Veraval, also known as Somnath, is a Coast city and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the state of Gujarat. Somnath temple, a place of pilgrimage due to its importance as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga sites dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, is located here. It is also known for the hub of fishing industries in India.
History
Veraval was founded in the 13th or 14th century by Rao Veravalji Vadher, a
Rajput. Its present name is believed to be derived from its old name "Velakul" meaning Port City. 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 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, although in a very bad state.
The Nawabi Palace with Gothic features 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 Somnath Temple and the pilgrimage centres of Prabhas Patan and Bhalka. Veraval is also the nearest town to the Gir National Park (42 km away). Veraval's importance now is as a fishing port, one of the largest in India. Seafaring and wooden fishing boats are still built by the fishermen without the use of any modern technology. Traditional skills are passed down from father to son.
On 30 March 2021, Veraval Municipality unanimously passed a resolution to officially change the name of the city from Veraval to Somnath. Along with this, they also decided to rename the municipal body as Somnath Municipality. The final decision will be taken by Home Ministry of India.
Geography
Veraval is located at .
[ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Veraval] It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet).
Demographics
As of the 2011 India
census,
Veraval had a population of 153,696. 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 tropical savanna climate (Köppen
Aw) borderline on a hot semi-arid climate (
BSh) with very warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. Almost all rainfall occurs during the summer monsoon season from June to September, typically falling in extremely short-lived but intense storms: on average rain falls for a total of fewer than eighty hours each year.
Rainfall is also exceptionally variable from year to year:
[See ] only fell in 1901, but as much as fell in 2009, of which fell in July of that year and a record daily total of on Veraval's wettest day of 16 July 2009.
Civic administration
Veraval is the administrative headquarters of Gir Somnath district and is administered by Somnath Municipal Council. The Council was established in January 1950. The Council Chief Officer is a Gujarat Administrative Service (GAS) appointed by the state government who reserves the administrative executive powers, whereas the Municipality is headed by the President. The city is structured into 11 wards with a total of 44 elected councillor seats. The administrative responsibilities of municipality are water and sewerage services, primary education, health services, fire services, public transport and the city's infrastructure. The Urban planning and development of suburban area are done by Somnath Urban Development Authority.
People
Veraval has a predominant
Gujarati people population. Amongst Gujaratis,
Karadiya Rajput, Kumbhar Samaj (Prajapati), Jains (Oswal), the Soni (Jewellers, mainly from the clans of Dhakan, Patt, Sagar, etc.),
Kharwa caste, DHUNDHA FAMILY
Ahir (Yadav), brahma samaj and the
Kolis Patni Jamat, Rajwadi bhois,
Hadi,
Lohanas,
Malik,
Memon people, and
. There is also a sizable population
Sindhi people.
Gujarati and
Hindi are the most common languages in the town. Migratory people from other parts of the country also hold a good amount of population in the city.
Education
The city is home to Shree Somnath Sanskrit University. Some of the other institutions which provide higher education are College of Fisheries Science and Government Science College.
Economy
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 Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) 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 Grasim Industries limited (Unit - Indian Rayon) 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 Unit of Grasim industries limited, Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd, Gujarat Siddhee Cement Ltd and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.
Kharwa caste and Patni Jamat, a local inhabitants have flourished as main seafood exporter after the 1990s. They have a very good hold on the fishing business.
Culture
Tourist attractions
File:Veraval Beach.jpg|Veraval Beach
File:Veraval Beach Sunset 2013.jpg|Sunset at Veraval Beach
File:Camel on the beach (16495607540).jpg|Camel on the beach
File:SOMNATH TEMPLE.jpg|Somnath Temple
-
Somnath Temple - It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.
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Lalit Tribhangi Temple - An important place of pushtimarg founded by Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu. The deity Lalit Tribhangi is a swarup of lord Krishna, bending too much and playing flute.
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Bhalka - It is said that the hunter Jara ended Krishna life by an arrow shot to Krishna's foot, later suffering severe and subsequently fatal injuries. It is a part of the Lord Krishna pilgrimage circuit.
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Triveni Sangam - It is a confluence of the three holy rivers Saraswati, Kapil and Hiran which flow into the Arabian Sea. It is a sacrosanct pilgrimage revered by Hindus as the Moksha Teerth.
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Chandrabhaga Temple - Locally known as Mahakali Temple, is one of the 51 Shakti Pithas in Shaktism. It is believed that Goddess Sati's stomach fell here.
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BanGanga - It is a famous sea-shore shrine and holy spot located in the city. The unique feature of this place is a Shivling placed right in the shallow seawater, visible especially during low tide.
Transport
The city has two railway stations namely Veraval Junction and Somnath Terminus. Veraval Junction is a fairly busy railway junction station for Western Railways and is served by more than 14 pairs of
Religion 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, Indore and Mumbai.
Pune, Varanasi, 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 Airport, Keshod And Rajkot Airport. Daily Flights connect Diu and Keshod to Mumbai.
Notable people
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Khusrau Khan - 16th Delhi Sultanate
-
Pushpaben Mehta - An Indian social worker
-
Poonja Gokuldas Meghji - businessman and the grandfather of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
-
Pankaj Advani - Bollywood film director and producer
See also
External links
