Travelling Around Britain and the World

Tuesday, 5 March 2019

Bhavnagar: Gujarat Part 7

Gujarat: The What, Where, When and Who

India
Gujarat

This post covers day 7 of a 14-day journey around Gujarat, following our circuit of Rajasthan last year. Smaller than Rajasthan, Gujarat is about the size of the Island of Great Britain and has much the same population.

5,000 years ago, Gujarat was a centre of the Indus Valley civilization and subsequently played its part in most of the major north Indian empires. When Islamic invaders reached northern India in the 9th century Gujarat held out until 1300 when it became part of the Delhi Sultanate.

Today's journey takes us the short distance to Bhavnagar on the east coast of Gujarat's Kathiawar Peninsula

An independent Muslim sultan seized power in 1391and Gujarat maintained its independence until becoming part of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century and later the British Empire, though local rulers of a patchwork of Princely States retained considerable autonomy. At independence in 1947 Gujarat was part of the State of Bombay, becoming a state in its own right in 1960.

With a long coast line facing the Arabian sea, Gujaratis have been seafarers and international traders for millennia.

Gujarat is the home state of both Mahatma Gandhi and the current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

-o0o0o-

Bhavnagar: The Capital of Another Former Princely State

Breakfast at the Blackbuck Resort, Valavadar

We had a leisurely start; Bhavnagar, our destination for the day was only 50km away – just over an hour’s driving on Indian roads. Breakfast at the Blackbuck Lodge, like our other meals there, was a multi-course affair and we were still on our yoghurt and muesli at 9 o’clock.

Breakfast at the Blackback Lodge, Velavadar

Bhavnagar

The port city of Bhavnagar (pronounced Bah-nagger) has an urban population of 1.6 million and is one of those enormous Indian cities that no one outside India (or in this case outside Gujarat?) has ever heard of. It is the administrative centre for a district of 2.9 million people.

In the 13th century, the Gohil Rajputs were pushed south from the Jodhpur region (Kingdom of Marwar) and founded their own Kingdom on the coast of Gujarat. They had various capitals, all of which proved vulnerable to attack until Thakur Bhavsinhji I Gohil founded a new capital in 1724 and modestly named it Bhavnagar after himself. The state he ruled became known as Bhavnagar (or, informally Gohilwad - Land of the Gohils) and became a British Protectorate as one of the ‘Princely States’ in 1807. In 1918 the Thakur Bhavsinjhi II Gohil was upgraded to Maharaja and in 1947 his son Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Gohil led Bhavnagar into the Union of India. Titles were officially abolished in 1971, so the current Maharaja Vijayrajsinhji Gohil, born 1968, succeeded to only a courtesy title in 1994.

Coat of arms of the Princely State of Bhavnagar, Barton Museum, Bhavnagar

The Nilambag Palace

The Nilambag Palace was built for the Royal family sometime between the 1850s and 1890s depending on which source you read. It is now a heritage hotel, though some say the Maharaja lives there too. The hotel website says it was designed by ‘German architect, Simms’ another source has Simsom (sic). I can find no evidence of either of them having existed – though Otto von Simson was a renowned German art historian. Wikipedia gives the credit to the eminent British architect Sir William Emerson, and Archinomy appears to offer an independent confirmation, so he gets my vote.

Regardless of who built it, we checked-in around 11.30 in the morning.

Nilambag Palace, Bhavnagar

The décor, in private and public spaces, had remained largely unchanged since the first half of the 20th century, but our room was large and comfortable. Updating the electrics would be a good idea; in this class of hotel I do not expect to have to use the back of a comb to operate a small, stiff, sharp, switch disappearing inside a metal panel just to turn the lights on and off.

A Bhavnagar Stroll

Short of cash, we went in search of an ATM, not that finding one is ever difficult in a major city, it was really an excuse for a walk. The hotel is set back from a busy road and we were soon admiring the traffic and breathing in the fumes of the tuk-tuks, trucks and scooters…

Bhavnagar

…but there were also temples to look at, through a screen of motorcycles ….

Some motorbikes and a temple, Bhavnagar

…and the biggest pile of melons we have seen since we were in Kashgar.

A well stocked melon stall, Bhavnagar

Back at the hotel we had a light lunch of masala dosas and when the heat of the day had passed, we set out with Vijay to see the sites of Bhavnagar. Vijay is himself a Gohil and when not guiding he works for the Maharaja, partly at the Nilambag Palace. I think he might be well connected in these parts.

Bhavnagar is a working city, not much visited by tourists, and most that do are, like us, passing through. Unsurprisingly that there is not much to see.

The Barton Library Museum, Bhavnagar

Colonel L C Barton was the British political agent here in the late 19th century. He donated his library to the city (or is it just named after him?) and it contains 60,000 volumes in Sanskrit, Gujarati, Hindi and English. According to Trodly.com the library and museum… have the greatest collection of books, manuscripts, coins, musical instruments, old armoury, wood carvings and other old works which gives one deep insight and knowledge about the history and culture of the city.

