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[3] such as Reliance. Among its attractions are several palaces,[3] a Marine National Park and a Bird Sanctuary, known as Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary.[4] In 2013, Devbhoomi Dwarka district was carved out of the western part of the district.

Jamnagar District
Top: Lakhota Lake and museum, Jamnagar
Bottom: Mangroves in Pirotan Marine Reserve
Map
Interactive Map Outlining Jamnagar District
Location of district in Gujarat
Location of district in Gujarat
Coordinates: 22°15′0″N 70°0′0″E / 22.25000°N 70.00000°E / 22.25000; 70.00000
Country India
StateGujarat
RegionSaurashtra
HeadquartersJamnagar
Government
 • Collector & DMShri B. K. Pandya, IAS [2]
 • Police SuperintendentShri Premsukh Delu, IPS
 • District Development OfficerShri Vikalp Bhardwaj, IAS [2]
 • District Supply OfficerShri Sudhir Barad [2]
 • ICT OfficerShri R. N. Thakariya [2]
Area
 • Total
14,184 km2 (5,476 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total
2,516,000 [1]
Languages
 • OfficialGujarati, Hindi
Time zoneUTC 5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationGJ-10
Websitejamnagar.nic.in

India's largest private company, Reliance Industries is developing world's largest zoo near by 28 kms from Jamnagar city.[5] Luxury hotel chain Lemon Tree Hotels will open its new luxury hotel in Jamnagar in FY25.[5] Jamnagar Municipal Corporation is planning to be develop riverfront on Rangmati – Nagmati river which cost of around 500 crore.[6]

History

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Jamnagar was founded by Jam Rawalji Jadeja in 1540 A.D. as the capital of the Princely State of Nawanagar. Jamnagar, historically known as Nawanagar (the new town), was one of the most important princely states of the Jadeja's in the region of Saurashtra.

According to bardic chronicles, impressed by Jam Lakhaji's role in at the siege of Pawagadh, Bahadurshah, the Emperor of Gujarat, bestowed 12 villages on him. As Jam Lakaji was going to take possession of his new fief, he was treacherously killed by his cousins, Tamachi Deda and Hamirji Jadeja. Jam Lakhajis son Jam Rawal escaped and on growing up, took vengeance of his father's murder in the same manner by killing Hamirji Jadeja.

Hamirji's two sons Khengarji and Sahibji fled to Delhi to pay obeisance to the mughal Emperor Humayun. During a lion hunt, the two brothers saved the Emperor from being killed by the lion. As a reward for their valour, an army was sent with them to regain their kingdom. When Jam Rawal heard of the two princes coming back to the Kutch with the imperial army, he started getting ready for the battle. On one night, he dreamt of the goddess Ashapura who told him that as he had broken an oath taken on her name about not killing Hamirji, even though, he was the person responsible for the death of his father. She had refrained from punishing him as he had at all other times honored her, but he was no longer to dwell in Kutch but cross the sea and reside in Kathiawar instead.

Jam Rawal and his entourage marched out of Kutch, attacked and killed King Tamachi the other conspirator in the killing of his father, and conquered the town of Dhrol and its dependencies. Jam Rawal bestowed the rule of Dhrol province to his brother Hardholji, who was later killed in battle, and the throne passed to his eldest son, Jasoji. Jam Rawal conquered parts of Saurashtra and formed his kingdom.

Once on a hunting trip on the land of present day Jamnagar, a hare was found to be brave enough to turn on the hunting dogs and putting them to flight. Deeply impressed by this, Jam Rawal thought that if this land can breed such hares, the men born here would be superior than other men, and accordingly made this place his capital. On the 7th day of the bright half of the month of Srawan, VS 1596 (August 1540 AD) on the banks of two rivers Rangmati and Nagmati, he lay the foundation of his new capital and named it Nawanagar (new town). Nawanagar eventually came to be known as Jamnagar meaning the town of the Jams.

Geography

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Jamnagar district lies between 22°13’N and 69°42’E in the region of Gujarat popularly referred to as Saurashtra. The Gulf of Kutch lies to the north of Jamnagar district and the Arabian Sea on the west. In the east lies the Rajkot district and the Junagadh district is to the south.[7] The city has a hot dry climate for most of the year with extreme hot summers during March–May when the temperatures reach an average of 40 °C. The winter season begins from October and ends in February with average temperatures around 30 °C. June–September is the monsoon with frequent occurrences of tropical storms. The best time to visit Jamnagar is between October and February. Geologists have often debated on the exact origins of Jamnagar but deduce that the district was probably an island or a group of islands with volcanic sites.[7]

Talukas (Administrative Divisions)

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  1. Jam Jodhpur
  2. Jodiya
  3. Dhrol
  4. Jamnagar
  5. Jamnagar Rural
  6. Lalpur
  7. Kalavad Taluka

Transport

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There are many private bus service providers with coaches running between Jamnagar and Bhuj, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Mumbai, Pune, and other major cities. State Transport has bus services to almost all cities of Gujarat State and interstate transport facilities. The Jamnagar Municipal Corporation runs local buses. Also, Ola Cabs and auto rickshaws are available.[citation needed]

 
Jamnagar Railway Station platform

Jamnagar has a railway station connected with a variety of India's destinations.[8] Four daily trains go to Mumbai and weekly trains to the major cities to the north, east, and south of the country.[citation needed]

The city has an airport with a daily direct flight to Mumbai and thrice-in-a-week flights to Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The airport is within a military enclave of the Indian Air Force.[citation needed]

Amritsar–Jamnagar Expressway(NH-754)

