mandvi
Location: 60 kms Southeast of Bhuj, Gujarat.
Also known As: Mart.
Famous As: An Ancient Sea Port.
AN ANCIENT SHIP-BUILDING CENTRE: Mandvi, or the Mart, also called Maska, Mandvi from a village close by, and in old times known as Raipur or Riyan, lies on the right bank of the Rukmavati river about one kilometer from the sea, and 60 kms south-east of Bhuj.
Along the coast the land is constantly changing, the wind raising the loose sands into shifting dunes, and the sea in one place cutting out the land in pools and lagoons, and in another throwing it back in sand banks.
Inland the country is low - lying and bare with waving sand-hills, and close to the town are large stretches of rich green fields well tilled and watered. A well-constructed wall now in a dilapidated condition surrounds Mandvi, about 26 feet high and 3 to 4 feet broad. 25 bastions, the largest of them at the southwest serving as a lighthouse strengthen it. Inside the walls, the streets are narrow and zigzag.
PRIME ATTRACTIONS
Vijay Vilas: Rao Vijayrajji (1942-48) built at a new palace, called Vijay Vilas, west of the Mandvi town. The British Political Agent posted to Bhuj had a summer bungalow at Mandvi, escaping to the sea from Bhuj shifting summer heat.
Mandvi Port: Mandvi was also famous as an important center of shipbuilding in the past. In 1780 AD, a ship built at Mandvi had sailed upto England. The Vadhas of Mandvi are still clever in the art of shipbuilding. |
