JND Railway Station Information and Trains for JND
"Junagadh" is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian States and territories of India of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar, 355 km southwest of the state capitals Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, it is the 7th largest city in the state.
Literally translated, Junagadh means "Old Fort". A different etymology derives the name from "Yonagadh" (literally, "City of the Yona (Greeks)", referring to the ancient inhabitants of the city under the Indo-Greek Kingdom). It is also known as "Sorath", the name of the Junagadh State.
After a brief struggle between India and Pakistan, Junagadh joined India on 9 November 1947. It was a part of Saurashtra state and later Bombay state. In 1960, in consequence of the Maha Gujarat movement, it became part of the newly formed Gujarat state.
at Girnar, Junagadh
An early structure, Uparkot Fort, is located on a plateau in the middle of town. It was originally built in 319 BCE during the Mauryan dynasty by Chandragupta Maurya. The fort remained in use until the 6th century, when it was abandoned for about 300 years, then rediscovered by the Chudasama ruler Graharipu in 976 CE. The fort was subsequently besieged 16 times over an 1000-year period. One unsuccessful siege lasted twelve years.
Within of Uparkot Fort is an inscription with fourteen Edicts of Ashoka on a Ashoka's Major Rock Edict. The inscriptions are in Brāhmī script script in a language similar to Pali and date from 250 BCE. On the same rock there is a later inscription in Sanskrit, which was added around 150 CE by Mahakshatrap Rudradaman I, the Saka (Scythian) ruler of Malwa, and a member of the Western Kshatrapas dynasty, and which has been described as "the earliest known Sanskrit inscription of any extent". Another inscription dates from about 450 CE and refers to Skandagupta, the last Gupta emperor. Old rock-cut Buddhist caves in this area, dating from well before 500 CE, have stone carvings and floral work. There are also the Khapra Kodia Caves north of the fort, and the Bava Pyara Caves south of the fort. The Bava Pyara caves contain artworks of both Buddhism and Jainism.
The Maitraka dynasty ruled Gujarat from 475 to 767 CE. The founder of the dynasty, General Bhatarka, military governor of Saurashtra peninsula under the Gupta empire, established himself as the independent ruler of Gujarat around the last quarter of the 5th century.
The early history of the Chudasama dynasty - which ruled Saurashtra (region) from Junagadh - is almost lost. The bardic legends differ very much in the names, order, and numbers of early rulers; so they are not considered reliable. According to tradition, the dynasty is said to have been founded in the late 9th century by Chudachandra. Subsequent rulers - such as Graharipu, Navaghana (late 11th century king), and Khengara (12th century king) - were in conflict with the Chaulukya rulers Mularaja and Jayasimha Siddharaja; and Saurashtra was briefly governed by Chaulukya governors during this period. These events are recorded in contemporary and later Jain chronicles.
After the end of the rule of the Chaulukyas and their successors, the Vaghela dynasty, in Gujarat, the Chudasamas ruled independently,
as vassals of successor states, the Gujarat under Delhi Sultanate and the Gujarat Sultanate. Mandalika I was the first Chudasama ruler known from inscriptions; and during his reign, Gujarat was invaded by the Khalji dynasty of Delhi. The last king of the dynasty, Mandalika III, was defeated, and forcibly converted to Islam, in 1472 by Gujarat Sultan Mahmud Begada, who annexed the state.
The Uparkot Fort of Junagadh was occupied by the Chudasamas during the reign of Graharipu. It is said to have been later rebuilt by Navaghana (late 11th century king), who had transferred his capital from Vamanasthali to Junagadh. He is also credited with construction of the stepwells Navghan Kuvo and Adi Kadi Vav in the fort. His descendant Khengara (12th century king) is attributed with building a stepwell, Khengar Vav, on the way to Vanthali from Junagadh.
Mahmud Begada changed the name of Junagadh to Mustafabad and built the fortifications around the town and the mosque in Uparkot Fort.
Under the Gujarat Sultanate, Junagadh was governed by an official, styled ''wikt:thanadar'' (commander), appointed directly by Ahmedabad. This official collected the tribute and revenue of the crown domain. The first ''thanadar'' was Tatar Khan, an adopted son of the Sultan and after him Mirza Khalil, the eldest son of the Sultan who afterwards succeeded him under the title of Sultan Muzaffar. Prince Khalil during his tenure of office founded the village called Khalilpur. The Sultan also installed Bhupatsingh, the son of the last Chudasama king, Mandalika III, in Junagadh as a ''Jagir'' (feudal lord). The ''jagir'' allotted to Bhupatsingh was the Sil Bagasra Chovisi; and his descendants were known as Raizada. They continued to rule there. Bhupatsingh was succeeded by his son Khengar.