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Amritsar–Jamnagar Expressway(NH-754) is an under-construction 1,257 km long, 6-lane wide expressway in the north-western part of India. The expressway will reduce the distance between Amritsar and Jamnagar from earlier 1,430 km to 1,316 km (including Kapurthala-Amritsar section) and the time travel from 26 hours to only 13 hours. It is a part of the Bharatmala and Amritsar–Jamnagar Economic Corridor (EC-3). It will pass through four states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.[9]

The expressway is strategically important, as it will connect 3 big oil refineries of HMEL Bathinda, HPCL Barmer and Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) Jamnagar. It will also connect Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (Bathinda) and Suratgarh Super Thermal Power Plant (Sri Ganganagar).[9]

The expressway will meet the Ludhiana-Bathinda-Ajmer Expressway of the Pathankot–Ajmer Economic Corridor at Bathinda. The construction work on the expressway started in Haryana and Rajasthan in 2019. The Rajasthan section of the expressway from Jakhrawali in Hanumangarh district to Khetlawas in Jalore district was completed in early 2023 and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 July 2023, while the entire expressway is expected to be opened by September 2023.[9]

Utilities

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The Sikka Thermal Power Station is a coal-fired power station near Jamnagar. Various cable operators like GTPL are available in the city, along with DTH services from Tata Play, Airtel, DishTV, and Videocon D2H. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) provides broadband. Reliance has started its 5G service, Reliance Jio. All mobile operators are available in Jamnagar, including Vi, Airtel, Reliance, BSNL.

Jamnagar is a large city and district in the western part of India. There are many modern tourist spots here for which many tourists come. This is a city moving on the path of continuous development. There are many good hotels and resorts so tourists can visit this city comfortably. Many modern facilities are available here. Bandhani, Ghughra, brass items and many other things are famous here.[10]

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901352,150—    
1911359,604 0.21%
1921359,631 0.00%
1931425,463 1.70%
1941517,833 1.98%
1951616,896 1.77%
1961828,419 2.99%
19711,111,343 2.98%
19811,393,076 2.29%
19911,563,558 1.16%
20011,904,278 1.99%
20112,160,119 1.27%
source:[11]

According to the 2023 estimated population of Jamnagar district is 2,516,000,[12] roughly equal to the nation of Namibia[13] or the US state of New Mexico.[14] This gives it a district population ranking of 87th in India (out of a total of 640).[15] The district has a population density of 153 inhabitants per square kilometre (400/sq mi) .[15] Its population growth rate over the decade 2011–2023 was 16.48%.[15] Jamnagar has a sex ratio of 938 females for every 1000 males.[15] It had literacy rate of 66.4% in 2001 which rose impressively in a decade to literacy rate of 74.4% by 2011.[15]

According to 2023 estimate population, the divided district had a population of 2,516,000, of which 6,68,000 lived in city areas. The residual district had a sex ratio of 939 females per 1000 males. Total male population is 1,297,811 and female population is 1,218,296.[12]

Religions in Jamnagar district (2023)[16]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
83.81%
Islam
14.85%
Jainism
0.87%
Other or not stated
0.47%

In the residual district, Hindus were 2,108,804 (83.81), Muslims were 373,674 (14.85) and Jains 21,963 (0.87%).[12]

Language

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Languages of Jamnagar district (2011)[17]

  Gujarati (89.75%)
  Kachchhi (5.84%)
  Hindi (2.24%)
  Sindhi (0.44%)
  Urdu (0.36%)
  Marathi (0.24%)
  Others (1.13%)

At the time of the 2011 census, 89.75% of the population spoke Gujarati, 5.84% Kachchhi and 2.24% Hindi as their first language.[17]

Politics

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District No. Constituency Name Party Remarks
Jamnagar 76 Kalavad (SC) Meghjibhai Chavda Bharatiya Janata Party
77 Jamnagar Rural Raghavjibhai Patel Bharatiya Janata Party Cabinet Minister
78 Jamnagar North Rivaba Jadeja Bharatiya Janata Party
79 Jamnagar South Divyeshbhai Akbari Bharatiya Janata Party
80 Jamjodhpur Hemant Khava Aam Aadmi Party AAP Deputy LP Leader

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jamnagar Population 2023".
  2. ^ a b c d "Who's Who | District Jamnagar, Government of Gujarat | India".
  3. ^ a b "Jamnagar District Map". Mapsofindia.com. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  4. ^ Mustak Amin Mepani. "Jamnagar the beautiful – Tourist information". Jamnagar.org. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Lemon Tree Hotels signs new property in India's Jamnagar". 9 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Jamnagar: રંગમતી, નાગમતિ નદી પર રિવરફ્રન્ટ બનાવવાની યોજના 7 વર્ષથી માત્ર કાગળ પર, જાણો વિકાસને ક્યા ગ્રહણ લાગ્યુ ?". 17 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Geography of Jamnagar, Jamnagar Climate, Population of Jamnagar".
  8. ^ "Jamnagar/JAM Railway Station – Today's Train Departure Timings – India Rail Info – A Busy Junction for Travellers & Rail Enthusiasts". India Rail Info. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  9. ^ a b c "Amritsar – Jamnagar Economic Corridor – Information & Status".
  10. ^ "Famous Things of Jamnagar".
  11. ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  12. ^ a b c "Jamnagar Population 2023".
  13. ^ "Population by Country (2024) - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info.
  14. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2011. New Mexico – 2,059,179
  15. ^ a b c d e "District Census Hand Book – Jamnagar" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  16. ^ "Population by Religion – Gujarat". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  17. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Gujarat". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
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