- Best time
- October to January
- Nearest railway station
- Bhavnagar Terminus
- Nearest airport
- Bhavnagar (domestic); Ahmedabad for wider connections
- Known for
- Port history, cotton trade, Gandhi Smriti
A short history
The Gohil Rajputs moved into this part of Saurashtra from Marwar and first held Sihor and the village of Vadva. Maharaja Bhavsinhji Gohil founded the new capital at Vadva in the early eighteenth century and named it after himself. Because it stood on the coast, the town was fortified and quickly became a port, with ships trading as far as East Africa, the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia.
Mahatma Gandhi studied for a short while at Samaldas College here, and the town keeps that link alive through its Gandhi memorial and library.
What to see
Most sights are within the city and can be covered in a day or two.
- Barton Museum (1895), home to coins, arms, stamps, carvings and the Gandhi Smriti memorial with its photo gallery and Gandhian library
- Takhteshwar Temple, a white hilltop Shiva shrine with views over the town and the sea
- Gaurishankar Lake and Victoria Park, good for an evening walk
- Nilambagh Palace, the former royal residence, now a heritage hotel
- Khodiyar Mandir, Shri Adishwar Temple and Aksharwadi Temple
- Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, a grassland reserve outside the city
Where to stay
Nilambagh Palace is the classic choice for a heritage stay, with period rooms and gardens that once belonged to the royal family. Mid-range hotels in the city centre suit travellers on a tighter budget, and we can suggest options when planning your trip.
Best time to visit
Plan your trip between October and January, when days are warm but comfortable. Summer brings intense heat, and the monsoon months turn the coast humid and sticky, which makes sightseeing tiring.
How to reach
Bhavnagar has a small domestic airport with limited flights, mainly from Mumbai; Ahmedabad is the nearest large airport. Bhavnagar Terminus is on the Western Railway network and receives trains from Ahmedabad and other cities. Good roads connect the town with Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat, and state buses run through the day.
Also nearby
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