Jain carvings, Barton Museum, Bhavnagar.
We would learn more about the steps leading up to the somewhat schematic temples tomorrow

The library is only open in the mornings, so went unseen by us, but Lonely Planet describes the museum as a dusty but interesting collection contain[ing] Jain religious carvings, weaponry, betel-nut cutters, and a skeleton in a cupboard. ‘Dusty’ is the first and most important word in that quote.

A collection of betel nut cutters, Barton Museum, Bhavnagar

They might also have mentioned unattributed vases….

Unattribted vases and retired weaponry, Barton Museum, Bhavnagar

…and a rather sad display of stuffed birds.

A sad display of stuffed birds, Barton Museum, Bhavnagar

The staff were deeply uninterested in our visit, and positively hostile when asked if anyone would unlock the Gandhi Smriti Museum upstairs. Eventually one of them rose, grumbling, and fetched the key. ‘No photos’ he growled as we entered; a little unreasonable, I thought, as he had sold me a camera ticket earlier. He stayed to watch and ensure I complied. To be fair, the Gandhi section is cleaner and better laid out than the Barton Museum, but added little to what we had seen at Gandhi’s ashram in Ahmedabad

The museums/library are housed in an 1895 neo-gothic building which might excite those paid to write tourist blurb, but the truth is that the interior is a dusty warehouse, and the exterior impossible to appreciate or photograph because it is stuck on a busy road junction.

Bhavnagar Bazaar

Leaving the museum we headed towards the bazaar. Pausing at a food stall...

Food stall, Bhanvnagar

…Vijay decided to treat us to an afternoon snack. Indian street food is always regarded as problematic for the European visitor, but the more we visit, the more frequently we try it – and we can report no problems. Perhaps regular visits have improved the diversity of our gut flora, perhaps we have been in the company of locals who can pick the right vendor, perhaps Indian food hygiene has improved or perhaps we have been lucky. Maybe it has been a combination of some or all of these factors. It might sound churlish and ungrateful to add that these were not the finest pakoras we have eaten – but they did no harm.

Wholesome enough, but not the world's finest pakoras

We passed several interesting buildings, some in need of some tlc….

Old building in need of some care, Bhavnagar

…on our way to the colourful and busy bazaar.

Bazaar, Bhavnagar

Nearby, the former Durbar Hall is now the rather unappealing Hotel Vrindavan…

Bazaar and Hotel Vrindavan, Bhavnagar

…and the old Durbar Gate has been defaced by hotel signs. Alamy have a fine picture of the gate in the 1900s, looking as the designers intended. I am not reproducing the picture here – they would want me to pay – but you can see it on the Alamy website.

The former Durbar Gate, now the entrance to the Hotel Vrindavan

Continuing through the bazaar…

Bhavanagar Bazaar

…we reached the fruit and veg market. I particularly like the combination of the familiar – tomatoes, carrots and, just above the customer’s arm, cauliflowers - with the semi-familiar – aubergines, but small, almost spherical and with white bases and outsize purple spring onions – and the unfamiliar – assorted herbs, pods and squashes.

Fruit and Veg, Bhavnagar

Takhteshwar Temple, Bhavnagar

A short distance away sitting on a small knoll is the Takhetshwar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.

A marble staircase….

On the stairs up to Takhetshwar Temple, Bhavnagar

….leads up to a marble temple commissioned by Maharaja Takhatsihnji in 1893. Eighteen ornately carved pillars surround the main hall with its three-eyed Shiva idol,…

Takhetshwar Temple, Bhavnagar

….while a small marble Nandi sits outside.

Nandi, the Takhetshwar Temple, Bhavnagar

From the temple there is a view to the heavily silted Gulf of Khambhat. A deep-water channel and lock were built in the 1960s and Bhavnagar is still a working port. Alang, 50km down the coast has the world’s largest ship-breaking yard.

A distant view of the Gulf of Khambhat

Back at the Nilambag Palace

Back at the hotel the Maharaja's cousin, a large smartly-dressed man in late middle age (the older I get, the more generous my definition of middle age becomes) was making himself visible and shaking hands with customers. A German bus tour had arrived – large group tours are rare in Gujarat – and he had plenty of hands to pump. We had our turn; he was very amiable and had that gift of appearing interested in what you said, even when he had heard it a hundred times before. Having a member of the royal family wandering around chatting with guests is undoubtedly good PR.

The hotel advertised an outdoor restaurant, but when we arrived there was a large open space, empty but for a single lonely table where a couple were already eating. We stood around, looking perplexed but eventually a waiter arrived, unfolded a table from a stack and found some chairs. The table was laid and menus provided. We ate Mutton Mughlai which was very acceptable if not the finest we have encountered (see Lucknow) and watched in wonder as more people arrived, each party having a table specially set up for them.

With a pre-dawn departure tomorrow, an early night seemed apropriate.



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Location: Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India

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