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This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
Veraval is a Municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is 6 km from Somnath.
HISTORY
Veraval was founded in 13th or 14th century by Rao Veravalji Vadher, a Rajput. Veraval was once a fortified port town of the royal family of Junagadh. It was a part of the Kingdom of Junagadh till 1947 when Junagadh was merged with India. The city still bears some remnants of the old Nawabi heritage, the beautiful Nawabi summer palace being among them. There are ruins of the old Nawabi fort and Nawabi Gates in and around the place. The old walls of the port are now ruined, but the impressive Junagadh gate and the Patan gate are still seen, but are in a very bad state.
The Nawabi Palace with gothic features which is one of the main attractions. It is popularly known as Somnath College (the palace was converted into a college after it was abandoned by the Nawab). At present it is the building of a Sanskrit university. The town is often known as the gateway to the magnificent temple of Somnath and the pilgrimage centres of Prabhas Patan and Bhalkha. Veraval is also the nearest town to the Gir National Park (42 km away).
Before the rise of Surat, Veraval was the major seaport for pilgrims to Mecca. Its importance now is as a fishing port, one of the largest in India. Sea going dhows and wooden fishing boats are still being built by the Fishermen's without the use of any Hightech Machines. Traditional skills are passed down from father to son.[citation needed] About 25 km from the veraval a historical place is located at Savani village.
GEOGRAPHY
Veraval is located at 20.9°N 70.37°E. It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet).
Subhash road,M.G.Road,Bus station, Somnath road are some of the famous roads in Veraval.
DEMOGRAPHICS
As of the 2001 India census, Veraval had a population of 141,250. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Veraval has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 53%. In Veraval, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
CLIMATE
Veraval has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. Almost all precipitation falls during the summer monsoon season from June to September.
PEOPLE
Veraval has a predominant Gujarati population. Amongst Gujaratis, the sonis (Jewellers,mainly from the clans of Dhakan, Patt, Sagar, etc.), the Kharwa, Ahir and the Kolis casts form a sizable part of the local population. In addition there are also significant populations of Turks, Rajwadi bhois, Hadi, Lohanas, Maleks, Memons, Patnis and Raykas. There is also a sizable population Sindhis. Gujarati and Hindi are the most common languages in the town.
INDUSTRY
Fisheries have always been the main industries in the town and are dominated by the Kharwas (fisherfolk). The fishing is done mostly on traditional boats and trawlers. Veraval also has a large boat making industry. Veraval is home to a large number of fish processing factories in G.I.D.C [expand acronym] which export prime quality seafood to USA, Japan, SE Asian, Gulf and EU Countries. The seafood-industry which was started through government initiative now is in its prime and many importers are attracted towards Veraval from around the globe. Regional research centers of CIFT and CMFRI situated at Veraval have done Yeoman service in development of fisheries sector in Gujarat.
Veraval also is home to Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (Formerly:Indian-Rayon Industries Ltd) which is one of India's largest rayon manufacturing companies.
There are various chemical, thread and cement companies around Veraval which provide employment to the local youth. The major ones being Indian Rayon NUVO Ltd., Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd, Gujarat Siddhee Cement Ltd and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.
COASTLINE
Veraval also enjoyes a long coastline, lined with beaches. Beaches extend uninterrupted almost throughout the Veraval coast. Only a small portion of the beach has been commercialised and majority of the beach is still virgin. This Beaches are known for Beautiful Sunsets.
TRANSPORT
Veraval Junction is a fairly busy railway junction station for Western Railways and is served by more than 14 pairs of regional and long-distance trains.
Daily (or multiple daily) trains connect it to major cities in Gujarat such as Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.
Daily connections are also available to many other towns in Gujarat such as Keshod, Jetalsar, Gondal, Wankaner, Surendranagar, Viramgam, Nadiad, Anand, Valsad, Vapi, Dahod and Godhra.
Daily long distance trains connect Veraval to several cities in India including Bhopal, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Ratlam, Ujjain and Mumbai.
Pune, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangalore, Karwar, Madgaon, Ratnagiri and Panvel are some of the cities connected by weekly long distance trains.
The nearest airports are Diu And Rajkot. Daily Flights connect Rajkot and Diu to Mumbai.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Somnath
Sasan Gir
Prabhas Patan
Bhalka
LORAN-C transmitter Veraval
G.I.D.C Fisheries Industries
Old Mosques
Beaches
Municipal Garden
sai baba's temple
WIKIPEDIA
Veraval is a Municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is 6 km from Somnath.
HISTORY
Veraval was founded in 13th or 14th century by Rao Veravalji Vadher, a Rajput. Veraval was once a fortified port town of the royal family of Junagadh. It was a part of the Kingdom of Junagadh till 1947 when Junagadh was merged with India. The city still bears some remnants of the old Nawabi heritage, the beautiful Nawabi summer palace being among them. There are ruins of the old Nawabi fort and Nawabi Gates in and around the place. The old walls of the port are now ruined, but the impressive Junagadh gate and the Patan gate are still seen, but are in a very bad state.
The Nawabi Palace with gothic features which is one of the main attractions. It is popularly known as Somnath College (the palace was converted into a college after it was abandoned by the Nawab). At present it is the building of a Sanskrit university. The town is often known as the gateway to the magnificent temple of Somnath and the pilgrimage centres of Prabhas Patan and Bhalkha. Veraval is also the nearest town to the Gir National Park (42 km away).
