Naliya is a town, which is also the

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

headquarters of

Abdasa Taluka Abdasa Taluka is a taluka (administrative subdivision) in Kutch District, Gujarat, India. Its administrative centre is the town of Naliya. The taluka covers . Demographics In the 2001 India census, Abdasa Taluka had 97,508 inhabitants, 51.0% (4 ...

of Kutch District,

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 is located on the western end of Kutch 19 km by road from ancient port of

Jakhau Jakhau (''Ja-kha-oo'', pronounced as Ja-kho by locals) is a village in Gujarat, western India. Administratively, it is under Abdasa Taluka, Kutch District, of Gujarat. Jakhau is 17 km by road west-southwest of Naliya, the taluka headquart ...

History

Naliya was a prosperous trading town in past who had trading ties with

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...

and

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. It had a population of 5238 in 1880.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the village of Naliya had 11,415 inhabitants for a gender ratio of 939 females per thousand males.

Indian Air Force Station

Naliya is home to the

Naliya Air Force Station Naliya Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is located in Naliya in Gujarat, 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 po ...

of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

, which was built here in view of the town's proximity to Pakistan.

Transport

Naliya is on National Highway 41. The town had a railway line laid in 1980 to get connected town with

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

. The line was abandoned later since Gandhidham-Bhuj section was converted to broad-gauge and this line became isolated. This line is no longer used for public, military or freight purpose. Recently, gauge conversion to broad gauge has been approved by the Government of India. Work of gauge conversion to broad gauge is completed up till Desalpur, from Bhuj. The work in remaining is in Progress. The Naliya Cantonment will be the rail station for Naliya Town once gauge conversion is completed. Due to security reason the railway line stretch between Naliya Cantonment & Naliya Town will not be made since Naliya is situated just from India-Pakistan border of

Sir Creek Sir Creek ( ), originally Ban Ganga, is a 96-km (60-mi) tidal estuary in the uninhabited marshlands of the Indus River Delta on the border between India and Pakistan. The creek flows into the Arabian Sea and separates Gujarat state in India fro ...

Marshlands.

Tourism

Naliya Jain Derasar

Naliya is a century old town, which has

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

temples & mosques built several centuries ago. It is a famous Jain pilgrimage center and one of the five famous Jain temples of ''Abdasa ni Panchtirthi'' (meaning five-temples of Abdasa) is in the town. Other

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

s are in nearby places in Abdasa Taluka. The main architects of these centuries old Jain temples were

Mistris of Kutch Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu and one of the Socially and Educationally Backward communities of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriyas. They are an artisan community related with Kadia wor ...

.
Moolnayak Bhagwaan is

Chandraprabha Chandraprabha () is the eighth Tirthankara of ''Avasarpini'' (present half cycle of time as per Jain cosmology). Chandraprabhu was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain texts ...

. The main idol of Shri Chandraprabhu Bhagwan is Swet varn(white coloured) of about 72 cm in padmasanastha position.

Bustard Sanctuary

Naliya is also famous for

Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary (established in 1979, also known as the Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary of Maharashtra) is a wildlife sanctuary for the great Indian bustard (''Ardeotis nigriceps'') at Solapur, Maharashtra, India. The land is d ...

also known as Lala–Parjan Sanctuary, which is located nearby the town. With an area of about only 2 square kilometers, it is the smallest sanctuary in the country. There are approximately 30

great Indian bustard The great Indian bustard (''Ardeotis nigriceps'') or Indian bustard, is a bustard found on the Indian subcontinent. A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of t ...

s here, second only to

Desert National Park Desert National Park is a national park situated in the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer. This is one of the largest national parks, covering an area of 3162 km². The Desert National Park is an excellent ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

.Naliya Birds
/ref>

References

{{- Cities and towns in Kutch district