Bhavnagar, the royal city of Gujarat, celebrates its 300th anniversary

Bhavnagar, a historic city known for its majestic palaces and iconic architectural landmarks including a marble-made 'monument of love' built by a king in memory of her queen, has turned 300. Brijeshwari Gohil, a scion of the erstwhile royal family of Bhavnagar, says “Bhavnagar State was the first princely state to accede to the Union of India soon after Independence.” The city located in an eponymous district in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat is about 170 km from Ahmedabad with several tourist attractions. As Bhavnagar clocks 300 in its eventful journey, Gohil talks about the legacy of her royal ancestors who built the city over a period of more than two centuries, erected magnificent public buildings, built grand parks and railways, and raised a monument in white marble that draws symbolic parallel with the Taj Mahal of Agra. Built in 1878 by Bhavnagar State Engineer Richard Proctor-Sims and German architect T J Kenosky, the palace is also home to the royal family, Gohil says. Other prominent landmarks in the city include the grand Darbargadh -- the erstwhile seat of the Bhavnagar State, old Alfred High School, old court building, Barton Library, old Samaldas College building, Sir Takhatsinhji General Hospital, old Bhavnagar station, Ganga Deri and Crescent Tower that sits in the centre of a Crescent Circle.