Junagadh
| Junagadh | |||
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| State : |
 India
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| State : | Gujarat | ||
| District : | Junagadh | ||
| Sub-district : | Junagadh | ||
| Location : | 21 ° 31 ′ N , 70 ° 28 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 90 m | ||
| Area : | 57.16 km² | ||
| Residents : | 319,462 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 5589 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Website : | Junagadh City | ||
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Junagadh ( Gujarati : જુનાગઢ , Junāgaḍh ; before 1947 also called Sorath ) is a city (since September 15, 2002 Junagadh Mahanagar Seva Sadan , a municipal corporation ) in the Indian state of Gujarat with around 320,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of the Junagadh District .
location
Junagadh is located at the foot of the Girnar Mountains on the Kathiawar peninsula about 860 km (driving distance) northwest of Mumbai . It is about 360 km to the northeast to Ahmedabad , the capital of the state of Gujarat. The city extends at heights of approx. 75 to 110 m above sea level. d. M .; the Arabian Sea is about 40 km away.
population
Approx. 82% of the population are Hindus , approx. 16.5% are Muslims and approx. 0.5% are Jains ; the rest is made up of Sikhs , Buddhists and Christians. As is customary in northern India, the proportion of men exceeds that of women by around 6%.
economy
For a long time, trade, handicrafts and smaller service companies defined the city's image. Today numerous smaller industrial companies have settled in Junagadh.
history
The history of the place goes back to the 3rd century BC. BC, parts of the Uparkot Fort, which is still preserved today, and a rock inscription from Emperor Ashoka also date from this time . Thereafter, Junagadh belonged to the rule of the Saks and the Guptas . In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Chudasamas , a Rajput clan possibly of Turkish origin , ruled over large parts of Gujarat. In the 11th / 12th In the 17th century, the Solanki dynasty ruled the city, which after the Islamic conquest of Gujarat (1299) belonged to the Sultanate of Gujarat , which fell as part of the expansion of the Mughal Empire .
In the 16th century, the Portuguese conquered parts of the coast and the island of Diu ; their successors were the British , who cared little about Gujarat, but left the rule of the province to a large number of local rulers. The place was until 1947 the capital of the Muslim princely state of Junagadh (Sorath) . With the independence of British India and its division into the modern states of India and Pakistan , the Nawab decided to join Pakistan. India did not recognize the decision of the Nawab with reference to the predominantly Hindu population of Junagadh. In a referendum in February 1948, the population of the former Junagadh state voted by a large majority to belong to India.
Attractions
- Mohabbat Maqbara Palace
- The Mohabbat Maqbara Palace and the neighboring Baha-ud-Din Maqbara are two mausoleums of two princes of Junagadh who had the buildings erected at the end of the 19th century using a mixture of Islamic and European stylistic elements. The minarets with their winding external stairs are particularly unusual and striking. To the side of the central mausoleum is a mosque with similarly designed minarets.
- Durbar Hall
- A museum was set up in this city palace. You can see a representative hall and some collections, including a. Guns, portraits and textiles. In the old town between Durbar Hall and Circle Chowk there are several representative buildings with Gothic facade elements.
outside
- Rock inscriptions
- Three inscriptions on a large boulder on the eastern outskirts of Junagadh are of great historical importance: The oldest is from the time of Ashoka (r. Approx. 268–232 BC) and is located on the road that leads to Girnar Hill, another is to be ascribed to the time of the Saka ruler Rudradaman I (r. approx. 130–150 AD); the third is one of the few testimonies of the late Gupta period and praises the heroic deeds of Skandagupta (ruled approx. 455–468 AD). Another rock edict of Ashoka is located on a granite rock on Girnar Hill.
- Girnar Hill
- The approximately 1100 m high Girnar Mountains rise in the east of the city. They are the highest peaks in Gujarat and an important pilgrimage site for the Jainas . A staircase with around 10,000 steps leads up to the summit. The pilgrimage site is just below the summit and includes several Jain temples from the 12th to 15th centuries. Above the Jain temples, on the peaks of Girnar Mountain, there are smaller shrines, also visited by numerous pilgrims.
- Uparkot Fort
- In the area of the 'Old Fort' there are two cisterns or step wells carved into the rock - the 'Naughan Kuva' (13th century) is accessible via a winding staircase, which has 'Adi Chadi Vav' (15th century) approx. 170 straight steps downwards. Such medieval or early modern stepwells ( Vavs , also Baori ) are sights to be found especially in Gujarat. The Friday mosque with its elaborately designed mihrab , which is no longer used today, dates from Islamic times .
- Buddhist cave monastery
- A Buddhist cave monastery with several caves from the time from 300-500 AD is one of the main attractions of the Uparkot Fort. Particularly noteworthy is an inner courtyard bordered by channeled columns.
- zoo
- The Sakkarbaug Zoo , about 3.5 km north of the city center, opened in 1863 and is the third largest in India.
sons and daughters of the town
- Parveen Babi (1949–2005), actress
Web links
- Junagadh, mausoleums - Photos and brief information (English)
- Junagadh, Ashoka Rock Edict - Photos and information (English)
- Junagadh - Sights (English)
