Jamnagar Knowledge Guide
History
Nawanagar was founded by Jam Rawal in 1540 as the capital of the eponymous Princely state. Jamnagar, historically known as Nawanagar (the new town), was one of the most important and the largest Princely states of the Jadejas in the Saurashtra region. It was a 13 gun salute state. According to Pauranik literature, Lord Krishna established his kingdom at Dwarka town in Jamnagar district, after migrating from Mathura, and accordingly, it is to the Yadava race that the Jams of Nawanagar trace their ancestry. According to historical records, Bahadurshah, the emperor of Gujarat, bestowed upon Jam Lakhaji twelve villages in recognition of his role in the siege of Pawagadh. Jam Lakhaji, however, was killed by his cousins, Tamachi Deda and Jam Hamirji Jadeja, after he took possession of the villages. His son, Jam Rawal, thereafter murdered his father's killers and became ruler of Cutch. Hamirji's two sons Khengarji and Sahibji fled to Delhi to pay obeisance to the Mughal Emperor Humayun. During a lion hunt, the two brothers saved the Emperor from being killed by a lion. As a reward for their valor, an army was sent with them to regain their kingdom. When Jam Sri Rawalji heard of the two princes coming back to the Kutch with the imperial army, he prepared for battle. One night, Goddess Ashapuraji, the supreme deity of the Jadeja Clan of Rajputs, came to Jam Sri Rawalji in a dream and told him that although he had broken an oath taken in her name not to kill Hamirji, even though he was the person responsible for his death, she had refrained from punishing him because he had at all other times honoured her, but he was no longer to dwell in Cutch. Jam Sri Rawalji and his entourage marched out of Cutch, attacked and killed Tamachi deda, the main conspirator in the killing of his father, and conquered the town of Amran and its dependencies. Jam Sri Rawalji bestowed the rule of Dhrol province on his younger brother Hardholji, who was later killed in battle at Mithoi near Khambhalia, whereupon the throne passed on to his eldest son, Jasoji. Jam hri Rawalji conquered parts of Saurashtra and formed his kingdom with 999 villages named it as Halar. Once on a hunting trip in present-day Jamnagar, a hare was found to be brave enough to turn on the hunting dogs and put them to flight. Deeply impressed by this, Jam Sri Rawalji thought that if this land could breed such hares, the men born here would be superior to other men, and accordingly he made this place his capital. On the seventh day of the bright half of the month of Shrawan, V.S. 1956 (August 1540) on the banks of the rivers Rangmati and Nagmati, he laid the foundation of his new capital and named it Nawanagar (new town), which after few centuries came to be known as Jamnagar, meaning the town of the JAM's.
Culture
Most residents of Jamnagar are Gujarati and speak the Gujarati language. A small portion of the population speak the Kutchi language, which is written in the Gujarati script but not mutually intelligible with Gujarati. The Kathiawadi language (which is a colloquial dialect of Gujarati) is widely used for day-to-day communication. Major communities include the Jadeja, Charan(Gadhvi), Satvaras (Dalvadis), Ahirs Sagars, Patels, Bhanushalis, Rajputs, Mers, Jains, Lohanas, Brahmins, Bhoi(Bhoiraj) and Vaghers (Muslim and Hindu), and Khavas. The Marine National Park, the only marine sanctuary in India, is near Jamnagar, on the coral reef island of Pirotan. Jamnagar is well known for its four marble Jain temples: Vardhman Shah's Temple, Raisi Shah's Temple, Sheth's Temple, and Vasupujya Swami's Temple; all built between 1574 and 1622. The Bala Hanuman Temple in Jamnagar is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records for the longest continuous chanting of "Ram Dhun" (since 1 August 1964). Also in the Guinness Book of Records is the world's largest Rotla, which weighed 63.99 kg (141 lb 1 oz) and was made by the Shree Jalarm Mandir Jirnodhar Samitee organisation at the Jalaram Temple, Jamnagar, on 15 January 2005. Jamnagar is popularly known as "Chhoti Kashi" due to many temples in the city and as people are inclined to spirituality and to diversified religions. There are 5 Gita Vithyalaya's branches founded by Acharya Shri Manharlalji Maharajshri, preaching Shri Mad Bhagvad Gita, Ramayana etc. to 8 to 18 years children concentrating on balanced physical and mental development of Children. Dr. Kishorbhai Dave, who got his doctorate in Philosophy of Gita is the main personality behind whole this 60 years long old activities.