Okha is a coastal town in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

state in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...

is situated 30 km south, and Bet Dwarka island is situated 2.9 km across a small creek from Okha port. Okha port are a major Hindu pilgrimage sites due to a temple dedicated to

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

History

The town is mentioned in ancient Indian epic literature. It is associated with the story of the marriage of Aniruddha, the grandson of

and Usha (called ''Okha'' in Gujarati), the daughter of

Banasur Bana, also referred to as Banasura (), is an asura king in Hindu mythology, ruling from the city of Śoṇitapura. He is described to be the son of Mahabali. His tale of battling Krishna is described in the Bhagavata Purana. Legend A mighty asur ...

. 18th century Gujarati Akhyana entitled ''Okhaharan'' by Premanand Bhatt recounts the same story. Baroda state 1909

Okha, along with Dwarka and Bet Dwarka, was under Gaekwad of the

Baroda State Baroda State was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy and later a princely state in present-day Gujarat. It was ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India. With th ...

. During

Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, the Vaghers captured the region in 1858. Later by joint offensive of British, Gaekwad and other princely states troops ousted the rebels and recaptured the region in 1859.

Geography

Okha is situated on a narrow strip of land that projects into the sea. It is surrounded by sea on three sides and has a sandy beach on the Arabian Sea coast. It has a sea port on the lee side. But Dwarka lies on the other side of a small creek from Okha port. Okha41

Climate

Economy

Okha is a busy and historical port in Gujarat strategically located. Historically it was the first port on west coast of India that a ship travelling along the coast from

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

encountered. Indian Navy, Indian Coastguard, Indian Customs and Gujarat marine police have their operational command centre in Okha.Okha, India
Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 2009. Okha port imports mainly lignite from the Indonesia for the thermal power stations of Gujarat and for soda ash plant of Tata Chemicals. Okha has an automobile-assembly plant. Fishing and salt processing are also industries. Some of the major companies in Okha is Tata Chemicals at Mithapur, about 10 km away towards

city. Okha is connected by railway at Okha railway station, and by bus, to major cities of Gujarat and the rest of India. The population of the city was estimated at 18,885 in 2001.

Schools

There are four main schools in Okha. * Kendriya Vidyalaya, Okha * Okha Gram Panchayat School * V A English Medium School * Bansi Highschool

Tourism

Bet Dwarka, an island in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Dwarka. Considered the original residence of Krishna, Bet Dwarka was the old port during the ancient times of Krishna before the Okha port was developed in Dwarka. The temple built here is credited to the religious Guru Vallabhacharya of the "Pushtimarg Sampradaya". Rice is the traditional offering here to the deity as it is believed that Sudama offered rice to his childhood friend Krishna. There are also smaller shrines on Bet Dwarka which are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman and Devi. 2According to a legend, Vishnu killed the demon Shankhasura on this island. There are temples of Vishnu in the incarnation of matsya, or fish. Other shrines here are of Rukmini, Trivikrama, Devaki, Radha, Lakshmi, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Lakshmi Narayan, and many other gods. 9 Hanuman Dandi temple is another notable temple located in Bet Dwarka, 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) away from Dhwarkadhish Temple, Bet Dwarka. The temple is deified with many images of Hanuman and his son Makardhwaja. The legend associated with the birth of a son to Hanuman, who is considered celibate, is that the sweat of Hanuman was consumed by a crocodile which then gave birth to a son named Makardhwaja. 2The Jethwa Rajput clan of Kshatriyas claim their descent from Makardhwaja.

References

External links

Okha Nagarpalika
by
Shivagya Infosoft

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Devbhoomi Dwarka district Ports and harbours of Gujarat