who want to enjoy their solitude and
admire its eco-friendly priestine beauty.For these reasons, this
palace has been used as the setting in many
Hindi
films and has now become a popular tourist destination.
-
Mandvi Beach: Mandvi has one of the most beautiful beaches
in Gujarat. The beach, known as 'Kashi-Vishwanath Beach' is the most
visited local attraction in Mandvi.
- Wind Farms: There are a
number of
windmills on the Mandvi beach, engaged in the generation of
power from wind energy.
- Rukmavati bridge: The bridge
on the
Rukmavati River was built in 1883; it is the longest existing
structure of its kind in India today.
- Topansar Lake: Sitting in the
heart of the city, this lake forms and important landmark as well as
a source of water to the city.
- Bandhni Bazaar: Mandvi is
known for the production of its famous Bandhani (tie-dye)
and other country crafts.
- Traditional
ship building: Mandvi is also a 400 year old ship building
centre. The ships built here used to sail up to England and return
back. Even today, master carpenters build fishing boats by
traditional techniques.
- Shyamji Krishna Verma Smarak:
The smarak(monument) is located near Lohana Mahajan Wadi.
Shyamji Krishna Verma was a scholar and freedom fighter. He
established
India House in Britain to support Indian student going UK for
studying, eventually India house become a foreign hub of nationalist
activity for freedom of India. Shyamji Krishna Verma was born in
Mandvi.
- Kasi Vishvanath Beach, Salaya:
This is another beach near Mandvi. It derives its name from a
Shiv
temple nearby.
- Public Bath System “KUYDI”, Talav
Gate
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