Chorwad or Chorvad is a city and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Malia Hatina Taluka of

Junagadh district Junagadh district is a district of the Indian state of Gujarat. Its administrative headquarters is the city of Junagadh. Geography The district is located on the Kathiawar peninsula in western Gujarat. It is surrounded by Rajkot District (North) ...

in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It lies on the coast of the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

Etymology

It is said to have derived its name from being a notorious haunt of pirates.

History

Chorvad has been since the earliest days famous for its betel gardens, and the flavour of Chorvad betel is supposed to be very superior, and it is largely exported not only inland but also by sea. Chorvad was in ancient times a dependency of Mangrol. In later times, i. e. after the collapse of the Mughal power in the Saurashtra peninsula, it was seized on by the

Raizada Raizada is an Indian surname and a courtesy title used by the Punjabi Hindu Mohyal Brahmin community, the Gujarati people, Gujarati Rajput community and the Kayastha, Kayastha community. Notable people bearing the name include: * Prem Behari Narain ...

s, but we have no record of the exact date of such seizure ; but Sanghji or Singhji, the Raizada Garasia of Chorvad, took an active part in the intestine wars of the nineteenth century ; but he was killed in the battle of Malia fought between him and Aliya Hatti, and his descendants were much embarrassed as to how they should defray the arrears of the soldiery. As Rana Sultanji of

Porbandar State Porbandar State was a princely state during the British Raj ruled by Jethwa dynasty. It was one of the few princely states with a coastline. The capital of state was the harbour town of Porbandar. Some other important towns of this state wer ...

was connected by marriage with the deceased Singhji, his relatives in 1787 entrusted the fort and town to him on condition that he should defray the demands of the Sipahis. The Rana agreed and took possession of the town and then his commandant of this town captured

Veraval Veraval also known as Somnath is a municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is also known for the hub of fishing industries in India. Geography Veraval is located at . It has an average ele ...

. This caused a general insurrection against the Nawab along the coast, and Sutrapada also rebelled. But in the course of a short time Veraval was recovered and Chorvad also was conquered in 1788. Mokaji, the chief Raizada Garasia, was permitted to retire with his family to

Dhoraji Dhoraji () is a town situated on the banks of the River Safura, a tributary of the River Bhadar. It is a municipality in the Rajkot district in the state of Gujarat, India. History Dhoraji was acquired by Kumbhaji II of Gondal State from ...

on this occasion under the protection of Jadeja Kumbhoji of

Gondal State Gondal State is one of the eight first class princely states of Kathiawar Agency, Bombay Presidency in India. the capital of the state is Gondal town. History Gondal State is established in 1634 AD by Thakore Shri Kumbhoji I Meramanji, wh ...

. So Chorvad became a ''khalsa'' (crown) domain of the

Junagadh State Junagarh or Junagadh ( ur, ) was a princely state in Gujarat ruled by the Muslim Babi dynasty in British India, until its integration into the Union of India in 1948. History Muhammad Sher Khan Babai was the founder of the Babi Pashtun d ...

Demographics

The population according to the 1872 census was 2818 souls, but this fell to 1299 after the severe famine of 1878–79. India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Chorvad had a population of 21,196. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Chorvad has an average literacy rate of 50%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 62% and female literacy of 38%. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Places of interest

There are some images here in a patch of forest called the ''Jhund'' or Chorvadi Mata. Chorvad beach is also popular. It is located near Chorvad Palace.

Notable people

Dhirubhai Ambani Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (28 December 1932 – 6 July 2002), popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani, was an Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries. Ambani took Reliance public in 1977 and was worth US$2.9 billion in 2002 upon hi ...

, industrialist *

Rajesh Chudasama Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama (born 10 April 1982) is Member of Parliament from Junagadh-Gir Somnath, Gujarat (Lok Sabha). He was previously a Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly ( MLA). He was elected from Mangrol in Junagadh district ...

, politician * Jeewanlal Motichand Shah of Mukund Ltd., industrialist *

Viren Shah Viren J. Shah (12 May 1926 – 9 March 2013) was an Indian politician and 17th Governor of West Bengal. Shah was a member of Lok Sabha from 1967 to 1970 and of Rajya Sabha during 1975–1981 and 1990–1996. He had served as treasurer of the ...

of Mukund Ltd., industrialist and

governor of West Bengal The Governor of West Bengal is the nominal head of state of the Indian state of West Bengal and a representative of the President of India. The governor is appointed by the president for a term of five years. His official residence is the Raj ...

(1999-2004)

References

Cities and towns in Junagadh district {{Junagadh-geo-stub