Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a
city in the western
Indian state of
Gujarat, and serves as the capital of the
Jamnagar District. Its population in
1991 was roughly 326,000 people. The city was built up substantially by
Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the
1920s, when the district was known as Nawangar. The district lies just to the south of the
Gulf of Kutch.
Most residents of Jamnagar are Gujarati and speak the
Gujarati language. A small percentage speak the
Kachchi language, which is written in the Gujarati script but is not mutually intelligible with Gujarati.
Jamnagar has recently shot to prominence as Reliance Industries has established the world's largest
refinery near
Moti Khavdi village.
Marine National Park, the only
marine sanctuary of India is near Jamnagar - on the
coral reef island of
Pirotan.
Jamnagar is well-known for its four
marble Jain temples: Vardhman Shah's Temple, Raisi Shah's Temple, Sheth's Temple, and Vasupujya Swami's Temple. All were built between
1574 and
1622.
Jamnagar the Jewel of Kathiawar, is a sleepy town on the coast of Gulf of Kutch.
It has unspoilt Islands & Beaches, Hills, Temples, Palaces, Forest, Fantastic Bird life in the Bird Sanctury & Marine Sancturies and Facinating Corals and Marine Life in the Marine National Park.
* City Lake full of 75 varieties of Birds...
* Islands full of sea shells, corals, birds, octopus,...
* Unspoilt Beaches, both white and golden sands...
* Hills with temples on top...
* Forest with lepords, jackals, wolfs, jungle cat, blue bulls,hyena ..
* Temples ranging from the ancient to the new, also includes a Guiness World record holder...
* Bird Sancturies with 200 varieties of birds...
* Marine Sancturies with dolphins,octopus, turtles, dugong, fish ...
* Marine National Park...
The founder of the princely state of Jamnagar was the Great Jam Rawal, who descended on the northern coast of Kathiawar in 1535 A.D
Jam Rawals father Jam Lakhaji ruled in Terabanu in Kutch.
According to bardic chronicles, Jam Lakhaji had two cousins Tamachi Deda and Hamirji Jadeja, they envied his reputation for valor. Their envy was hightened by the fame of Jam Lakhaji at the siege of Pawagadh. So largely did he contribute to its capture by Bahadurshah, the Emperor of Gujarat, that he was bestowed 12 villages by him. As Jam Lakaji was going to take possession of his new fef, he was treacherously killed by his cousins Tamachi Deda and Hamirji Jadeja. Jam Lakhajis son Jam Rawal escaped and on growing up, took vengeance of his fathers murder in the same manner by killing Hamirji Jadeja.
Hamirjis two sons Khengarji and Sahibji fled to Delhi and after twelve months of waiting to meet the Great Moghul Emperor Humayun, they got the chance to join the crowd goingalong with the Emperor for lion hunting.
During the lion hunt, they got the chance to kill the lion just when it was going to attack the Emperor. As a reward, an army of 1,00,000 was sent with them to regain back their kingdom.
When Jam Rawal heard of the two princes coming back to the Kutch with the imperial army, he started getting ready for the battle. On one night, Goddess Ashapura came in his dream and told him that as he had broken the oath taken on her name about not killing Hamirji, even though, he was the person responsible for the death of his father. She should have punished him, but as he had at all other times honored her. So he should no longer dwell in Kutch but cross the sea and take Kathiawar as a dwelling place.
Upon awakening he called his counselors and discussed the dream, they agreed that he must leave Kutch and found for himself a Kingdom across the Gulf. So Jam Rawal along with his soldiers and many traders marched out. On the way he killed and conquered the territory of King Tamachi the other conspirator in the killing of his father, and he also conquered the town of Dhrol and its dependencies and gave them to his brother Hardholji, who was later killed in battle during that period, and the State of Dhrol was given to his eldest son, Jasoji.
Thus Jam Rawal made himself master of a great territory and the need for a capital arose.
The story goes like this, that once on a hunting trip on the land of present day Jamnagar, a hare was found to be brave enough to turn on the hunting dogs and putting them to flight. Deeply impressed by this, Jam Rawal thought that if this land can breed such hares, if his capital was built on this land, the men born here would be superior than other men.
He counsulted his astrologers and wise men, and the day chosen for laying the foundation stone was the 7th day of the bright half of the month of srawan, VS 1956. (August 1540 AD) on the banks of two rivers Rangmati and Nagmati and named it Nawanagar meaning new town.
Nawanagar eventually came to be known as Jamnagar meaning the town of the Jams.
*[http://www.jamnagar.org
For more information about Jamnagar visit www.jamnagar.org
*
Bandhani works of Jamnagar
