bea_gopnath

GOPNATH

275 kms from Ahmedabad, 75 kms from Bhavnagar which is well connected by rail and bus to Ahmedabad, Gopnath was the summer home of Maharajah Krishna Kumar Sinhji of Bhavnagar, one of the 50 richest of the 565 rulers of India. And it is easy to imagine why-the breathtakingly beautiful sea coast with it’s spectacular limestone cliffs and great views, sea breezes and colourful birdlife, must have made an excellent break from the city during the summer months. And as the progressive rulers of Bhavnagar, had created a systematic judicial system and executive committee, their job of decision making could as well be attempted from Gopnath.

The Maharajah’s 1940s mansion complex, which once had offices, residential quarters and cottage guest rooms for personal guests of the family, now offers 4 comfortable rooms with attached western style baths in the English cottage for Rs.350 each. The property does not have a restaurant, but you will find good homecooked Kathiawadi meals and fresh shrimps and lobsters at Jai Chamunda lodge outside the huge crested, wrought iron gateway.

The Gopnath beach has lovely, firm, sands for walking and shallow shore waters for wading, but the high tidal difference of the coast, makes the water murky and not very inviting for a long swim.

Gopnath-view from bungalow

Rajpara village has a beautiful white sanded beach, with spectacular rock formations, not very safe for swimming but great for privacy and walks. Jhanjmer fort,further down the coast, is an impressive sight, named for the Kathi Rajput warrior chieftain, Jhanjhara Sinh of the Wala clan.

Gopnath is the base for some spectacular sightseeing. Talaja, is a Jain temple complex spiralling up a 350 foot volcanic hill,which in turn is pockmarked by 1^st century Buddhist caves-one of them adopted as a Hindu temple. Alang, is the world’s largest ship breaking zone. This harbour has attained this strange specialisation because of the nature of it’s tide. The twice monthly tides are exceptional, beaching ships well onto the shore, so that labourers can work unhindered with oxy acylitene blowers and tools to scrap cargo ships and cruise liners during the next 2 weeks, the yard owners getting rich pickings from salvaged metal-iron, steel, bronze, brass, copper. Besides the very spectacle of the ships and cutting activities, you can enjoy shopping for furniture, food stuff, crockery, utensils, refrigerators, washing machines, textiles and appliances salvaged from the ships for a bargain!

But the history of Gopnath goes back a long way before 1942 when His highness Krishna Kumar Sinhji built the mansion. The 700 year old Gopnath temple is perhaps the only one in India with flags of 2 colours-a white flag denoting a Vishnu temple and a saffron flag representing a Shiva temple-because this is the place where Narsinh Mehta, the Naggar Brahmin mystic poet got enlightenment while worshiping lord Shiva in medieval times, and was shown the Ras-lila of lord Krishna. Budget accommodations can be found in dharamshalas and guest houses near the temple.

GETTING THERE	280 kms by road via Bhavnagar
PLACES TO STAY
- LUXURY	Heritage hotels of Nilambaug and Dilbahar (80Kms)
- DELUXE	Blue hill, jublee, apollo
- AVERAGE	Gopnath Bunglow (1940s heritage building) facing the sea in Gopnath
- BUDGET/GUEST HOUSE	Budget Dharamshalas
PLACES TO EAT	Jai Chamunda(sea food,Kathiawadi thali), Bhojnalayas in Gopnath.