Godhra
| Godhra गोधरा ગોધરા | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Nickname(s): Land of Cows | |
  Godhra | |
| Coordinates: 22°46′38″N 73°37′13″E / 22.777266°N 73.620253°ECoordinates: 22°46′38″N 73°37′13″E / 22.777266°N 73.620253°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Panchmahal |
| Named for | Cows |
| Elevation | 73 m (240 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 161,925 |
| Languages | |
| • Spoken | Gujarati, Hindi |
| • Official | Gujarati, Hindi and English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 389001 |
| Telephone code | 02672 |
| Vehicle registration | GJ-17 |
| Sex ratio | 935/1000 ♀/♂ |
| Literacy rate | 87.51 % |
| Website |
godhracity |
Godhra is a Municipality in Panchmahal district in Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Panchmahal district. Originally the name came from gou which means "cow" and dhara which has two meanings: one in Sanskrit which means "hold" or "land" and the other in Hindi which means "flow": It means the Land of the Cow.People of Godhra are very festive. Godhra is very well known for its Garba-Festival.
Godhra is widely known in India and internationally for being the starting point of the 2002 Gujarat violence. Statewide religious riots between Hindus and Muslims began after the Godhra train burning incident near the Godhra railway station on 27 February 2002, where about 56 Hindu pilgrims were burnt alive by Muslims.[1]
History
Godhra means the land of cows. In mythological terms it can be called as land which is used for the grazing of cow. Cows used to come here from Pavagadh for grazing.
A bronze of Lord Rishabhanath of AD 975 found at Akota mentions Gohadra kula, i.e., the school of Jain monks at Gohadra.[2] The historical name of Godhra is "Godhrahk", which was established by Parmar king named Dhudhul Mandalik in A.D. 1415. Five hundred years ago, the respectable Saint Shrimad Vallabhacharya in his morning ritual speech gave the example of his dream city. He explained how the city which was seen in dream by her daughter was handed over by a Muslim resident to a Hindu family.
Religious importance
Godhra is one of the religious places in the India which has four bethaks (temples) for Vaishnav Sampraday. There are two main seats of Lord Gokulnathji and one each for Lord Gusaiji and Lord Mahaprabhuji. Godhra is the only city in India that has all three seats (or bhaitaks) of the Mahaprabhuji, Gusianji, and Gokulnathji.
Godhra has three beautiful Jain temples. The main idol (or Mul Nayak) in the Jain Temple is of Shantinath.
Godhra has a very huge and famous temple of Panchmahal District like - Trimurti Temple located at Bhamaiya area( Ahmedabad Road).
Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[3] Godhra had a population of 121,852. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Godhra has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79.5%, and female literacy is 64.5%.
Connectivity
Godhra is connected to all major towns of Gujarat by public transport service operated by GSRTC.
Education
Godhra is an educated city. It has an average literacy rate of 87.51%, higher than the national average of 59.5%
University
- Govind Guru University(Madhya Gujarat University)-vinzol
Schools
- Aman Day School
- New Era High School (Primary Section is Dr. Chamanlal Mehta Primary School)
- Calorx Public School
- M & M Mehta High School (Primary Section is Anaj Mahajan Primary School)
- Nalanda School
- St. Arnolds High School
- Sharda Mandir (T. C. Soni)
- Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidyamandir(CBSE)
- Rotary English Medium School
- Jay Jalaram International High School, Parvadi
- Telang Vanijya High School
- Nityam International School (Nityam Vidhya Vihar School, Kangaroo Pa Pa Pagli School)
- Kendriya Vidyalaya, Godhra (CBSE)
- The Iqbal Union High School
- The Iqbal Girls High School
- Meccab Memorial High School
- The Saifee Jamali English High School
- Acharya Narendradev Girls High School
- Unnati Vidhyalay
- Navrachna High School etc...
Colleges
There are several colleges in Godhra for various studies, like
- Sheth P. T. Arts & Science College, Godhra
- Shree Sarvajanik Commerce College, Godhra
- Shamlaji Homeopathic College, Vavdi
- Shree Ghantakarna Mahaveer Physiotherapy College, Vavdi
- General Nursing School, General Hospital
- Government Engineering College, Chhabanpur
- Government Politechnic College, Godhra
- Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Godhra
Famous residents
- Godhra is the location of Gandhi Ashram. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel began practicing as a barrister at Godhra; Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel personally met for the first time in Godhra in 1917.
- Godhra is a birthplace of Shri Rang Avdhoot Maharaj, a famous spiritual advisor or guru.
- Narendra Modi dwelt in Godhra for a long time before he became Chief Minister of Gujarat.
- Personalities like Poet Punjalal Dalwadi, Manilal Mehta, Vamanrao Mukaddam, Mama Phadke are the jewels of past.
- Morarji Desai worked here as a commissioned officer.
- Piloo Mody who was known internationally was a Member of Parliament from Godhra.
- Natverlal Girdharlal Parikh, an eminent Lawyer and Politician, who founded several schools and colleges in Godhra and Dahod.
- Dadasaheb Phalke is known as the Father of Indian cinema. He took admission in 1890 and moved to Godhra to become a professional photographer.
Landscape
Mesri River, Ramsagar Lake, Naheru Garden and in far east Kanelav Lake represents nature's beauty.
References
- ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1513008.ece?homepage=true&sms_ss=email&at_xt=4d732c194ed160ba%2C0
- ↑ Akota Bronzes, Umakant P. Shah, 1959, p. 57-58.
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.