Before the rise of Surat, Veraval was the major seaport for pilgrims to Mecca. Its importance now is as a fishing port, one of the largest in India. Sea going dhows and wooden fishing boats are still being built by the Fishermen's without the use of any Hightech Machines. Traditional skills are passed down from father to son.[citation needed] About 25 km from the veraval a historical place is located at Savani village.
GEOGRAPHY
Veraval is located at 20.9°N 70.37°E. It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet).
Subhash road,M.G.Road,Bus station, Somnath road are some of the famous roads in Veraval.
DEMOGRAPHICS
As of the 2001 India census, Veraval had a population of 141,250. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Veraval has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 53%. In Veraval, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
CLIMATE
Veraval has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. Almost all precipitation falls during the summer monsoon season from June to September.
PEOPLE
Veraval has a predominant Gujarati population. Amongst Gujaratis, the sonis (Jewellers,mainly from the clans of Dhakan, Patt, Sagar, etc.), the Kharwa, Ahir and the Kolis casts form a sizable part of the local population. In addition there are also significant populations of Turks, Rajwadi bhois, Hadi, Lohanas, Maleks, Memons, Patnis and Raykas. There is also a sizable population Sindhis. Gujarati and Hindi are the most common languages in the town.
INDUSTRY
Fisheries have always been the main industries in the town and are dominated by the Kharwas (fisherfolk). The fishing is done mostly on traditional boats and trawlers. Veraval also has a large boat making industry. Veraval is home to a large number of fish processing factories in G.I.D.C [expand acronym] which export prime quality seafood to USA, Japan, SE Asian, Gulf and EU Countries. The seafood-industry which was started through government initiative now is in its prime and many importers are attracted towards Veraval from around the globe. Regional research centers of CIFT and CMFRI situated at Veraval have done Yeoman service in development of fisheries sector in Gujarat.
Veraval also is home to Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (Formerly:Indian-Rayon Industries Ltd) which is one of India's largest rayon manufacturing companies.
There are various chemical, thread and cement companies around Veraval which provide employment to the local youth. The major ones being Indian Rayon NUVO Ltd., Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd, Gujarat Siddhee Cement Ltd and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.
COASTLINE
Veraval also enjoyes a long coastline, lined with beaches. Beaches extend uninterrupted almost throughout the Veraval coast. Only a small portion of the beach has been commercialised and majority of the beach is still virgin. This Beaches are known for Beautiful Sunsets.
TRANSPORT
Veraval Junction is a fairly busy railway junction station for Western Railways and is served by more than 14 pairs of regional and long-distance trains.
Daily (or multiple daily) trains connect it to major cities in Gujarat such as Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.
Daily connections are also available to many other towns in Gujarat such as Keshod, Jetalsar, Gondal, Wankaner, Surendranagar, Viramgam, Nadiad, Anand, Valsad, Vapi, Dahod and Godhra.
Daily long distance trains connect Veraval to several cities in India including Bhopal, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Ratlam, Ujjain and Mumbai.
Pune, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangalore, Karwar, Madgaon, Ratnagiri and Panvel are some of the cities connected by weekly long distance trains.
The nearest airports are Diu And Rajkot. Daily Flights connect Rajkot and Diu to Mumbai.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Somnath
Sasan Gir
Prabhas Patan
Bhalka
LORAN-C transmitter Veraval
G.I.D.C Fisheries Industries
Old Mosques
Beaches
Municipal Garden
sai baba's temple
WIKIPEDIA
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
The Somnath Temple, located on Gujarat coast, is dedicated to Shiva as the Lord of the Moon.
It is home to one of India's 12 jyotirlingas . Though the history of Somnath dates back to before the Christian era, the temple has been razed and rebuilt at least seven times. The current temple, pictured above was constructed in 1995.
The latest EMD of Itarsi WDP-4B # 40052 getting ready to haul the 22 coach rake of 11464 Jabalpur-Somnath Express upto Itarsi from pF#4 of JBP
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
As the sun sets, 21 coach load of 11464 Jabalpur-Somnath Express cruises towards Habibganj with a beautiful WDM-3D # 11210 from Itarsi, Shan was travelling on it:-)
The name of the game in most of the European languages, e.g. Eng. chess, Fr. échecs, It. scacchi, can be traced back, through the Latin plural scaci (scachi, scacci, meaning chessmen), to the Arabic and Persian name of the chess King, shāh.
The names of the other chessmen - King and Pawn (L. pedo, a foot-soldier), everywhere; Horse, in Southern Europe— reproduce the meaning of the names of the corresponding men in the Arabic and Persian games.
The names of the game of chess in modern Spanish or Castilian (ajedrez) and Portuguese (xadrez) not only confirm this evidence, but supplement it by taking the pedigree a step farther back. For these two forms appear in older Castilian as acedrex, and this word is simply the Arabic ash-shaṭranj, the shaṭranj, in a European dress. Shaṭranj, again, is only an Arabicized form of the Middle Persian chatrang, and this Persian word is an adaptation of the Sanskrit chaturanga. All these terms are in their respective languages the ordinary names for the game of chess.
The names of the chessmen in Persian and Sanskrit are synonymous. In each game there was a King, a Counsellor, two Elephants, two Horse, two Chariots, and eight Foot-soldiers.
Murray, H.J.R., A History of Chess
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
Kalimpong - Day 2 - Hanuman Mandir - Moth - Zygaenidae, Chalcosiinae - Erasmia pulchella
Taken At Kalimpong , Darjeeling , West Bengal ,India
Veraval is a Municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is 6 km from Somnath.
