Morvi

Morbi or Morvi is a city in the Morbi district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated on the Kathiawar peninsula. , the city's population was determined to be 194,947. The city is on the Machhu River, from the sea and from Rajkot.

History

Morbi was founded as the capital of Jethwa Rulers in 900 CE. Much of the building heritage and town planning is attributed to the administration of Sir Lakhdhiraji Waghji who ruled Morvi State from 1922 to 1948.

1979 dam failure

On 11 August 1979, the Machchhu II dam, an earthfill dam, which had a catchment area of 1,929 square kilometres (745 sq mi) collapsed due to excessive rain, leading to the loss of thousands of lives. The disaster impacted Morbi and nearby areas.

2022 suspension bridge collapse

On 30 October 2022, the Julto Pul suspension bridge in the city which crossed the Machchhu River collapsed. Hundreds of people were on the bridge at the time and at least 140 people died. The accident occurred just four days after the bridge was reopened following repairs. The rescue operation was started by the district administration, SDRF, two teams of NDRF and locals. Gujarat CM Bhupendrabhai Patel announced financial assistance of ₹4 lakhs for the families of victims and ₹50 thousand for those injured.

Places of interest

Mani Mandir

Mani Mandir was the queen's residence and later converted into the Willingdon Secretariat in 1936. After independence of India, it served as the local government office.

Nagar Darwaja

Nagar Darwaja (meaning City Gate) was inaugurated in the year 1925 by Sir George Lloyd, the then Governor of Bombay. It was then known as Lloyd Gate. Subsequently post independence Lit was renamed as Nehru Gate. The structure has Indian and European elements of architecture. The gate was partly destroyed in the earthquake of 2001 and later restored in 2007 by the Municipality.

Jhulto Pul

The Jhulto Pul (meaning the swinging bridge) was built by Sir Waghji Thakur (then the Thakur Sahib of Morbi) to connect Darbargadh Palace and Nazarbagh Palace (later Lukhdhirji Engineering College) in 1880. The bridge collapsed in October 2022 and at least 135 people died.

Lukhdhirji Engineering College

The college was formerly the Nazarbagh palace.

Temples

The Morbi Trimandir is away from the city, near the village of Jepur, on the Morbi-Navlakhi Highway.
Naklanka Temple is away from Morbi, in Bagathala village.

Mahalakshmi Temple

Mahalakshmi temple is an old temple dedicated to Hindu goddess Mahalakshmi Kamaleshvari. It is located in the old city and belongs to Shrimali Brahmin community. The temple was built in the 11th century.

Kubernath Shiva Temple

17th century Shiva temple located in the old city

Economy

Morbi is renowned for its ceramic industry. Around 70% of India's ceramics are produced here.

References

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Morbi district