Porbandar India
Frequently Asked Questions
At a deep-water port with a jetty of about 210 metres, a short distance from the town. From the port gate, strong walkers can reach the centre on foot, or take an autorickshaw — the ubiquitous three-wheelers whose fare is agreed before setting off.
Because Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born here on 2 October 1869. This old Arabian Sea port, long turned towards trade with Africa and Arabia, would probably have remained an obscure call without the child who became the Mahatma.
The memorial raised on the very spot where Gandhi was born, in the heart of the old town. The shrine tower measures 79 feet, about 24 metres, a figure chosen to echo the 79 years of his life. Inside are rooms of photographs, personal objects and a library.
Yes, the ancestral house adjoining the memorial is the family home itself, and a mark on the floor indicates the room where he was born. The place is plain, visited by Indian pilgrims more than by tourists, and that quiet devotion is what makes the visit.
A white shrine about 600 metres from Kirti Mandir, dedicated to Sudama, the poor childhood friend of the god Krishna, whom tradition makes a native of Porbandar. He is rarely honoured elsewhere, and the temple draws couples and families from across Gujarat.
A museum pavilion set in a garden, celebrating India's history and geography with a large relief map of the subcontinent. It combines easily with the other central sites.
Yes, the Tara Mandir, among the oldest in the country. It reflects the local former rulers' interest in education, and makes an unexpected stop in a town this size.
Yes, a bird sanctuary lies about 3 kilometres from the quay and hosts flamingos, pelicans and waders on its waters. It fits easily alongside a visit to the town centre.
It is mid-sized port India: warehouses, brightly painted fishing boats, mingled smells of salt and spices. Between sites the streets themselves hold attention, with merchants' houses and their balconies, masala tea sellers on the corners, and cows indifferent to the traffic.
Not in the usual sense, and that is a strength. The town has not dressed itself up for visitors. Passengers who accept the noise, the dust and the friendly curiosity of residents find an immersion that the country's more practised gateways rarely offer.