In 1730, Mohammad Sher Khan Babi, who owed allegiance to the Mughal Empire governor of Gujarat Subah, founded the state of Junagadh by declaring independence after the invasion by the Maratha Gaekwad dynasty. Babi founded the Babi Dynasty of Junagadh State. His descendants, the Babi Nawabs of Junagadh—who were Babi
Babai (Pashtun tribe) pashtuns from Afghanistan—conquered large territories in southern Saurashtra (region) and ruled for the next two centuries, first as tributaries of Maratha Empire, and later under the suzerainty of the British, who granted the honor of a 13-gun salute., 1730-1758 - Mohammad Bahadur Khanji
Mohammad Sher khan Babi, 1758-1774 - Mohammad Mahabat Khanji I, 1774-1811 - Mohammad Hamid Khanji I, 1811-1840 - Mohammad Bahadur Khanji II, 1840-1851 - Mohammad Hamid Khanji II, 1851-1882 - Mohammad Mahabat Khanji II, 1882-1892 - Mohammad Bahadur Khanji III, 1892-1911 - Mohammad Rasul Khanji, 1911-1948 - Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III
In 1807, Junagadh State it became a British India. The East India Company took control of the state by 1818, but the Saurashtra area was never directly administered by the British, who instead divided the territory into more than one hundred princely states, which remained in existence until 1947. The present old-town, developed during the 19th and 20th centuries, constituted one of those princely states.
The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh temple in Junagadh was constructed on land presented by Jinabhai (Hemantsingh) Darbar of Panchala, and dedicated on 1 May 1828. Swaminarayan appointed Gunatitanand Swami as the first mahant (religious and administrative head of a temple), who served in this role and preached there for over 40 years.
During the period just before the independence and partition of India in 1947, the 562 princely states that had existed outside British India, but under British suzerainty, were given the choice of acceding to either India
Pakistan,
to remaining apart. Although the states were theoretically free to choose, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma stated that "geographic compulsions" meant that most of them would choose India. Mountbatten took the position that only states that shared a common border with Pakistan should choose to accede to it, but he had no power to impose this point of view on the states.
On 15 September 1947, Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III of Junagadh - which, although located at the south-western end of Gujarat, had no common border with Pakistan - chose to accede to Pakistan, ignoring Mountbatten's views and arguing that Junagadh could access Pakistan by sea. The rulers of two states that were subject to the suzerainty of Junagadh — Mangrol, Kathiawar and Babariawad — reacted by declaring their independence from Junagadh and acceding to India. In response, the nawab's forces militarily occupied the two states. Rulers of other neighbouring states reacted angrily, sent troops to the Junagadh frontier, and appealed to the government of India for assistance. A group of Junagadhis, led by Samaldas Gandhi, formed a government-in-exile, the ''Aarzi Hukumat'' ("temporary government").
India asserted that Junagadh was not contiguous to Pakistan and, believing that if Junagadh was permitted to accede to Pakistan communal tension already simmering in Gujarat would worsen, refused to accept the nawab's accession to Pakistan. The Indian government pointed out that the state was 96% Hindu, and called for a plebiscite to decide the question of accession. India blockade supplies of fuel and coal to Junagadh, severed air and postal links, sent troops to the frontier, and occupied the principality of Mangrol and Babariawad, which had acceded to India.
Pakistan agreed to discuss a plebiscite, subject to the withdrawal of Indian troops, a condition India rejected. On 26 October, the nawab and his family fled to Pakistan following clashes between Junagadhi and Indian troops.
On 7 November, Junagadh's court, facing collapse, invited the government of India to take over the state's administration. The Dewan of Junagadh, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, the father of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, decided to invite the Government of India to intervene and wrote a letter to Mr. Buch, the regional commissioner of Saurashtra (region) in the government of India to this effect.
The government of India rejected the protests of Pakistan and accepted the invitation of the dewan to intervene. A plebiscite was conducted in February 1948, but it was not internationally monitored. Pakistan claims were not based on the plebiscite but on the logic of the Kashmir annexation, which went almost unanimously in favour of accession to India. Junagadh became a part of the Indian state of Saurashtra until 1 November 1956, when Saurashtra became part of Bombay state. In 1960, Bombay state was split into the linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, in which Junagadh was located.
Hills from Damodar Kund.
Junagadh city is located at at the foot of Girnar, with the Arabian sea to the southwest, Porbandar to the north, and Amreli to the east. It has an average elevation of .
