Jamnagar, one of the much talked and highly dreamt places is a must-see if you are up for a tour to Gujarat. To put it across in a more precise manner, Jamnagar that rightly blends the rich cultural values and heritage of Gujarat itself is a lot beautiful and a place that’s simply hard to miss. Intensifying the elegance of Jamnagar is the region’s long list of fort s and monuments and the unmatched aesthetics of the Lakhota Palace.

Dating back to as early as the 8th century are the artefacts that define the lives of humans around the same region until the 18th century. Another interesting site to visit is the Koath Bastion which is put up very close to the Lakhota Fort that once served as an armoury for the rulers of the region. Raised by the Royal family of Jamnagar, a glance at Koath Bastion will surely inspire you for the amount of weaponry it once hosted, despite exploring the exciting well through which water could be drawn by simply blowing air onto a hole on the floor. Certainly attracting tourists is the highly adorning palace, constructed by the Nawangar dictators, which turns out to be one of the eye-pleasing sights that you would sure want to come across on your visit to Jamnagar. One other sizzling yet scintillating attraction is the lake Ranmal that runs around the city of Jamnagar.

History

Believed to have been built as a place of weapons storage that could aid at times of war and other such rivalling events, the Lakhota Palace that resides in Jamnagar was constructed by the Jam Dynasty. The city of Jamnagar came up in 1540 and Jam Rawal, a member of the most reputed royal family who once resided in Gujarat was the one responsible for the city’s birth. Known as Nanwagarh, the city was renamed after Jam Rawal and nonetheless Jam Nagar is the name it bears till date.

Jam Saheb, the region’s ruler of the 19th century is known to have built the man-made Ranjit Sagar Lake that served the purpose of quenching thirst to its residents. The Ranjit Sagar Lake has been made available around the circle-shaped Lakhota fort and small pavements have been engineered to get across the lake and enter the fort.

Built with the sole objective to give out drinking water, the Ranjit Sagar Lake also serves as a boating ground comprising of pedal boats for utmost fun. The charges however for the max seating of four on-board a pedal boat is priced about INR 400 or $8 per hour. A number of visitors, who stop by, make it a habit to take a walk around the Ranjit Sagar Lake during the early hours on the mornings, to feel the exciting warmth of the sun. It is said that even today, tourists and locals, both end up near the Lakhota Palace during the evenings, simply to enjoy the beauty of the region and experience the pleasant cool breeze over the bank area.

Fort Attractions

Museum

Blessed with various antiques that accounted for the heritage rich history of the Lakhota Fort, a number of collections such as weapons ornaments of priceless value, coins and art related articles have been showcased in the museum that depicts the vast picture of Jam Nagar and its legacy. The Museum that’s spread across to three floors features the same articles utilized by King Jamsaheb which included his royal chair carved out of complete gold and other personal items such as the mattress, pillows, sword and the like. Besides these rare and exceptional belongings, are four large canons of 34 feet long, that were employed as massive sling shots to throw stones over 4 miles in open air during the Mogul attacks that occurred sometime in the seventeenth century.

The dazzling view of the Ranjit Sagar Lake is in fact awe-inspiring from the balcony of the top most floor and the much visible landscape is exotic especially during the rainy season. October is usually the most happening part of the year as its always raining, raising the level of Ranjit Sagar Lake. The breath taking atmosphere of Jam Nagar is truly experience and excitement elevates to new heights during this point in time.

Garden

Majority of the tourists and travel buffs undoubtedly make it to the beautifully laid out gardens that are located alongside the Ranjit Sagar Lake. Also present amidst the garden space is a full sized 3mm thick gold wrapped standing sculpture of the much talked King Jamsaheb represented with a sword in his hand. Further elating the elegance of the garden is a fountain filled with coloured lights that evidently kick off during the later part of the breezy evenings.

Bhidbhanjan Mahadev Temple

Adding the overall glory to the entire place is the Bhidbhanjan Mahadev temple that’s located right opposite to the Lakhota Fort. Present alongside the banks of the Ranjit Sagar Lake, this highly powerful temple has become a unique place of visit as the famous ‘Ramdhun’ recital is known to have existed since its inception dating back to as much as 65 years in time. The above mentioned event is reported to have recorded an achievement and is said to have marked a place for itself amongst other world records.

How to Reach Jamnagar

Jamnagar could be easily reached with varied options of travel available round the clock. The travel options include all major modes of transport namely trains, buses and not to mention flights.

By Train

With respect to train travel, regular options are available on track from Mumbai city directly to Jamnagar, as the famous Gujarat city hosts a massive railway station. Trip charges for the same with regards to base level train travel will approximately cost you Rs.249.

By Air

Offering decent amount of services by air are major operators such as Jet airways, Spice Jet and Air Sahara to the beautiful Jamnagar from Mumbai. With prices of air fare starting at as low as Rs.2900, the travel time is very less and hence it is indeed comfortable. The Jamnagar Airport is roughly about 10kms away from the main city and hence cabs and other such services could be opted to quickly enter the tourist spot.

By Bus

Although tiring, Bus travel could be quite fun filled if planned rightly. Several bus services, offering air-conditioned and non-air conditioned travel are readily available options, with two way trips from nearby places such as Surat, Ahmadabad and Gandhi Nagar. While the former service could be taken for in the range of Rs.300 to 400 for a one-way trip, the latter kind could however possibly show up in the form of a Volvo multi-axle service for prices shooting above Rs.400. Further buses from state outskirts such a Jodhpur could also be considered for a price of INR 350.