Bhavnagar District is a district of southeastern Gujarat, India, on the Saurashtra peninsula. It is also known as Gohilwar as a major portion of Bhavnagar district was ruled by

Gohil Gohil may refer to: * Gohil dynasty, 12th-century rulers of Saurashtra in modern Gujarat * Gohil, a Gujarati'rajsthani clan * Gahlot, a clan of rajputs * Dinita Gohil, British actress * Gigabhai Gohil (died 2020), Indian politician * Manav Gohil (b ...

Rajputs. The administrative headquarters is in the town of

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...

Geography

Bhavnagar District covers an area of over 8334 km². The coastal area is mostly alluvium. Bhavnagar borders with

Ahmedabad District {{Infobox settlement , name = Ahmedabad District , native_name = , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = District of Gujarat , image_skyline = D ...

to the northeast, Botad District to the northwest, the Gulf of Cambay to the east and south and

Amreli District Amreli district is one of the 33 administrative districts of the state of Gujarat in western India. The district headquarters are located at Amreli. The district occupies an area of 6,760 km2 and has a population of 1,514,190 of which 22.45 ...

to the west.

History

Bhavnagar State was a

salute state A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...

during the

Raj Raj or RAJ may refer to: History * British Raj, the 1858–1947 rule of the British Crown over India * Company Raj, the 1757–1858 rule of the East India Company in South Asia * Licence Raj, the Indian system of elaborate licences, regulation ...

, ruled by the Gohil Rajputs, . Bhavnagar lost two talukas, Botad and Gadhada, to the creation in August 2013 of the new district of Botad.

Administrative divisions

Bhavnagar District is divided into ten talukas :

, Sihor, Umrala, Gariadhar, Palitana, Mahuva,

Talaja Talaja may refer to: People * Roope Talaja (born 1988), Finnish ice hockey player * Silvija Talaja (born 1978), Croatian tennis player Places * Talaja Caves, India * Talaja, Bhavnagar Talaja is a town and a municipality in Bhavnagar district ...

, Ghogha,

Jesar Jesar is a small town and Taluka of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. Before independence it was capital of Jesar State, a small Koli Princely State of India. Upon independence in 1947, the Princely State of Jesar was merged into Union of India ...

and Vallbhipur. There are close to 800 villages in this district, for example, Tana.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Bhavnagar district has a population of 2,880,365, roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica or the US state of Kansas. This gives it a ranking of 133rd in India (out of a total of

640 Year 640 (Roman numerals, DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 16.53%. Bhavnagar has a sex ratio of 931 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 76.84%. The divided district has a population of 2,393,272. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 125,441 and 8.039 which is 5.24% and 0.34% of the population respectively. Hindus were 2,176,962 while Muslims were 187,148 and Jains 21,851.

Language

Politics

Sites

Historical places

Among the many historical places in Bhavnagar District are: * Buddhist caves in Taleja, *Statues of Seven Sisters in Rauhishala, and * Gandhi Memorial and Sardar Memorial at Crescent Circle in the town of Bhavnagar.

Natural heritage sites

Blackbucks in Blackbuck National Park 02

Velavadar Blackbuck National Park is the only tropical grassland in India recognised as a National park. It is spread over an area of 34.08 km². The park contains mainly blackbuck, antelopes, nilgai, wolves, jackals, hyenas,

jungle cats The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

, and wild boar. Endangered birds such as

Houbara Bustard The houbara bustard (''Chlamydotis undulata''), also known as African houbara, is a relatively small bustard native to North Africa, where it lives in arid habitats. The global population is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2014. ...

, Lesser Florican, Sarus White Storks, White Pelican, Montagu, and Pallid harrier also call the park home. Raptors including the Greater Spotted Eagle, Juvenile Imperial Eagle,

Bonelli's Eagle The Bonelli's eagle (''Aquila fasciata'') is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an ...

, Short-toed Snake Eagle, and Long-legged Buzzard are also seen in the park. The climate in Velavdar National Park makes it one of the best places for the migrating birds to breed. Piram Island is an island approximately 6 km offshore off Ghogha. It is said that this island was created about 3.5 million years ago. It is well known for its diversity of life, including many vulnerable or endangered species. There is a ruined fort which was built in 1325. The island has mangrove vegetation and also nesting site for two endangered species of sea turtle; Olive ridley sea turtle and

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

, and around fifty species of birds, mostly seabirds. Gopnath Mandir Bhavnagar

Notes and references

External links

Official website
{{Bhavnagar district Districts of Gujarat