Junagadh city has two rivers, the Sonrakh and the Kalwo, which is polluted from city sewers. The city has several lakes: Narsinh Mehta Sarovar, Damodarji, Sudarshan Lake, etc. Willingdon Dam, Hasnapur Dam, and Anandpur Weir are the main water sources for the city. Groundwater supply is widely available in the city, with wells throughout.
Junagadh's soil is similar to that of the rest of Junagadh district. It is deep- to medium-black coastal alluvium, due to its proximity to the sea, long shoreline, and nearby mountain ridge. Because of many fault lines in the vicinity, Junagadh is in a Seismology. Junagadh lies in a Earthquake zones of India, which means earthquakes up to magnitude 6.5 on the Richter-scale may be expected.
Junagadh has a tropical wet and dry climate, with three distinct seasons: a mild winter from November to February, a hot summer from March to June, and a monsoon season from July to October. The close proximity of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Cambay affect the climate. In the summer months, temperatures range from . In the winter, they range from . From June to September the city is drained by the southwest monsoon. Rainfall averages annually. The greatest rainfall in a calendar year——was recorded in 1983.
2011 census of India, Junagadh municipality had a population of 319,462.
The religions represented in Junagadh includes Hindus, Muslims, Jainism, Christians, and Buddhists. Among these Hindus are the majority and Muslims are the largest minority group. Jains and Christians are present in considerable numbers. Sikhs and Parsis are very few in number. There are Tibetan migrants who practice Buddhism. The main language group is Gujarati language. Others are Hindi and Sindhi language. A small community of African origin, known as "Siddis", resides in and around the Gir Sanctuary, but some of them have moved to the city. There are around 8816 Siddi in the state and 65% of them reside in Junagadh. Swaminarayan Hinduism is also widely followed in the city. There are two Swaminarayan temples in the city: the old temple is managed by the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi and the new temple is managed by Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.
The city is divided into the main city, which is centered on Mahatma Gandhi (M.G.) Road and Kalwa Chowk; Gandhigram; Zanzarda Road; Talaw Darwaza; the bus stand; Sakkar Baug; Timbawadi; Joshipara; and Girnar Taleti. The city is administered by the Junagadh Municipal Corporation.
The politics of Junagadh city has always been closely contested between the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). Other national parties are the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Communist Party of India, and the Nationalist Congress Party. Regional parties active in Junagadh are the Mahagujarat Janta Party, the Samata Party, and the Republic Party of India. Junagadh has 194,196 registered voters, of which 100,050 are male and 94,146 female.
Junagadh has one state-assembly constituency. The BJP won this seat in the 2007 election, with 52.36% of the 118,888 votes cast, with the next largest vote being 26.32% for the INC candidate. Election for the state assembly is held every 5 years.
The Junagadh Municipal Corporation has 17 wards and total of 51 seats. In the 2009 municipal elections the INC won 26 seats, BJP 21 seats, BSP 3 seats and 1 went to an independent. While the majority of the seats went to the INC, the BJP candidates received more votes: 134,739,
45.62% of the total, the INC receiving 120,533, 40.81%. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor has terms of 2 and a half years.
Junagadh's population of 320,250 requires of water per day, which is supplied through 25,000 tap connections to three major surface water sources, namely Aanandpur Weir, Hasanapur Dam, and Wellingdon Dam, as well as to 32 wells. Junagadh has more than 1000 hand pumps and 200 stand posts situated throughout the city drawing from groundwater sources.
In January 2004, Junagadh city increased its area from to by annexing eight grampanchayats and one municipality. The newly acquired area has its own groundwater supply system of Tube well.
The city generates approximately of solid waste daily, which is within the recommended limit, of per capita, per day, for domestic waste. The waste is collected by deploying 400 wheel barrows (six containers) as per supreme court guidelines and Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) rule 2000. The municipal council has set up 800 community bins for solid waste collection. It covers 90% of city area. Junagadh's drainage system is long but it serves only 67% of the total area and 60% of the population.
The Paschim Gujarat Vij (P.G.V.C.L.), a state-run electricity company, provides electric power. Telecom service is provided mainly by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (B.S.N.L.); other service providers include Reliance Communications and Tata Group. Cell-phone coverage is extensive and the main service providers are Vodafone Essar, B.S.N.L., Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, and Tata Docomo. B.S.N.L. also provides broadband service.
The city has a good network of street lights. There is a total of 12,545 Fluorescent lamp and 1523 central sodium street lights. A Solar power project has been approved for Narsinh Mehta Sarovar.
