Junagarh Town

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Junagarh Town

Capital of the State of the same name in Kathiawar, Bombay, situated in 21 degree 31' N. and 70 degree 36' E., 60 miles south-west of Rajkot. Population (1901), 34,251, including 17,248 Hindus, 15,911 Musalmans, and 1,029 Jains. Junagarh, situated under the Gimar and Datar hills, is one of the most picturesque towns in India, while in antiquity and historical interest it yields to none. The Uparkot or old citadel contains interesting Buddhist caves, and the whole of the ditch and neighbourhood is honeycombed with caves or their remains. The most interesting of these, called Khaprakodia, have the appearance of having been once a monastery two or three storeys in height. Dr. Burgess, in his Antiquities of Cutch and Kathiawar, has fully described these caves. The ditch is cut entirely out of the rock and forms a strong defence. In the Uparkot are two vavs or wells said to have been built by slave girls of Chudasama rulers in olden times; a mosque built by Sultan Mahmud Begara; near the mosque is a cannon 17 feet long, 7 ½ feet in circumference at the breech, and 9 ½ inches in diameter at the muzzle; another large cannon in the southern portion of the fort is 13 feet long and has a muzzle 14 inches in diameter.

From the times of the Anhilvada kings the Uparkot has been many times besieged, and often taken, on which occasions the Raja was wont to flee to the fort on Girnar, which from its inaccessibility was almost impregnable. Of late years several public buildings have been erected, and the town has been much improved by fine houses built by the nobles of the court. Among the public buildings may be mentioned a fine hospital, the Baha-ud-din Arts College, a library and museum, the Reay Gate with a clock-tower, and a fine high school. A collection of shops called the Mahabat Circle is in front of the Nawab's palace. Uparkot is the ancient junagarh ; the present town is more correctly called Mustafabad, and was built by Mahmud Begara of Gujarat.