HISTORY
Veraval was founded in 13th or 14th century by Rao Veravalji Vadher, a Rajput. Veraval was once a fortified port town of the royal family of Junagadh. It was a part of the Kingdom of Junagadh till 1947 when Junagadh was merged with India. The city still bears some remnants of the old Nawabi heritage, the beautiful Nawabi summer palace being among them. There are ruins of the old Nawabi fort and Nawabi Gates in and around the place. The old walls of the port are now ruined, but the impressive Junagadh gate and the Patan gate are still seen, but are in a very bad state.
The Nawabi Palace with gothic features which is one of the main attractions. It is popularly known as Somnath College (the palace was converted into a college after it was abandoned by the Nawab). At present it is the building of a Sanskrit university. The town is often known as the gateway to the magnificent temple of Somnath and the pilgrimage centres of Prabhas Patan and Bhalkha. Veraval is also the nearest town to the Gir National Park (42 km away).
Before the rise of Surat, Veraval was the major seaport for pilgrims to Mecca. Its importance now is as a fishing port, one of the largest in India. Sea going dhows and wooden fishing boats are still being built by the Fishermen's without the use of any Hightech Machines. Traditional skills are passed down from father to son.[citation needed] About 25 km from the veraval a historical place is located at Savani village.
GEOGRAPHY
Veraval is located at 20.9°N 70.37°E. It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet).
Subhash road,M.G.Road,Bus station, Somnath road are some of the famous roads in Veraval.
DEMOGRAPHICS
As of the 2001 India census, Veraval had a population of 141,250. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Veraval has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 53%. In Veraval, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
CLIMATE
Veraval has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. Almost all precipitation falls during the summer monsoon season from June to September.
PEOPLE
Veraval has a predominant Gujarati population. Amongst Gujaratis, the sonis (Jewellers,mainly from the clans of Dhakan, Patt, Sagar, etc.), the Kharwa, Ahir and the Kolis casts form a sizable part of the local population. In addition there are also significant populations of Turks, Rajwadi bhois, Hadi, Lohanas, Maleks, Memons, Patnis and Raykas. There is also a sizable population Sindhis. Gujarati and Hindi are the most common languages in the town.
INDUSTRY
Fisheries have always been the main industries in the town and are dominated by the Kharwas (fisherfolk). The fishing is done mostly on traditional boats and trawlers. Veraval also has a large boat making industry. Veraval is home to a large number of fish processing factories in G.I.D.C [expand acronym] which export prime quality seafood to USA, Japan, SE Asian, Gulf and EU Countries. The seafood-industry which was started through government initiative now is in its prime and many importers are attracted towards Veraval from around the globe. Regional research centers of CIFT and CMFRI situated at Veraval have done Yeoman service in development of fisheries sector in Gujarat.
Veraval also is home to Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (Formerly:Indian-Rayon Industries Ltd) which is one of India's largest rayon manufacturing companies.
There are various chemical, thread and cement companies around Veraval which provide employment to the local youth. The major ones being Indian Rayon NUVO Ltd., Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd, Gujarat Siddhee Cement Ltd and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.
COASTLINE
Veraval also enjoyes a long coastline, lined with beaches. Beaches extend uninterrupted almost throughout the Veraval coast. Only a small portion of the beach has been commercialised and majority of the beach is still virgin. This Beaches are known for Beautiful Sunsets.
TRANSPORT
Veraval Junction is a fairly busy railway junction station for Western Railways and is served by more than 14 pairs of regional and long-distance trains.
Daily (or multiple daily) trains connect it to major cities in Gujarat such as Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.
Daily connections are also available to many other towns in Gujarat such as Keshod, Jetalsar, Gondal, Wankaner, Surendranagar, Viramgam, Nadiad, Anand, Valsad, Vapi, Dahod and Godhra.
Daily long distance trains connect Veraval to several cities in India including Bhopal, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Ratlam, Ujjain and Mumbai.
Pune, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangalore, Karwar, Madgaon, Ratnagiri and Panvel are some of the cities connected by weekly long distance trains.
The nearest airports are Diu And Rajkot. Daily Flights connect Rajkot and Diu to Mumbai.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Somnath
Sasan Gir
Prabhas Patan
Bhalka
LORAN-C transmitter Veraval
G.I.D.C Fisheries Industries
Old Mosques
Beaches
Municipal Garden
sai baba's temple
WIKIPEDIA
The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot. The temple is considered sacred due to the various legends connected to it. Somnath means "Lord of the Soma", an epithet of Shiva.
The Somnath temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal". This legendary temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times by Islamic kings and Hindu kings respectively. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration. After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, another minister of the Government of India.
The temple is open daily from 6AM to 9PM. There are 3 aarti daily; in the morning at 07:00, at 12:00 and in the evening at 19:00.
It is also believed that nearby Bhalka is the place where Krishna ended his lila on earth and left for his heavenly abode.
JYOTIRLINGA
The Shiva linga in Somnath is believed to be one of the 12 jyotirlingas in India, where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of which Shiva partly appears.
The jyotirlinga shrines are the places where Shiva is believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light.[5][6] Originally there are believed to have been 64 jyotirlingas and 12 of them were considered to be very auspicious and holy.
Each of the twelve jyotirlinga sites take the name of a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is a lingam representing the beginningless and endless stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. Even though there are believed to have been 64 jyotirlingas, twelve of them are considered to be very auspicious. In addition to the one at Somanath, the others are at Varanasi, Rameswaram, Dwarka etc.
