Porbandar Town
Porbandar Town, 1908
Chief town and port of the State of the same name in Kathiawar, Bombay, situated in 21degree 37' N. and 69degree 48' E., on the shore of the Arabian Sea, and the terminus of the railway from Rajkot. Population (1901), 24,620, including Hindus, 17,862; Musal- mans, 5,566; and Jains, 1,113. Though a bar prevents the entrance of ships of any great size into the port, it is much frequented by craft of from 12 to 80 tons burden. In spite of the levy of heavy customs dues, and the competition of other ports, commerce is considerable, including, besides a local traffic with the Konkan and Malabar coast, a brisk trade with the ports of Sind, Baluchistan, the Persian Gulf, Arabia, and the east coast of Africa. In 1903-4 the imports were valued at 17 1/2 lakhs and the exports at 25 lakhs. At a little cost the port might be made one of the most secure on the Kathiawar sea- board. The town is entirely built of stone, and was surrounded by a fort which was demolished during British administration. It is said to have been called in ancient times Sudamapuri, and it has been Jethwa capital since about 1785. Telephonic connexions are laid throughout the town, which contains nine public gardens, the chief of which is the Rajwadi with an income of Rs. 3,000. The sea-face is provided with a lighthouse 90 feet high, showing a dioptric light of the fourth class, visible for 15 miles at sea. The town possesses several fine public buildings.
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.
