Jamnagar, Gujarat – Place of unspoilt Islands & Beaches, Hills, Temples, Palaces, Forest, Bird Sanctuary & Marine National Park

Jamnagar is the fifth largest city of Gujarat. It is the Jewel of Kathiawar, and is on the coast of Gulf of Kutch. Built by substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s it was known as Nawanagar formerly. The city lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is 337 km west of the state capital, Gandhinagar.

Places to see in Jamnagar: The places of attractions of Jamnagar include:

Lakhota Palace and Ranmal Lake

The Lakhota Palace is situated on an island in the middle of the Ranmal lake in the shape of the large bastion. The palace once belonged to the Maharaja of Nawanagar. An arched stone bridge with decorative short pillars connects the LakhotaPalace with the town. It was constructed as a famine relief work in 1839-45 AD. This royal entrance gateway with carved jharokhas at upper level, overlooking the lake, with the distinct blank wall at the base, gives it a look of indestructible fortification. This palace now houses a museum and is a striking building with some fine woodcarving, good collection of sculptures, pottery found in the ruined medieval villages, coins, copper plates and inscriptions. The walls are adorned with frescos portraying the scenes of battle fought by Jadeja Rajputs against various enemies. The Renmal lake itself is a scenic breath of fresh air.

Kotha Bastion

The Kotha bastion has an old well used for drawing water by blowing into a small hole in the floor.

Solarium

Jam Ranjit Singhji constructed the Solarium under the supervision of the French Doctor Jean Saidman. The motorized movement was synchronized with the movement of the sun to provide maximum protection to the patients of TB, skin diseases and rheumatism.

Bala Hanuman Temple

At the Bala Hanuman Temple on the south eastern side of the Ranmal lake, there has been continuous chanting of the prayer Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram since 1 August, 1964. This devotion has earned the temple a place in the Guiness Book of World Records. Early evening is a good time to visit as the temple and whole lakeside gets busy.

Jain Temples

In the midst of bustling Chandi Bazaar are four beautiful Jain temples. The larger two, Shantinath Mandir and Adinath Mandir, is dedicated to the 16th and first Tirthankaras, in front of the post office near the Darbar Gadh, explode with fine murals, mirrored domes and elaborate chandeliers. The Shantinath Mandir is particularly beautiful, with coloured columns and a gilt-edged dome of concentric circles.

Ayurvedic University

The India’s only AyurvedicUniversity runs many courses in Ayurvedic medicines, including a full time 12 week introductory course teaching basic theory and medicine preparation, as well as diploma and degree courses. These courses are set up for foreign nationals with medical qualifications. Hatha Yoga, Massage, Steam bath and mud therapy can also be had here. It also has a good library and workshop and had been a place of research and international seminars on Ayurveda.

Bardar Sanctuary

Bardar Sanctuary is situated 16 kms. south of Jamnagar. Bardar Sanctuary is a gentle mountain range filled with crumbling temples and ancient town settlements. It makes for a fabulously isolated, out of the way road trip.

Darbargadh

The Darbargadh is the original residence of Jam Sahibs and has evolved over centuries. It reflects the fusion of Rajput and European architectural styles. Jam Rajit Singhji patronized two important urban design projects in front of the Darbargadh, namely Wellingdon Crescent and Chelmsford Market. The market in front of the Darbargadh – Wellingdon Crescent is a two storeyed arcade with semi-circular arches at both levels and decorative plasters terminating in balustrade.

Nearby attractions from Jamnagar: The excursions from Jamnagar is a must to the places like:

Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary

About 18 km northeast of Jamnagar, Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary lies on the Jamnagar coast in Gujarat. Spread over six sq km, the park is a paradise for birds as around 300 varieties of birds, both migratory and resident, are seen here. The small Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary is unique bird sanctuary. Encompassing the salt and fresh-water marshlands, this is a small bird sanctuary.  Lots of cranes come here from September to March. The best time to visit this sanctuary is during sunrise.

Marine National Park

About 55 km west of Jamnagar, Marine National Park has the distinction of being the first marine park in India and is blessed with a great diversity of habitats, coral reefs and mangroves. The park covers 163 sq km and is spread over an archipelago of 42 tropical islands. It is situated along the northern coast of Jamnagar district and southern coast of Kutch. The park area is part of the Marine Wildlife Sanctuary which is spread over 458 sq km.

Things to do in Jamnagar: Make a visit to the bird sanctuary to view different species of birds. Apart from that the place is also dotted with a number of water bodies like lakes, ponds where you can also catch a glimpse of the varied species of birds.

Best time to visit Jamnagar: The best season to visit Jamnagar is from October to January.

How to go ?

By Air

Jamnagar has a major airport that is located at a distance of ten kilometres from the main city. This airport caters to domestic flights, and regular flights will be available to the city of Mumbai.

By Train

Regular trains will be available from the cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore to Jamnagar, as the city has a major railway station.

By Road

Buses will be available from the city of Jamnagar to many other major cities in Gujarat like Surat, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Both air conditioned and non air conditioned buses will be available to Jamnagar from Ahmedabad.

Where to stay ?

Jamnagar is loaded with plenty of accommodation facilities. Some options are:

Hotel Regency: +91-0288-2551877, 2551977 Website: www.hotelregencyjamnagar.com
Hotel President: +91-0288 2557491, 2557492, 2558492, 2558493  Website: www.hotelpresident.in
Hotel Celebration: +91-0288-2555523, 2550777, 2662224, 25  Website: www.hotelcelebrationjamnagar.com
Hotel Ashiana: +91 – 0288 – 2559110, 0288 – 2559187 Website: www.ashianahotel.com

Note : Phone numbers given above are according to the information available with us. If you find any contact number/s given above is/are incorrect or not in use, please let us know.