HISTORY
The site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a triveni sangam (the joining of three rivers — Kapila, Hiran and the mythical Sarasvati River). Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Sarasvati River at this site to regain it. The result is the waxing and waning of the moon, no doubt an allusion to the waxing and waning of the tides at this sea shore location. The name of the town Prabhas, meaning lustre, as well as the alternative names Someshvar and Somanath ("lord of the moon" or "moon god") arise from this tradition.
HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE
According to popular tradition documented by J. Gordon Melton, the first Siva temple at Somanath is believed to have been built at some unknown time in the past. The second temple was said to be built at the same site by the Seuna kings of Vallabhi around 649 CE. In 725 CE, Al-Junayd, the Arab governor of Sindh is said to have destroyed the second temple as part of his invasions of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Gurjara-Pratihara king Nagabhata II is said to have constructed the third temple in 815 CE, a large structure of red sandstone.
There is no historical record of an attack on Somnath by Al-Junayd. However, Nagabhata II is known to have visited tirthas in Saurashtra, including Someshvara (the Lord of the Moon) at Somnath, which may or may not be a reference to a Siva temple. The Solanki king Mularaja possibly built the first temple at the site sometime before 997 CE, even though some historians believe that he may have renovated a smaller earlier temple.
Somnath temple, 1869
In 1024, during the reign of Bhimdev I, the prominent Afghan ruler Mahmud of Ghazni raided Gujarat, plundering the Somnath temple and breaking its jyotirlinga. He took away a booty of 20 million dinars. Historians expect the damage to the temple to have been minimal because there are records to pilgrimages to the temple in 1038, which make no mention of any damage to the temple. However, powerful legends with intricate detail had developed regarding Mahmud's raid in the Turko-Persian literature, which "electrified" the Muslim world according to scholar Meenakshi Jain.
The prior temple appears to have been a wooden structure which decayed in time (kalajirnam) and Kumarpal (r. 1143-72) rebuilt it in "excellent stone and studded it with jewels," according to an inscription in 1169.
In 1299, Alauddin Khilji's army under the leadership of Ulugh Khan defeated Karandev II of the Vaghela dynasty, and sacked the Somnath temple. According to Taj-ul-Ma'sir of Hasan Nizami, the Sultan boasted that "fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword" and "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors."
The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351. In 1395, the temple was destroyed for the third time by Zafar Khan, the last governor of Gujarat under the Delhi Sultanate. In 1451, it was desecrated by Mahmud Begada, the Sultan of Gujarat.
In 1546, the Portuguese, based in Goa, attacked ports and towns in Gujarat including Somnath and destroyed several temples and mosques.
By 1665, the temple, one of many, was once again ordered destroyed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In 1702, he ordered that if Hindus had revived worship there, it should be demolished completely.
Later the temple was rebuilt to its same glory adjacent to the ruined one by the joint efforts of the Marathas including the Peshwa of Pune, Raja Bhonsle of Nagpur, Chhatrapati Bhonsle of Kolhapur, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore & Shrimant Patilbuwa Shinde of Gwalior rebuilt the temple in 1783 at a site adjacent to the ruined temple.
'Proclamation of the Gates' Incident during the British raj
In 1782-83 AD, Maratha king Mahadaji Shinde, victoriously brought back the Three Silver Gates from Lahore after defeating Muhammad Shah of Lahore. After refusal from Pundits of Guzrath and the then ruler Gaekwad to put them back on Somnath temple, these silver gates were placed in the temples of Ujjain. Today they can be seen in two temples of India, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and Gopal Mandir of Ujjain.
In 1842, Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough issued his famous Proclamation of the Gates, in which he ordered the British army in Afghanistan to return via Ghazni and bring back to India the sandalwood gates from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni in Ghazni, Afghanistan. These were believed to have been taken by Mahmud from Somnath. There was a debate in the House of Commons in London in 1843 on the question of the gates of the Somanatha temple. After much crossfire between the British Government and the opposition, the gates were uprooted and brought back in triumph. But on arrival, they were found to be replicas of the original. They were placed in a store-room in the Agra Fort where they still lie to the present day.
In the 19th century novel The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, the diamond of the title is presumed to have been stolen from the temple at Somnath and, according to the historian Romila Thapar, reflects the interest aroused in Britain by the gates.
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOMNATH TEMPLE
Before independence, Prabhas Patan was part of the princely state of Junagadh, whose ruler had acceded to Pakistan in 1947. After India refused to accept his decision, the state was made a part of India and Deputy Prime Minister Patel came to Junagadh on 12 November 1947 to direct the stabilization of the state by the Indian Army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple.
When Patel, K. M. Munshi and other leaders of the Congress went to Mahatma Gandhi with their proposal to reconstruct the Somnath temple, Gandhi blessed the move, but suggested that the funds for the construction should be collected from the public and the temple should not be funded by the state. He expressed that he was proud to associate himself to the project of renovation of the temple However, soon both Gandhi and Sardar Patel died and the task of reconstruction of the temple continued under Munshi, who was the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the Nehru Government.
The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque present at that site was shifted few kilometres away. In May 1951, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, invited by K M Munshi, performed the installation ceremony for the temple. The President said in his address, "It is my view that the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple will be complete on that day when not only a magnificent edifice will arise on this foundation, but the mansion of India's prosperity will be really that prosperity of which the ancient temple of Somnath was a symbol.". He added "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"
ARCHITECTURE OF THE PRESENT TEMPLE
The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or "Kailash Mahameru Prasad" style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, one of Gujarat's master masons. The temple's śikhara, or main spire, is 15 metres in height, and it has an 8.2-metre tall flag pole at the top.
