Pirotan Island (also known as Pirotan) is an island in the
Marine National Park,
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 ...
. It is located off the coast (Bedi Port),
Jamnagar District
Jamnagar District is a district of Gujarat in Western India. Its headquarters are located in the eponymous city of Jamnagar. It hosts the production facilities of large Indian companies such as Reliance. Among its attractions are several palac ...
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 ...
state,
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 consists of
mangroves and low-tide beaches,
["Beaches of Jamnagar: Pirotan" Jamnagar the beautiful - Tourist information](_blank)
/ref> and has an area of 3 square kilometres. Rozi island is located about 10 kilometres to the southeast.
Of the 42 islands in the park, Pirotan Island is the most popular and is one of the two islands where visitors are normally permitted. Visitation is strictly limited, permission is required from the Forest Department, Customs Department and the Ports.
History
The island derived its name from Pirotan Patan, the ancient city probably at the place of Bedi Bandar.
In 1867 a flagpole was placed at the northern tip of the island to aid in navigation. In 1898 it was replaced with a 21-metre masonry lighthouse, which in turn was replaced in 1955–57 with a lighthouse tower. In 1996, the lighthouse power was converted from diesel generator to solar power. The diesel generators exist for backup generation.
The island along surrounding coral reefs covering an area of 3 square kilometres was notified as part of Marine National Park in 1982.
Population
The only people there on the island are the forest guard, the lighthouse people and the Mujhavar (Server) at the Holy Saint Khwaja Khizer R.A. shrine (Durgah). The sacred shrine of Khwaja Khijer Rahmatullahialaih is located on the island.
Visiting Pirotan
The island being protected marine park, several permissions are required for visiting. For Indian Nationals, permission from local Forest Department, Customs Department & Ports Department. Foreign nationals additionally require permission from the police office.
There is no routine ferry service to the island. One has to hire boats from the port. These boats take about 1.5 hours to reach the island. Since the beach is very shallow, the boats can only reach the island during high tide and leave the island during high tide.
Fauna
Marine
Marine life-forms found include:
Plus there are Saw-scaled Vipers & Scorpions too
Sea-birds
*Pelicans
*Sea Gull
*Harring Gull
*Blackheaded Gull
*Crab Plover
*Different types of waders
Gallery
File:Pirotan top.jpg, View of part of Pirotan island from the top of lighthouse
File:Carpet sea anemone.jpg, A beautiful fluorescent carpet anemone found on Pirotan Island
Notes
External links
* Tourist informatio
www.jamnagar.org/mnp.htm "Pirotan Island" Pirotan
{{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q106499321
Islands of the Arabian Sea
Islands of Gujarat
Lighthouses completed in 1898
1898 establishments in India
Lighthouses in India
Jamnagar district
Tourist attractions in Jamnagar district