Junagadh is connected to Rajkot, Ahmedabad, and Veraval by National Highway 8D (India) (NH8D). The city is connected to Mount Girnar by road, as well as to Bilkha and the Gir National Park in the south. Junagadh City Bypass on NH8D obviates the need for through-traffic to enter the city. Ferguson Bridge connects the parts of the city on either side of the Kalwo River. Another bridge spans the Sonrakh River in the northern outskirts of the city. Rickshaws are the generally preferred mode of transportation.
Due to its mountainous geography and forest reserves, Junagadh lacks major industries
plants. The main economic sectors are the mineral-based cement industry, agriculture-based industries, and the power sector. The presence of large reserves of limestone makes the cement industry a thriving industrial sector. Major crops produced in the district are wheat, oil seeds, cotton, mangoes, bananas, onions, and brinjal (eggplant). The total production of oilseeds in Junagadh in 2006-07 was 464,400 metric tons, which was the highest in the state. Junagadh is the largest producer of groundnut and garlic in the state, contributing 26% and 34%, respectively, of total production. Junagadh has Asia's largest ground-nut research laboratory. Mangoes and onions are grown in large quantities in the district.
Some of the large-scale industry present in Junagadh are Mother Dairy (popularly known as Junagadh Dairy in the region), Agro Marine Exports, Creative Castings Ltd., and Austin Engineering. With an investment of INR 4,000 crore (US$975.6million), JSW Power Co. had proposed to set up a coal-based power plant at Simar Village, in Junagadh, but due to difficulties in establishing a port there, it has been shifted to the port of Dahej. Under the new government policy of encouraging biotechnology, Junagadh has been identified as an agriculture biotechnology zone. This will boost the establishment of agro-biotech industries in the district.
Junagadh boasts of some of the best tourist destinations in the state, so tourism is considered to be a progressing sector. The state government has sanctioned the development of a Circuit Tourism project at Junagadh.
Schools in Junagadh are either "municipal schools" run by the municipal council
private schools run by trusts
individuals, which in some cases receive financial aid from the government. The schools are affiliated either with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, the Central Board of Secondary Education,
the International General Certificate of Secondary Education. English and Gujarati are the predominant languages of instruction.
Established in 1863, Junagadh's Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden, also known as the Sakkarbaug Zoo, is around in size. The zoo provides purebred Asiatic lions for the Indian and international critically endangered species captive breeding programs. Currently, it is the only zoo in the country to house African cheetahs. The zoo also has museum of natural history.
Junagadh's many ruling dynasties—such as Babi Nawabs, Vilabhis, Kshatraps, Mauryas, Chudasamas, Gujarat Sultans—and its religious groups have influenced the architectural syles of Junagadh.
The Junagadh Buddhist Cave Groups, with their intricately carved gateways, Chaitya halls, sculptured pillars, and sanctums are classic examples of rock-cut architecture. The Chudama Rajputs left specimens of their architectural style in Nabghan Kuvo and Adi Kadi Vav. Religious monuments such as the Jami Masjid remind us of Muslim architectural patterns. The Ashokan edicts is a classic example of old rock engraving styles. The Maqbaras and numerous age-old palaces in Junagadh tell the story of its rich historical and architectural past.
About east of Junagadh and west of the foot of Girnar Hill is an edict of Emperor Ashoka, inscribed on an uneven rock and dating from the 3rd century BC. The Edicts of Ashoka impart moral instructions on dharma, harmony, tolerance, and peace. The rock has a circumference of , a height of , and bears inscriptions in Brāhmī script etched with an iron pen.
The people of Junagadh celebrate both Western and Indian festivals. Diwali, Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Janmastami, Muharram, Navratri, Christmas, Good Friday, Vijayadashami, Muharram, and Ganesh Chaturthi are some of the popular festivals in the city.
The Shivaratri Mela is organized at the foot of Mount Girnar (Talati) in the month of Maha (9th day of the month of Maagha). The mela lasts for the next five days. About 500,000 people visit Junagadh on this occasion. The Girnar Parikrama is also organized annually. It starts in the month of Kartik (month) and draws 1 to 1.5 million people. People walk the periphery of the Girnar Hills on foot (about ). Muharram is celebrated by Muslims. The ''sej'', which belonged to the peers
gurus of the nawabs, has been taken out; and a fair is been organized. Apart from these religious and national festivals, Junagadh annually celebrates its accession to India on 9 November 1947 as the independence day of the city. 1 May is Gujarat day, to celebrate the formation of Gujarat state on 1 May 1960.
,