Jamnagar City Info

Founded in 1540 AD, Jamnagar a coastan town in the Saurashtra region of North-West Gujarat in India, is the Abode of the Jam - the Jadeja Rajput rulers of Nawanagar and the capital of their State, is an interesting city which enjoys a variety of distinctions. It was so named after the ruler  who called themselves “Jamshree”. The city remained the capital of te Jadejas for around 400 years. Those were the years when all the monuments and the temples in the city were built. The city was built around the small Ranmal Lake in the centre of which there is a small palace that can be reached by  a causeway. Jamnagar is a calm sea-side getaway with an abudance of scenic beauty and mythology.

Jamnagar is the home town of world famous cricketers His Royal Highness Jam Ranjitsinhji and Dulipsinhji after whom the Ranji and Dulip trophy are named in domestic Indian cricket; and the same lineage is followed by Ajay Jadeja.

During the rule of His Highness Jam Ranjitsinhji, between 1920-1930, he developed the city accrding to western architecture and built Power House, Vibha Vilas Palace, Jam Bungalow (Bhavendra Vilas Palace), Pratap Vilas Palace, Amar Vilas, Arch Vilas, Badminton House, Filtzer House, Coach House, Irwin Hospital, Solarium, Vegetable Market, Grain Market, Nana Ashapura Temple, Sajuba Girl’s High School, Wellington Crescent, Bedi Port, Rajput Boarding, Infantry Lines, Jam Raval’s Statue, Jam Ranjit’s Statue, Nursing School, Dayaram Library, Port Office, Central Bank, Summair Club, Railway Station, Parsi Agiyari, Anadabava Ashram, Extension of Lal Bunglow,Ranjit Road, Central Bank Road, Khambhalia Gate Road, Talav-ni-pal Road, being the main ones.

After His Highness, Jam Ranjitsinhji, His Highness Jam Digvijaysinhji was bethroned (1933-1948) and he build Digvijay Woollen Mills, Aerodrome, Dhanvantri Mandir, Digvijay Plot, Gulabnagar, Valsura, Ranjit Swimming Pool, etc.

The Halar district which was constitued for the first time in the year 1949 after the merger of princely states into the State of Saurashtra, constituted of the former Indian States of Nawanagar and Dhrol, Dhrafa Thana and part of Jalia Devani. After re-organisation, on July 19th 1959, the boundaries of the district got enlarged by the inclusion of the adjoining Okhamandal, when Halar district was renamed Jamnagar. This district became part of the newly born State of Gujarat on the bifurcation of the composite State of Bombay on May 1st 1960.

In the year 1961 the district consisted of 700 villages and 15 towns.The population of the district according to the 1961 census was 8,28,429 of which 4,24,300 were males and 4,04,119 females. The rural population of the district was 5,34,761 persons living in 701 villages as against the urban population of 2,93,658 spread over 15 towns of different sizes. According to 1991 census, the population of Jamnagar city was 3,26,000.