PORBANDAR

Porbandar, Gujarat

Porbandar, situated at the end of Saurashtra is a seaport on the Arabian Sea having pleasant beaches with beach villas. Porbandar is Birthplace of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Porbandar is an intermediate seaport on the southwest coast of Saurashtra. To commemorate the birth of Gandhiji, a 79 feet high imposing building has been built in an otherwise simple lane of the city where Bapu was born in 1869 AD. It is also known as "White City" because of its white stone construction. Visitors are also attracted to Bharat Mandir, depicting great men and religious preceptors of India, and to the Chowpaty, which offers a beautiful view of the beachfront. Modern villas have come up lately and there is also a small parlour serving refreshments.

The very name evokes visions of Mahatma Gandhi who was born in this prosperous princely city on October 2, 1869. But the history of Porbandar goes back many centuries to Sudamapuri mentioned in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, as the home of lord Krishna's friend, Sudama, and almost certainly the Paureliva, mentioned in the 9th century inscriptions at Ghumli. Porbandar is a paradise for bird watchers. Great flocks of flamingoes, both greater and lesser, can be seen at a remarkably close range around the coastal marshes.