The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in a straight line between Somnath seashore until Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Bāṇastambha (Sanskrit: बाणस्तम्भ, lit. arrow pillar) erected on the sea-protection wall. The Bāṇastambha mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass that is the first point on land in the north to the South Pole at that particular longitude.
WIKIPEDIA
Workersof Aam Aadmi Party have started campaigning for their candidate for forthcoming elections in Delhi date for which is yet to be announced.
Sankkhachill - Our Homestay at Jayanti - Santrabari Crossing , Buxa Tiger Reserve.
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Veraval is a Municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is 6 km from Somnath.
HISTORY
Veraval was founded in 13th or 14th century by Rao Veravalji Vadher, a Rajput. Veraval was once a fortified port town of the royal family of Junagadh. It was a part of the Kingdom of Junagadh till 1947 when Junagadh was merged with India. The city still bears some remnants of the old Nawabi heritage, the beautiful Nawabi summer palace being among them. There are ruins of the old Nawabi fort and Nawabi Gates in and around the place. The old walls of the port are now ruined, but the impressive Junagadh gate and the Patan gate are still seen, but are in a very bad state.
The Nawabi Palace with gothic features which is one of the main attractions. It is popularly known as Somnath College (the palace was converted into a college after it was abandoned by the Nawab). At present it is the building of a Sanskrit university. The town is often known as the gateway to the magnificent temple of Somnath and the pilgrimage centres of Prabhas Patan and Bhalkha. Veraval is also the nearest town to the Gir National Park (42 km away).
Before the rise of Surat, Veraval was the major seaport for pilgrims to Mecca. Its importance now is as a fishing port, one of the largest in India. Sea going dhows and wooden fishing boats are still being built by the Fishermen's without the use of any Hightech Machines. Traditional skills are passed down from father to son.[citation needed] About 25 km from the veraval a historical place is located at Savani village.
GEOGRAPHY
Veraval is located at 20.9°N 70.37°E. It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet).
Subhash road,M.G.Road,Bus station, Somnath road are some of the famous roads in Veraval.
DEMOGRAPHICS
As of the 2001 India census, Veraval had a population of 141,250. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Veraval has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 53%. In Veraval, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
CLIMATE
Veraval has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. Almost all precipitation falls during the summer monsoon season from June to September.
PEOPLE
Veraval has a predominant Gujarati population. Amongst Gujaratis, the sonis (Jewellers,mainly from the clans of Dhakan, Patt, Sagar, etc.), the Kharwa, Ahir and the Kolis casts form a sizable part of the local population. In addition there are also significant populations of Turks, Rajwadi bhois, Hadi, Lohanas, Maleks, Memons, Patnis and Raykas. There is also a sizable population Sindhis. Gujarati and Hindi are the most common languages in the town.
INDUSTRY
Fisheries have always been the main industries in the town and are dominated by the Kharwas (fisherfolk). The fishing is done mostly on traditional boats and trawlers. Veraval also has a large boat making industry. Veraval is home to a large number of fish processing factories in G.I.D.C [expand acronym] which export prime quality seafood to USA, Japan, SE Asian, Gulf and EU Countries. The seafood-industry which was started through government initiative now is in its prime and many importers are attracted towards Veraval from around the globe. Regional research centers of CIFT and CMFRI situated at Veraval have done Yeoman service in development of fisheries sector in Gujarat.
Veraval also is home to Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (Formerly:Indian-Rayon Industries Ltd) which is one of India's largest rayon manufacturing companies.
There are various chemical, thread and cement companies around Veraval which provide employment to the local youth. The major ones being Indian Rayon NUVO Ltd., Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd, Gujarat Siddhee Cement Ltd and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.
COASTLINE
Veraval also enjoyes a long coastline, lined with beaches. Beaches extend uninterrupted almost throughout the Veraval coast. Only a small portion of the beach has been commercialised and majority of the beach is still virgin. This Beaches are known for Beautiful Sunsets.
TRANSPORT
Veraval Junction is a fairly busy railway junction station for Western Railways and is served by more than 14 pairs of regional and long-distance trains.
Daily (or multiple daily) trains connect it to major cities in Gujarat such as Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.
Daily connections are also available to many other towns in Gujarat such as Keshod, Jetalsar, Gondal, Wankaner, Surendranagar, Viramgam, Nadiad, Anand, Valsad, Vapi, Dahod and Godhra.
Daily long distance trains connect Veraval to several cities in India including Bhopal, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Ratlam, Ujjain and Mumbai.
Pune, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangalore, Karwar, Madgaon, Ratnagiri and Panvel are some of the cities connected by weekly long distance trains.
The nearest airports are Diu And Rajkot. Daily Flights connect Rajkot and Diu to Mumbai.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Somnath
Sasan Gir
Prabhas Patan
Bhalka
LORAN-C transmitter Veraval
G.I.D.C Fisheries Industries
Old Mosques
Beaches
Municipal Garden
sai baba's temple
WIKIPEDIA
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
This photo gallery of Gujarat State in India has been made by Dutch travel photographer Hans Hendriksen. Should you want to buy a high-res file for publication, photo print or poster? Visit www.hanshendriksen.net to find all information about the author and how to order or publish his work.
Deze fotoserie van Gujarat, deelstaat van India, is gemaakt door reisfotograaf Hans Hendriksen. U wilt meer zien? Bezoek dan zijn populaire homepage www.hanshendriksen.net met fotogalerijen uit meer dan 30 landen, info over de auteur en hoe te bestellen/publiceren.
