Mundra

Mundra is a

Mundra was established by Bhojarajji I of Cutch State in the 1640s.^[2][3]

According to a legend, a

The town was fortified in 1728 by Devakaran Seth, Dewan of Deshalji I.^[4][5] The Old Mundra town was walled and fortified with the masonry from the ruins of the ancient town of Bhadreshwar, twenty-seven kilometres to the north-east.^[6] It is mentioned in the Bantvijaya Chronicles and the masonry was transported as late as Vikram Samvat 1817 (1760). It is also mentioned by James Burgess. Colonel Holland who visited it in the 1840s mentions that the walled town was 1.5 miles in circumference and had 1500 houses.^[7]

In 1755, Mundra was held and defended by Godji II when he was in revolt against his father Rao Lakhpatji. He imposed charges on merchants entering and exiting the town to raise funds on the advice of Punja, his adviser. Lakhaptji was angered by the act and sent an army to the town. Godji fled to Morbi, strengthened his army and recaptured the town from his father. They compromised and Godji was allowed to keep Mundra and Punja was forced to retire.^[7]

During Rao

After the independence of India in 1947,

Mundra-Baroi Municipality was incorporated in 2020. They were administered by gram panchayats before. There are 7 wards and 28 seats in Mundra-Baroi Municipality. Of them, 18 seats are for reserved categories and 10 seats for unreserved categories.^[1]

Places of interest

• 
  Shantinath Mahadev Temple at Shantivan Colony, Mundra
• 
  Shikhara of a Jain canopy, destroyed in 2001 earthquake
• 
  Glass studded roof of Bukhari Pir Dargah
• 
  Bukhari Pir Dargah
• 
  Stone carving on the gate of Bukhari Pir Dargah

• The Mahadev temple has memorials to some sailors of town, including some who advised the Sultan of Zanzibar and guided Vasco da Gama to India.
• Dariyalal, the patron saint of Kutchi fisher-people has a dedicated temple.
• Bukhari Pir Dargah: Shah Murad Bukhari arrived and ruled Khanate of
  Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi for some time and later reached Kutch where he was welcome by Rao Tamachi and locals. He lived in Mundra from 1662 to 1670. When he died, a Dariya Pir Dargah (shrine) dedicated to him was built. Aurangzeb built a gate in his honour, which still stands and is known today as the Mughal Gate. The seafarers and merchants used to visit it for blessings before venturing into the sea. The shrine receives a large number of devotees returning from the pilgrimage to Hajipir in March–April.^[2][14][15]
• Fortification: The walls of the old city fortifications have a religious origin, as they were dragged from the ruins of the ancient city of Bhadravati (now Bhadresar).^[4][6][16]
• Navlakho Bungalow: a very large and handsome two-storied bungalow built by Laximdas Laddha, son of Laddha Damji who was a manager of the firm of Jairam Shivji, a merchant banker who dominated commerce in East Africa in 18th and 19th century.^[17]
• Swali Sheri: The family of Jairam Shivji came to be known as Swahili due to their business in East Africa where Swahili language is spoken. His family adopted the surname Swali and the street near his house became known as Swali Sheri.^[17][18]
• A canopy (chhatra) raised over the footprints (paduka) of a Jain high priest of the
  Margashirsha Vad 10th of Samvat 1797 (1740) which is inscribed. Near this is a memorial stone, paliya, apparently, from the figure of a ship carved on it, raised to some seafarer.^[4][6]
  The canopy was destroyed in the 2001 earthquake.
• Shantinath Mahadev Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located near Shantivan Colony, a township for employees of Adani Port, near Nana Kapaya village. The temple is surrounded by a garden.
• There are four
  Parshwanath temple of Tapa Gaccha, Mahavira temple of Kharatara Gaccha
  and Amizara Parshwanath temple of Gorji Trust.
• At Baroi, about a mile from Mundra, enclosed in a small court, is a temple of Nilkanth Mahadev, or the blue-necked Shiva, with, at the right side of the shrine door, an inscription dated 1667 (Samvat 1724). The linga is overshadowed by a large seven-headed brass snake. It is said to have been brought from the Shiva temple of Duda at Bhadresar.^[4][6]

Amenities and culture

Gaddhasar or Shastri Ground is the major playground in town. Transportation and medical facilities are available. Maharaoshri Khengarji Library in the old town is a public library run by the local administration.

In 1905,

There are commerce, arts and PTC colleges in the town.

Dabeli and Kadak are popular snacks in town.

Nani Ravadi and Moti Ravadi are local dance and procession festivals celebrated in the Shravan month of the Hindu calendar by seafaring communities of

Mundra was well known for salt and spice trading in the past and now for tie-dye and block-printed textiles. The old harbour is virtually unusable today, and only small local fishing crafts navigate its silted waterways up the river.

The main source of income for the local people is agriculture, horticulture and wage labour. Mundra has a

There are two thermal power stations adjacent to Mundra, Mundra Ultra Mega Power Plant operated by Tata Power and Mundra Thermal Power Station operated by Adani Power. This power station generates over 8,600 MW of electricity. The coal for the power plant is imported primarily from Indonesia.^[20] Source of water for the power plant is seawater from the Gulf of Kutch.

Transport

Mundra Airport is a private airport operated by Adani Group for scheduled as well as non-scheduled operations.

References

Bibliography

• Goswami, Chhaya (2015). "8. Mundra: A Tale of a Walled Port Town". In Keller, Sara; Pearson, Michael N. (eds.). Port Towns of Gujarat. Delhi: Primus Books with Darshak Itihas Nidhi, Vadodara. pp. 93–110.
  OCLC 905646412
  – via academia.edu.

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