Porbandar

Porbandar is an important city located on the seashore of Gujarat, India. The city is mostly renowned for being the hometown of Sudama, the friend of Lord Krishna and Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi), the famous freedom fighter. The city of Porbandar serves as the administrative headquarters of Porbandar district.

Geographical features of Porbandar

The city lies at 21.63° North and 69.6° east. The mean altitude of the place is 3.32 feet or 1 meter.

Distance from other major places in Gujarat

Given below is the distance of Porbandar from various places in Gujarat:

Bhavnagar - 300 km
Ahmedabad - 394 km
Rajkot - 178 km
Junagadh - 107 km
Somnath - 118 km

Demographic features of Porbandar

According to the information provided by the census performed in 2001, the number of people living in Porbandar was 133,083. Females form 49% of the total number of inhabitants and males represent 51% of the population. The mean literacy rate of the area is 73%, which is higher than the countrywide mean of 59.5%. Literacy among women is 67% and literacy among men is 79%. About 11% of the people living in the city are less than the age of six years.

Official languages of Porbandar

The formal languages of the city are Gujarati, Hindi, and English.

Major tourist attractions in Porbandar

The major tourist attractions in Porbandar are as follows:

Sudama Mandir
Kirti Mandir (place of birth of Mahatma Gandhi)
Gita Mandir
Bharat Mandir
Ram Dhoon Mandir
Gayatri Mandir
Sandipani Vidyaniketan
Rokadia Hanuman Temple
Rana Bapu's Mahal
Bird Sanctuary
Satyanarayan's Mandir
Chowpati
Sai Baba Dat Sai Mandir - This temple lies on the national highway. Devotees come to this mandir every Thursday to collect "prasad" of vegetables and khichdi.
Kamla Nehru Park
Many vandis (Community hubs)
Shri Hari Mandir
Nehru Planetarium
Ram Krishna Mission
Tara Mandir: Tara stands for stars in Gujarati language. Tara Mandir is home to an observatory which is one of the two oldest observatories inaugurated in the country by Pandit Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India.
Bhutnath Mandir - This temple is situated in front of Bhavshiji Hospital (Civil Hospital)
Swaminarayan Mandir
Chadeshwar Mahadev & Ajani Mataji's Temple- This mandir is situated at Somnath Highway. The distance from Porbandar is about 3 km and this temple might belong to the Pandava's period.

Major colleges and educational institutions in Porbandar

The prominent colleges and educational institutes in Porbandar are as follows:

Schools

K. B. Joshi High School (Gujarati Medium School)
The Saint Mary's School
St Joseph CMI School Adityana
The M.E.M. School
The Birlasagar Higher Secondary School
The Victoria Jubilee (V.J.) Madrasah Boys' and Girls' High School
Swaminarayan Gurukul
Kendriya Vidyalaya
O.N. Modha Vidhayalya
The Bharti Vidhyalaya Primary and High School for Boys and Girls
Cham Memorial English & Gujarati Medium School near New Fountain

Transportation system in Porbandar

The regional transportation system of the city depends on the City Bus and this bus service is run by Kargil Parivahn Company. It helps link the important places of the city. Auto rickshaws also ply quite frequently in the city. Private taxis and buses are mostly available from Sudama Chowk.

Roadways
National Highway 8 or NH 8 joins the city with places like Ahmedabad and Rajkot. State Highway 6, which is also called as National Highway 8E Extension, links the city to the following places:
- Dwarka and Jamnagar to the north
- Bhavnagar and Veraval to the south
The principal means of public transportation in the city are both government and private buses. Regular coach services are available to the following places:
- Dwarka
- Rajkot
- Junagadh
- Veraval
- Jamnagar
- Ahmedabad
- Surat
- Vadodara
- Mumbai
Various buses of the State Transport Corporation connect the place to different areas such as important cities, tiny villages, and communities.
By Rail
By railways, the city of Porbandar is well linked with the following places via direct trains:
- Jamnagar
- Ahmedabad
- Surat
- Rajkot
- Allahabad
- Agra
- Delhi
- Gaya
- Jaipur
- Mumbai
- Lucknow
- Kolkata
The Porbander Railway Station is the principal railway station in the area. Daily train services are available to the following places:
- Bhanwad
- Rajkot (via Jamnagar)
- Mumbai (via Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Surat)
- Okha
Train services are also available to cities like Motihari, Delhi, and Howrah and these trains link to important cities in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
By Air
The Porbandar Airport offers regular flights to Mumbai run by Jet Airways.

Scenario of industries in Porbandar

The major industries in the city are cement making and chemical manufacturing. Given below are the names of the major companies and businesses in the city: