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Jamnagar is a coastal city in Gujarat, India, on the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch, famous for Lakhota Lake and its island palace, its colourful bandhani tie-dye textiles, and as the gateway to the coral reefs of India's first Marine National Park.
Founded in 1540 by Jam Rawal as Nawanagar, the city was the capital of a princely state ruled by the Jadeja Jams, among them the legendary cricketer Ranjitsinhji. Today it is also home to one of the world's largest oil refineries and to the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine.
Visitors stroll around Lakhota Lake at sunset, hear the never-ending chant at the Bala Hanuman Temple, and explore the marble Jain temples and bazaars around Darbargadh. Winter is the time to watch flamingos and pelicans at Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary and to walk the low-tide reefs of Narara in the Marine National Park.
Lakhota Lake, also called Ranmal Lake, is the large lake at the centre of Jamnagar, with the round Lakhota Palace on an island in the middle. Its promenade is busy at sunset, when families stroll, snack stalls open and flocks of gulls and migratory birds gather on the water in winter.
Lakhota Museum is housed in Lakhota Palace, a round fortified palace on an island in Lakhota Lake in Jamnagar, reached by a short bridge. Built for the Jam rulers of Nawanagar, it now displays stone sculptures, pottery, coins and arms from the region, and its towers look out over the lake.
Bhujiyo Kotho is a tall round bastion tower beside Lakhota Lake in Jamnagar, built in the 19th century as part of the defences of Nawanagar. Once a landmark visible across the old city, it was badly damaged in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, and it is best seen from the lake promenade.
Khambhalia Gate is one of the old gateways of Jamnagar's walled city, the former Nawanagar, named after the town of Khambhalia to the west. Its massive stone arches and bastions recall the walls built by the Jam rulers, and the gate still marks the edge of the busy old town.
Bala Hanuman Temple stands on the southeastern side of Lakhota Lake in Jamnagar and is famous for the continuous chanting of the mantra Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram, kept up day and night since 1964. The unbroken chant earned it a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Jamnagar Jain Temples are a cluster of temples in the old city of Jamnagar, led by four marble temples: Vardhman Shah's, Raisi Shah's, Sheth's and Vasupujya Swami's. Their carved spires, domes and richly decorated interiors reward a slow walk through the narrow old lanes.
Darbargadh is the old royal palace complex of the Jam rulers in the heart of Jamnagar, the city founded as Nawanagar by Jam Rawal in 1540. In front of it stands Willingdon Crescent, an arcaded crescent built under Jam Ranjitsinhji, now home to the busy Darbargadh market.
Dwarkadhish Temple in Dwarka, about 130 km west of Jamnagar, is one of the holiest Krishna temples in India and one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites. Its five-storey carved stone tower rises above the Gomti creek, topped by a great flag that is changed several times each day.
Marine National Park on the Gulf of Kutch, off the coast of Jamnagar, protects 42 islands surrounded by coral reefs and mangroves. Declared in 1982, it was the first marine national park in India. At low tide, visitors can walk out over the reefs to see corals, starfish, sea slugs and octopus.
Pirotan Island is the best known of the 42 islands of the Marine National Park, about 22 km off Bedi Port near Jamnagar. Mangroves and low-tide beaches ring the island, with corals and a lighthouse. Visits need prior permission from the Forest Department, Customs and port authorities.
Narara Island is a reef in the Marine National Park on the Gulf of Kutch, in Jamnagar district, where the sea retreats at low tide to expose a vast stretch of sea bed. Guided walks reveal living corals, sea anemones, crabs, brittle stars and sea slugs, along with wading birds and herons.
Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary is a wetland near Jamnagar where freshwater lakes meet the salt marshes of the Gulf of Kutch, and about 300 bird species have been recorded. Flamingos, pelicans, cranes and storks gather in winter, and it was declared a Ramsar site in 2022. Come at dawn.
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