Cette photographie Voyage photo sur l'Inde Gujarat a été prise par Hans Hendriksen Voyage photographe néerlandais. Si vous voulez acheter un haute-rés. fichier pour la publication, tirage photo ou une affiche? Visite www.hanshendriksen.net pour y trouver toutes les informations sur l'auteur et la façon de commander ou de publier son travail.
Este India Gujarat fotografía viajes foto recibió un disparo por el fotógrafo de viajes neerlandés Hans Hendriksen. Si usted quiere comprar una de alta resolución de archivo para la publicación, impresión de fotografías o carteles? Visita www.hanshendriksen.net para encontrar toda la información sobre el autor y la forma de orden o publicar su trabajo.
Autor dieser Indien Gujarat Reise-Fotografie Galerie ist Hans Hendriksen, ein Niederländischer Reise-Fotograf mit Vorliebe für das Abbilden des Alltags. Mehr auf seiner Homepage www.hanshendriksen.net mit Informationen über den Autor und wie Sie seine Bilder bestellen/publizieren.
Автор серии иэ фотографии о Гуджарат Индии Ханс Хендриксен, голланкдский фотограф. Хотите еще? Зайдите на страничку www.hanshendriksen.net где вы можете найти 44 серий фотографий о разных странах, всю информачию об авторе и информачию о том как заказать и получить его работы.
The Great Banyan
Located in the Indian Botanical Gardens, Howrah, over the River Hooghly from Kolkata, the Great Banyan was the widest tree in the world, in terms of the area of the canopy.
It is estimated to be about 200 to 250 years old. It became diseased after it was struck by lightning, so in 1925 the middle of the tree was excised to keep the remainder healthy; this has left it as a clonal colony, rather than a single tree.
A 330 m long road was built around its circumference, but the tree continues to spread beyond it.
The Great Banyan tree is over 250 years old and in spread it is the largest known in India, perhaps in Asia.
There is no clear history of the tree, but it is mentioned in some travel books of the nineteenth century.
It was damaged by two great cyclones in 1884 and 1886, when some of its main branches were broken and exposed to the attack of a hard fungus.
With its large number of aerial roots, The Great Banyan looks more like a forest than an individual tree.
The tree now lives without its main trunk, which decayed and was removed in 1925.
The circumference of the original trunk was 1.7 m and from the ground was 15.7 m.
The area occupied by the tree is about 14500 square metres (about 1.5 hectares or 4 acres).
The present crown of the tree has a circumference of about 1 kilometre and the highest branch rises to about 25 m; it has at present 2880 aerial roots reaching down to the ground.
The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot. The temple is considered sacred due to the various legends connected to it. Somnath means "Lord of the Soma", an epithet of Shiva.
The Somnath temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal". This legendary temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times by Islamic kings and Hindu kings respectively. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration. After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, another minister of the Government of India.
The temple is open daily from 6AM to 9PM. There are 3 aarti daily; in the morning at 07:00, at 12:00 and in the evening at 19:00.
It is also believed that nearby Bhalka is the place where Krishna ended his lila on earth and left for his heavenly abode.
JYOTIRLINGA
The Shiva linga in Somnath is believed to be one of the 12 jyotirlingas in India, where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of which Shiva partly appears.
The jyotirlinga shrines are the places where Shiva is believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light.[5][6] Originally there are believed to have been 64 jyotirlingas and 12 of them were considered to be very auspicious and holy.
Each of the twelve jyotirlinga sites take the name of a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is a lingam representing the beginningless and endless stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. Even though there are believed to have been 64 jyotirlingas, twelve of them are considered to be very auspicious. In addition to the one at Somanath, the others are at Varanasi, Rameswaram, Dwarka etc.
HISTORY
The site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a triveni sangam (the joining of three rivers — Kapila, Hiran and the mythical Sarasvati River). Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Sarasvati River at this site to regain it. The result is the waxing and waning of the moon, no doubt an allusion to the waxing and waning of the tides at this sea shore location. The name of the town Prabhas, meaning lustre, as well as the alternative names Someshvar and Somanath ("lord of the moon" or "moon god") arise from this tradition.
HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE
According to popular tradition documented by J. Gordon Melton, the first Siva temple at Somanath is believed to have been built at some unknown time in the past. The second temple was said to be built at the same site by the Seuna kings of Vallabhi around 649 CE. In 725 CE, Al-Junayd, the Arab governor of Sindh is said to have destroyed the second temple as part of his invasions of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Gurjara-Pratihara king Nagabhata II is said to have constructed the third temple in 815 CE, a large structure of red sandstone.
There is no historical record of an attack on Somnath by Al-Junayd. However, Nagabhata II is known to have visited tirthas in Saurashtra, including Someshvara (the Lord of the Moon) at Somnath, which may or may not be a reference to a Siva temple. The Solanki king Mularaja possibly built the first temple at the site sometime before 997 CE, even though some historians believe that he may have renovated a smaller earlier temple.
Somnath temple, 1869
In 1024, during the reign of Bhimdev I, the prominent Afghan ruler Mahmud of Ghazni raided Gujarat, plundering the Somnath temple and breaking its jyotirlinga. He took away a booty of 20 million dinars. Historians expect the damage to the temple to have been minimal because there are records to pilgrimages to the temple in 1038, which make no mention of any damage to the temple. However, powerful legends with intricate detail had developed regarding Mahmud's raid in the Turko-Persian literature, which "electrified" the Muslim world according to scholar Meenakshi Jain.
The prior temple appears to have been a wooden structure which decayed in time (kalajirnam) and Kumarpal (r. 1143-72) rebuilt it in "excellent stone and studded it with jewels," according to an inscription in 1169.
