History
About Porbandar District Court
The Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Shri Hon’ble Justice D.S. Sinha, officially opened the District Court of Porbandar in the secretariat building on February 23, 2003. Hon. Mr. Ashok Bhatt, Minister of Law & Judiciary—Gujarat State, was the honorary chief guest, while Hon’ble Mr. Justice A.L. Dave, the administrative judge of the High Court of Gujarat, presided over the function.
Since its inception, the District Court of Porbandar has played a vital role in delivering justice and resolving legal disputes within the region. The establishment of this court has significantly improved access to legal services for the local population, which promotes confidence in the judicial system.The event highlighted the ongoing commitment of the state government to strengthen the legal framework and enhance the efficiency of the judiciary. As a result, citizens can expect more timely resolutions to their cases, fostering a greater sense of security and trust in the rule of law. This initiative not only benefits individuals seeking justice but also encourages investment and economic growth in the area. By ensuring that legal matters are handled swiftly and fairly, the court contributes to a more stable and prosperous community overall. Moreover, this improved legal landscape can lead to increased public awareness of rights and responsibilities, empowering citizens to engage more actively in civic matters. As individuals gain confidence in the judicial system, they are more likely to participate in community initiatives and support measures that uphold the rule of law.
About Porbandar District
Geography
Like most of Gujarat, Porbandar has a hot, semi-arid climate with three distinct seasons: the “cool” from October to March, the “hot” in April, May, and early June, and the monsoonal “wet” from mid-June to September. Porbandar is one of 33 districts in Gujarat, a western Indian state. The district covers 2,316 km² in area. Porbandar District was separated from Junagadh. It lies on the peninsula of Kathiawar. The district’s administrative center is at Porbandar City. This district is bounded on the east by Rajkot and Junagadh, on the north by Jamnagar and Devboomi Dwarka, and on the west and south by the Arabian Sea. The coordinates of Porbandar are 21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E. The average elevation is 1 m (3 ft) above sea level.
Climate
Porbandar, similar to the rest of Gujarat, experiences a hot, semi-arid climate characterized by three distinct seasons: a “cool” season from October to March, a “hot” season during April, May, and early June, and a monsoon “wet” season from mid-June to September.
Municipal Corporation
Porbandar and Chhaya are twin cities, governed jointly by the Porbandar-Chhaya Municipal Corporation.Porbandar is frequently referred to as Sudamapuri. It is also known for its diverse cultural heritage, stunning beaches, and historic temples. Porbandar is also a historic port city with a long history of marine trade and a flourishing fishing sector.Shravan Sud Poonam, also known as Nariyeli Purnima, is thought to be the foundation day of this holy city. According to the mythological reference in the Sudama Charitra of the Skand Puran of Shrimad Bhagvad, the current Porbandar city was called after Goddess Porav and was located along the banks of the Asmavati River. This territory was ruled by the Rajput clan’s Jethwa dynasty, who loved art. Under their royal patronage, this city was beautified with wide roads, walks, symmetrical structures along the roadside, right-angled squares, fountains, parks, public areas, temples, and so on. Porbandar city is unique in that it is built of a rare sort of white soft stone that has been artistically carved, which is why it is also known as “WHITE CITY”.Porbandar, which directly faces the roaring shore of the Arabian Sea, is situated between the world-famous “DWARKA” and “SOMANATH,” one of the twelve popular old Indian mythical legends. Among many other things, Porbandar is the land of Saint Sudama, the bosom friend of Lord “Krishna,” and the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, the nation’s father who taught the world a lesson in nonviolence. Porbandar is important not only from a mythical standpoint, but it also attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists who visit this sacred city on a regular basis.
Transport
Porbandar is well-connected by road, rail and air to cities across the country.
Port
Porbandar is an ancient port city. At present it has an all-weather medium-sized deep-water port, with direct berthing facilities for up to 50,000 DWT ships. The Porbandar Coast Guard headquarters, designated as Coast Guard District Headquarters 1 (DHQ-1), is located near RGT College in Porbandar, Gujarat.
INS Sardar Patel is a naval base of the Indian Navy in Porbandar, Gujarat, and the station headquarters of Naval Station, Porbandar. It provides the logistic support to the Indian Navy units deployed in the Northern Arabian Sea.
Road
The city is connected through National Highway 27, connecting to Rajkot and Ahmedabad. National Highway 8E Ext (also known as State Highway 6) connects to Jamnagar and Dwarka in the north and Veraval and Bhavnagar in the south.
Major public transport is covered by the private and government buses.
Many private coaches are available daily to Rajkot, Dwarka, Veraval, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Vadodra, Surat, and Mumbai.
Rail
Porbandar Railway Station connects the city to other major cities in the state and country. Daily trains connect Rajkot (via Jamnagar, Bhanwad, Upleta, Dhoraji, and Gondal), Somnath (via Junagadh), and Mumbai (via Ahmedabad, Vadodra, and Surat). There are other trains to Delhi, Muzaffarpur, and
Howrah, which connect significant cities in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, and West Bengal. A weekly train connects Kochuveli, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), and Secunderabad (Hyderabad) to Porbandar via Mangalore, Calicut, Kochi, and Quilon (Kollam).
Airport
It connects to major cities like Ahmedabad and Mumbai via domestic flights.
Sports
• Duleep School of Cricket Ground is one of two cricket grounds in Porbandar. It hosted six cricket matches from 1968 to 1986 before falling off the record. The ground is named after great Indian cricketer and Prince of Nawanagar Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji.
• Natwarsinhji Cricket Club Ground is one of two cricket grounds in Porbandar. It hosted a Ranji Trophy match in October 1960 between the Saurashtra cricket team and the Maharashtra cricket team. The Maharashtra team won by 10 wickets, as the match had low scores, with Saurashtra scoring 94 & 139 and Maharashtra scoring 187 and 47/0. It was scheduled for three days but was completed in two. This was the only cricket played on the ground.
Tourist attractions
• Kirti Mandir, Birthday place of Mahatma Gandhi, is located at the Main bazaar, Manek Chowk.
• Bharat Mandir (A permanent exhibition of culture, history and geometry about India. It was established by Shri Nanjibhai Kalidas Mehta).
• Tara Mandir (one of the oldest planetariums of India).
• Shree Sudama ji Mandir: One of the few temples built in India in his name.
• Shree Hari Mandir or Sandipani temple (handled by Ramesh Oza): a temple complex.
• The Huzoor Palace, Daria Raj Mahal Palace, Darbargadh and the Sartanji Choro.
• Porbandar Chowpati.
• Porbandar Bird Sanctuary (birds like teals, fowls, flamingos, ibis, curlews can be seen)
• Porbandar has many wetlands ideal for birdwatching.
• It is also one of the last coasts remaining where the threatened marine mammal dugong can found.
Notable people
• Mahatma Gandhi – “The father of the Nation” was born here.
• Kasturba Gandhi – wife of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Nanji Kalidas Mehta – businessman and philanthropist.
• Sudama – (also known as Kuchela) friend of Krishna.
Food
There are just a few snacks and sweets over which a certain geographical region can claim monopoly. Khajali is one of them. It is a specialty of Porbandar. Khajli is a traditional Gujarati snack served with hot masala chai. Khajali is produced with finely ground wheat flour (Mendo). Unlike other treats, it’s fried in ghee. It also comes in three varieties: sweet Khajali (Sata), mild Khajali, and masala Khajali. Khajali is also known as flaky fried biscuit because as you bite into it, it breaks down into tiny flakes in your tongue.