Travel Guide

Welcome to Bhavnagar,

Bhavnagar is a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was founded in 1723 AD by Bhavsinhji Gohil(1703-64 AD) and was named after its founder and ruler. Bhavnagar is an important trading centre for cotton goods manufactured in Gujarat.

Gandhi Smriti Library, a museum, a gallery and a memorial to the Father of the Nation are worth seeing. Gaurishankar Lake and Takhteshwar temple are popular picnic spots lending an enchanting view from the hilltop. Its coastline is with ports, salt works, shipbuilding and ship breaking yards along the Bhavnagar coast. Its business today is vastly different, for it is a premier cotton-exporting seaport on the southeastern Saurashtra coast.

Takhteshwar Temple

Takhteshwar Temple is a famous temple situated in the Bhavnagar city in Gujarat. It was constructed in 1893 at the instructions of the then ruler of Bhavnagar, Maharaja Takhatsihnji. It has a magnificent shrine with a three eyed Lord Shiva who is regarded as the powerful and fascinating deity of the Hindu Trinity. The temple is constructed in white marble which showcases a rare architectural beauty. It also offers an aerial view of the city of Bhavnagar and the surrounding regions.

Plenty of devotees and tourists from various parts of Gujarat and all over the country come to visit this temple especially during the occasion of Shivaratri. During this festival, the temple is highly crowded and thousands of people climb the hills to pay tribute to Lord Shiva.

Address: Kalanala, Panwadi, Bhavnagar, Gujarat 364002

Timing: 7:00 AM to 9:30 PM

Blackbuck National Park

Blackbuck National Park at Velavadar is situated Near Vallabhipur in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India. The Blackbuck National Park is located around 72 km from the district headquarter city of Bhavnagar in Bhal region. In 1976, Government on India has declared aprox. 34 Sq.Km. of grassland as National Park Blackbuck. The movements of blackbucks and nilgais (Blue bull) increase beauty of this park. The blackbuck is most famous for its jumping over the levels of grass. Since it is grassland, beauty of this park can be seen from long distant. Blackbuck is one of the fastest animals and can outrun most predators over long distances. Its chief predator was the now extinct Indian Cheetah. It is now sometimes preyed upon by wolves, feral dogs, etc.

Address: Near Vallabhipur, District Bhavnagar, Velavadar, Gujarat 364313

Timing: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM / 3:00 AM to 6:0 PM

Closed : close from Mid – June to Mid Oct.

Fees: Indian : Rs. 20 & Foriegner USD 5.

Alang

A modern wonder of Gujarat, the ship-breaking yard at Alang is a fantastic spectacle in itself. It is located on the coast between Bhavnagar and Talaja. Large ships from America, Europe, Asia are brought here to be scrapped. The reason behind the selection of this site was the nature of its tide, suitable for such maritime activities and the proximity of industrial zones that could utilize its metal and other scrap. It’s India’s largest ship-breaking site. Here supertankers, container ships, warships and other vessels are reduced to scrap by 20,000 workers toiling day and night.

Nishkalank Mahadev Temple

NishkalankMahadev Templein Koliyak, Bhavnagar, Gujarat is full of wonders and awe. This temple is buried inside the sea. On a heavy tide day, all that can be seen are the flag and a pillar. It is beyond ones comprehension that there is a Lord Shiva Temple just under the fierce sea. This temple is still in use, and people visit this place on foot! The temple has 5 distinct swayumbu Shiva lingams inside. This is definitely one of the best spiritual destinations!

Nishkalank Mahadev Darshan Time-Table:-

Tithi Vad/Sud Hour/Minutes (Empty) Hour/Minutes (Full)

Ekam 08 – 18 am 01 – 18 pm

beej 09 – 06 am 02 – 06 pm

trij 09 – 54 am 02 – 54 pm

choth 10 – 42 am 03 – 42 pm

pancham 11 – 30 am 04 – 30 pm

chhth 12 – 18 pm 05 – 18 pm

satam 01 – 06 pm 06 – 06 pm

Atham 02 – 18 pm 07 – 18 pm

num 03 – 06 pm 08 – 06 pm

dasham 03 – 54 pm 08 – 54 pm

agyarash 04 – 42 pm 09 – 42 pm

barash 05 – 30 pm 10 – 30 pm

terash 06 – 18 pm 11 – 18 pm

chaudash 07 – 06 pm 12 – 06 am

purnima 07 – 30 pm 12 – 30 am

This temple can be reached between 9.00 am to 12.00 pm on the day next to the new moon night.

The Early morning Arati 6:45 am and Evening arati 7:10 pm

Closed on: NA

Fees: NA

Khodiyar temple

Khodiyar temple, named after the principle deity, venerated by the royal family and the natives around, was built in the year 1911. The temple visited by thousands of pilgrims is located on the banks of the Khodiayar Lake, which attracts tourists from all the surrounding areas. Quite often followers of the goddess walk long distances to revere the goddess.

Address: Rajapara, Desai Nagar, Bhavnagar, Gujarat 364210

Timing: 6:AM – 9:30 PM

Gopnath Beach

A beautiful hamlet on the coast of the Gulf of Khambhat and at a distance of 10 Kms from Talaja, the taluka headquarter of Bhavnagar district is Gopnath. Vying for eminence on the tourist circuit with development of a heritage hotel – Gopnath Bungalow, it was a pleasant sea-shore retreat of Gohil rulers of Bhavnagar. The bungalow built in a European colonial style with cottages and mansions surrounding the courtyard faces the sea and offers a beautiful view of the gulf.

It attracts marine life and birdwatching enthusiasts to the rocky shores on the coast. It is also renowed for the temple of GopnathMahadev, where Narsinh Mehta is believed to have performed penance. The coast in this area is full of tiny islands and offers a picturesque delight to the onlooker.

Gaurishankar Lake

The vast lake spreading over an area of 381 hectares is also locally known by the name of BorTalav after the illustrious Dewan Shri Gaurishankar Oza. Conceived and built in 1872 as a water reservoir for drinking water, today is one of the most preferred tourist as well as picnic spot in the city. The adjoining bal-vatika along with the musical fountains, planetarium, boat house and many more attractions provide ideal entertainment for a day out with nature and family.