In 1299, Alauddin Khilji's army under the leadership of Ulugh Khan defeated Karandev II of the Vaghela dynasty, and sacked the Somnath temple. According to Taj-ul-Ma'sir of Hasan Nizami, the Sultan boasted that "fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword" and "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors."
The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351. In 1395, the temple was destroyed for the third time by Zafar Khan, the last governor of Gujarat under the Delhi Sultanate. In 1451, it was desecrated by Mahmud Begada, the Sultan of Gujarat.
In 1546, the Portuguese, based in Goa, attacked ports and towns in Gujarat including Somnath and destroyed several temples and mosques.
By 1665, the temple, one of many, was once again ordered destroyed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In 1702, he ordered that if Hindus had revived worship there, it should be demolished completely.
Later the temple was rebuilt to its same glory adjacent to the ruined one by the joint efforts of the Marathas including the Peshwa of Pune, Raja Bhonsle of Nagpur, Chhatrapati Bhonsle of Kolhapur, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore & Shrimant Patilbuwa Shinde of Gwalior rebuilt the temple in 1783 at a site adjacent to the ruined temple.
'Proclamation of the Gates' Incident during the British raj
In 1782-83 AD, Maratha king Mahadaji Shinde, victoriously brought back the Three Silver Gates from Lahore after defeating Muhammad Shah of Lahore. After refusal from Pundits of Guzrath and the then ruler Gaekwad to put them back on Somnath temple, these silver gates were placed in the temples of Ujjain. Today they can be seen in two temples of India, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and Gopal Mandir of Ujjain.
In 1842, Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough issued his famous Proclamation of the Gates, in which he ordered the British army in Afghanistan to return via Ghazni and bring back to India the sandalwood gates from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni in Ghazni, Afghanistan. These were believed to have been taken by Mahmud from Somnath. There was a debate in the House of Commons in London in 1843 on the question of the gates of the Somanatha temple. After much crossfire between the British Government and the opposition, the gates were uprooted and brought back in triumph. But on arrival, they were found to be replicas of the original. They were placed in a store-room in the Agra Fort where they still lie to the present day.
In the 19th century novel The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, the diamond of the title is presumed to have been stolen from the temple at Somnath and, according to the historian Romila Thapar, reflects the interest aroused in Britain by the gates.
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOMNATH TEMPLE
Before independence, Prabhas Patan was part of the princely state of Junagadh, whose ruler had acceded to Pakistan in 1947. After India refused to accept his decision, the state was made a part of India and Deputy Prime Minister Patel came to Junagadh on 12 November 1947 to direct the stabilization of the state by the Indian Army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple.
When Patel, K. M. Munshi and other leaders of the Congress went to Mahatma Gandhi with their proposal to reconstruct the Somnath temple, Gandhi blessed the move, but suggested that the funds for the construction should be collected from the public and the temple should not be funded by the state. He expressed that he was proud to associate himself to the project of renovation of the temple However, soon both Gandhi and Sardar Patel died and the task of reconstruction of the temple continued under Munshi, who was the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the Nehru Government.
The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque present at that site was shifted few kilometres away. In May 1951, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, invited by K M Munshi, performed the installation ceremony for the temple. The President said in his address, "It is my view that the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple will be complete on that day when not only a magnificent edifice will arise on this foundation, but the mansion of India's prosperity will be really that prosperity of which the ancient temple of Somnath was a symbol.". He added "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"
ARCHITECTURE OF THE PRESENT TEMPLE
The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or "Kailash Mahameru Prasad" style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, one of Gujarat's master masons. The temple's śikhara, or main spire, is 15 metres in height, and it has an 8.2-metre tall flag pole at the top.
The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in a straight line between Somnath seashore until Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Bāṇastambha (Sanskrit: बाणस्तम्भ, lit. arrow pillar) erected on the sea-protection wall. The Bāṇastambha mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass that is the first point on land in the north to the South Pole at that particular longitude.
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The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot. The temple is considered sacred due to the various legends connected to it. Somnath means "Lord of the Soma", an epithet of Shiva.
The Somnath temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal". This legendary temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times by Islamic kings and Hindu kings respectively. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration. After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, another minister of the Government of India.
The temple is open daily from 6AM to 9PM. There are 3 aarti daily; in the morning at 07:00, at 12:00 and in the evening at 19:00.
It is also believed that nearby Bhalka is the place where Krishna ended his lila on earth and left for his heavenly abode.
JYOTIRLINGA
The Shiva linga in Somnath is believed to be one of the 12 jyotirlingas in India, where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. The jyotirlingas are taken as the supreme, undivided reality out of which Shiva partly appears.
The jyotirlinga shrines are the places where Shiva is believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light.[5][6] Originally there are believed to have been 64 jyotirlingas and 12 of them were considered to be very auspicious and holy.
Each of the twelve jyotirlinga sites take the name of a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is a lingam representing the beginningless and endless stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. Even though there are believed to have been 64 jyotirlingas, twelve of them are considered to be very auspicious. In addition to the one at Somanath, the others are at Varanasi, Rameswaram, Dwarka etc.
HISTORY
The site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a triveni sangam (the joining of three rivers — Kapila, Hiran and the mythical Sarasvati River). Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Sarasvati River at this site to regain it. The result is the waxing and waning of the moon, no doubt an allusion to the waxing and waning of the tides at this sea shore location. The name of the town Prabhas, meaning lustre, as well as the alternative names Someshvar and Somanath ("lord of the moon" or "moon god") arise from this tradition.
HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE
According to popular tradition documented by J. Gordon Melton, the first Siva temple at Somanath is believed to have been built at some unknown time in the past. The second temple was said to be built at the same site by the Seuna kings of Vallabhi around 649 CE. In 725 CE, Al-Junayd, the Arab governor of Sindh is said to have destroyed the second temple as part of his invasions of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Gurjara-Pratihara king Nagabhata II is said to have constructed the third temple in 815 CE, a large structure of red sandstone.
There is no historical record of an attack on Somnath by Al-Junayd. However, Nagabhata II is known to have visited tirthas in Saurashtra, including Someshvara (the Lord of the Moon) at Somnath, which may or may not be a reference to a Siva temple. The Solanki king Mularaja possibly built the first temple at the site sometime before 997 CE, even though some historians believe that he may have renovated a smaller earlier temple.
Somnath temple, 1869
In 1024, during the reign of Bhimdev I, the prominent Afghan ruler Mahmud of Ghazni raided Gujarat, plundering the Somnath temple and breaking its jyotirlinga. He took away a booty of 20 million dinars. Historians expect the damage to the temple to have been minimal because there are records to pilgrimages to the temple in 1038, which make no mention of any damage to the temple. However, powerful legends with intricate detail had developed regarding Mahmud's raid in the Turko-Persian literature, which "electrified" the Muslim world according to scholar Meenakshi Jain.
The prior temple appears to have been a wooden structure which decayed in time (kalajirnam) and Kumarpal (r. 1143-72) rebuilt it in "excellent stone and studded it with jewels," according to an inscription in 1169.
In 1299, Alauddin Khilji's army under the leadership of Ulugh Khan defeated Karandev II of the Vaghela dynasty, and sacked the Somnath temple. According to Taj-ul-Ma'sir of Hasan Nizami, the Sultan boasted that "fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword" and "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors."
The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351. In 1395, the temple was destroyed for the third time by Zafar Khan, the last governor of Gujarat under the Delhi Sultanate. In 1451, it was desecrated by Mahmud Begada, the Sultan of Gujarat.
In 1546, the Portuguese, based in Goa, attacked ports and towns in Gujarat including Somnath and destroyed several temples and mosques.
By 1665, the temple, one of many, was once again ordered destroyed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In 1702, he ordered that if Hindus had revived worship there, it should be demolished completely.
Later the temple was rebuilt to its same glory adjacent to the ruined one by the joint efforts of the Marathas including the Peshwa of Pune, Raja Bhonsle of Nagpur, Chhatrapati Bhonsle of Kolhapur, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore & Shrimant Patilbuwa Shinde of Gwalior rebuilt the temple in 1783 at a site adjacent to the ruined temple.
'Proclamation of the Gates' Incident during the British raj
In 1782-83 AD, Maratha king Mahadaji Shinde, victoriously brought back the Three Silver Gates from Lahore after defeating Muhammad Shah of Lahore. After refusal from Pundits of Guzrath and the then ruler Gaekwad to put them back on Somnath temple, these silver gates were placed in the temples of Ujjain. Today they can be seen in two temples of India, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and Gopal Mandir of Ujjain.
In 1842, Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough issued his famous Proclamation of the Gates, in which he ordered the British army in Afghanistan to return via Ghazni and bring back to India the sandalwood gates from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni in Ghazni, Afghanistan. These were believed to have been taken by Mahmud from Somnath. There was a debate in the House of Commons in London in 1843 on the question of the gates of the Somanatha temple. After much crossfire between the British Government and the opposition, the gates were uprooted and brought back in triumph. But on arrival, they were found to be replicas of the original. They were placed in a store-room in the Agra Fort where they still lie to the present day.
In the 19th century novel The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, the diamond of the title is presumed to have been stolen from the temple at Somnath and, according to the historian Romila Thapar, reflects the interest aroused in Britain by the gates.
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOMNATH TEMPLE
Before independence, Prabhas Patan was part of the princely state of Junagadh, whose ruler had acceded to Pakistan in 1947. After India refused to accept his decision, the state was made a part of India and Deputy Prime Minister Patel came to Junagadh on 12 November 1947 to direct the stabilization of the state by the Indian Army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple.
When Patel, K. M. Munshi and other leaders of the Congress went to Mahatma Gandhi with their proposal to reconstruct the Somnath temple, Gandhi blessed the move, but suggested that the funds for the construction should be collected from the public and the temple should not be funded by the state. He expressed that he was proud to associate himself to the project of renovation of the temple However, soon both Gandhi and Sardar Patel died and the task of reconstruction of the temple continued under Munshi, who was the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the Nehru Government.
The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque present at that site was shifted few kilometres away. In May 1951, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, invited by K M Munshi, performed the installation ceremony for the temple. The President said in his address, "It is my view that the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple will be complete on that day when not only a magnificent edifice will arise on this foundation, but the mansion of India's prosperity will be really that prosperity of which the ancient temple of Somnath was a symbol.". He added "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"
ARCHITECTURE OF THE PRESENT TEMPLE
The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or "Kailash Mahameru Prasad" style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, one of Gujarat's master masons. The temple's śikhara, or main spire, is 15 metres in height, and it has an 8.2-metre tall flag pole at the top.
The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in a straight line between Somnath seashore until Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Bāṇastambha (Sanskrit: बाणस्तम्भ, lit. arrow pillar) erected on the sea-protection wall. The Bāṇastambha mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass that is the first point on land in the north to the South Pole at that particular longitude.
WIKIPEDIA