Porbandar

Porbandar is famous as it is the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of Nation, and Sudama, Friend of Lord Krishna. The place has beautiful coasts.

Places to Visit in Porbandar

• Kirti Mandir – The house of ‘Father of the nation’ Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba. The place is now a museum with a Gandhian library and prayer hall.
• Porbandar beach – nestled in between Dwarka and Veraval it is also known as Chowpaty. It was declared as a Bird Sanctuary in 1988 as the water body attracts many birds like pelicans, ducks, geese, spoon bills and many more. It is also the venue for annual Janmashtami fair.
• Shri Hari Mandir – Also known as the Sandipani Vidyaniketan was established in the year 1992 with 85 acres of land. This monument is 105 feet long and its entire complex comprises a total of 66 pillars. The deities of this temple are believed to be the incarnation of Pujya Bhaishri’s faith worshipping deities like Shri Lakshmi Narayan, Shri Radha Krishna, Karunamayi Maa Goddess, Shri Janki Vallabh, Lord Hanuman, Lord Ganesha, and Shri Veda. Pujya Bhaishri’s view was to build a temple to provide practical training for executing Hindu rituals to Rishikul students. At present, the temple is one amongst the premier educational institutes that provide Vedic Education. An event called ‘Sandipani Mandir Mahotsav’ marked the inauguration of Mandir in 2006. The temple has an auditorium with a seating capacity of 2000 people usually it is used for cultural and spiritual activities.
• Harsiddhi Mataji temple – Located on a hill top with an amazing view of Arabian Sea makes this temple a popular tourist spot. It is 45 km away from Porbandar and 60 km from Dwarka.
• Sudama Mandir – The only temple dedicated to Sudama in the country. The temple is simple with carved marble pillars signifying the simplicity of Sudama. It shows the purity of friendship of Sudama and Krishna. There is a maze in the temple and it is believed that if you cross it you are cleansed of your sins. The temple also has a small well.
• Ghumli – The place has the ruins of dating back to Solanki period. The Vikia vav, largest step wells in Gujarat, had pavilions constructed over the steps. Richly carved making them beautiful. Well is also believed to serve religious purposes.
• Bileshwar Shiva Temple – Being amongst the oldest temple of the region, 7th century, it is a must visit. Gujarati architecture can be seen in this temple.
• Huzoor Palace – It is located on the end of marine Drive in a huge campus. The palace has beautiful European architecture with sloping roof and big windows overlooking the sea.
• Tara Mandir Temple – One of the main attractions of Porbandar being amongst the first two planetariums in India that were started by Shri Jawaharlal Nehru. It is a planetarium, which was built by the donation of Shri Nanjibhai. Tara Mandir has an overhead round screen with celestial bodies made on it and the stars and planets are projected with special effects and explained in detail.

How to Reach Porbandar

Porbandar is 104 km away from Dwarka. There are no direct buses or trains from Dwarka to Porbandar. The shortest way would be via taxi or if you desire to travel by train then from Dwarka to Kuranga and then from taxi to Porbandar. If you desire to go by bus then Saurashtra mail will take you till Bhatiya and then a taxi from Bhatiya to Porbandar.