About Gondal

Located in Rajkot District of Saurashtra Region of Gujarat State, Gondal is a city with interesting historical background. Gondal was included in the Kathiawar Agency and was one of those eight princely states which constituted the Kathiawar Agency during the time of the British Rule. Gondal City provides numerous interesting places for the tourists and at the same time this city is emerging as one of the most important trading centers of Gujarat.& Read this article to know more about Gondal City in detail.

History of Gondal

&The City of Gondal has been mentioned in Ain-i-Akbari, the famous book written by one of the nine gems of Emperor Akbar’s court, Abul Fazal. It is also mentioned in the book Mirat-i-Ahmadi. In both the books, Gondal is referred as Vaghela State. In the year 1634, Gondal State was founded by Thakor Sri Kumbhoji I Meramanji who belonged to Jadeja Dynasty. The state became larger during the reign of Kumbhoji IV and had parganas like Sarai, Doraji and Upleta included in the state.

The most renowned ruler of Gondal State was Sir Bhagwat Singhji who ruled the state from 1888 to 1944. During his reign removal of purdah for women, compulsory education for females, reforms of tax laws were incorporated. Gondal State became a state of 11 gun salute during the reign of Bhagwat Singhji. During his rule, Gondal City was known for its wonderful architecture and infrastructure. The roads were 50 feet wide and they had 10 feet wide footbath. The city had the facility of rain water disposal. The city also had underground pipeline to supply water throughout the city. The city also had filter plant for purifying water and was known as Sat Tanki Filter Plant.& The present owner of Gondal Palaces is Maharaja Jyotindra Singhji.

About Rulers of Gondal

Sangram Singhji became the ruler of Gondal in 1851. He had three queens. The first queen died at a very early age. He had two sons named Balubha and Pathubha, who were the sons of Maharaja Sangram Singhji and the second queen, Ramba. After the death of his second queen, Maharja married Monghiba and had two sons named Maji Rajba and Bhagwat Singhji. Pathuba died when he was only 21 years old.

Bhagvat Singhji was born in 1865 on 24th October in Dhoraji. Since his childhood he believed in simple living and high thinking. He lost his father when he was only four years old. He was very intelligent and had acquired knowledge in English, Geography and Arithmetic. He also had a medical degree and was awarded with many other degrees during his lifetime.

Geography and Climate of Gondal

Location of Gondal is on the banks of Gondali River. It is situated at 70.8°E Longitude and 21.97°N&& Latitude. The city is located at a height of 132 meters from the sea level. Gondal is located in the centre of Saurashtra Region of Gujarat State. From here, sea is only 200 KM far. During summer, the temperature ranges from 40 0C to 45 0C. During winter months, temperature ranges from 10 0C to 20 0C. Winter months are pleasant in Gondal. Monsoon starts from middle of June and continues till end of September. The best time to visit Gondal is from November to February.

Population of Gondal

Gondal City is served by its Municipal Corporation. According to the Census of 2011, population of Gondal City is about 112,064. The male population is 58,417 and female population is 53,647. The literacy rate of Gondal is 85.73%. The male literacy rate is 90.50% and the female literacy rate is 80.61%. Sex Ratio of Gondal City is 918 female per 1000 males. Children constitute about 10.34% of the total population of Gondal City.

Culture of Gondal

Gondal City is inhabited by people of different religion and ethnicity and that is the reason the city shows amalgamation of culture and religion very beautifully. People of this city are very lively and vibrant. Women of Gondal are very fond of wearing Jewelries of different types. Heavy Jewelries made with gold e.g. long chains, pendants, earrings, finger rings etc. are worn by the females especially during festivals and social events. Men also wear jewelries like chain and rings.

The languages spoken in Gondal are Gujarati, English, Hindi, Urdu, and Marathi but languages that are well understood in Gondal are Gujarati, English and Hindi.

Festivals of Gondal

Gondal is also famous as the City of Festivals. Because of its multicultural nature, different types of festivals are celebrated in Gondal during the entire year. This city is also referred with the name ‘Gokuliyu Gondal’. The people here are cheerful and take part in all the festivals no matter to which religion and caste they belong. The famous festivals of Gondal are:

Diwali Festival is celebrated with great pomp and gaiety in Gondal.& Hindus perform puja of Devi Laxmi and clean their houses, purchase new clothes and make varieties of snacks and sweets. Another popular festival of Gondal City is Dhuleti which is also known as the Color Festival. Mahashivratri Festival is celebrated to commemorate the marriage of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati and people of all ages and sex observe fast on this festival and offer water and milk to Lord Shiva. Janmastami Mela is organized in the month of August for 6-8 days. This fair is organized at Sangram Singhji Ground in Gondal.

On 14th January, Uttarayan-Makar Sankranti Festival is celebrated by flying colorful kites from the terraces of the houses. Kite flying is organized at different playground where large numbers of people from the entire city and around participate. Muslim festivals like Ramzan Eid, Bakri Eid and Muharram are also celebrated in different parts of Gondal. Another popular festival of Gondal is Mahavir Jayanti. On the occasion of Navrati Festival, which is mainly celebrated for 9 days in the month of September/October, traditional dance of Gujarat, Garba is performed by men and women both. This dance starts around midnight and continues till early morning. Mata Ambe is worshiped during Navaratri Festival.

Important Areas of Gondal

Gondal City has many landmarks which are College Chowk, Kadiyaline, Town Hall, Kunbharwada, Veri Talav, Gundala Darvajo, Veri Darvajo, Railway Station, Mukti Dham Area and Anath Ashram. The famous market areas of Gondal are Moti Market and Nani Market. The major residential localities of Gondal are Chunara Street, Gundala Street, G. Parekh Street, Bhojarajpara, Station Plot, Yoginagar, Khodiyar Nagar, Mhadevwadi, Housing Board and Sahajananda Nagar. Radha Krishna Nagar and Kailashbagh are two ultra modern classy residential areas of Gondal which are located very close to Main Market and the Bus Station.

Shopping Malls in Gondal

Gondal City still has the royal elegance of yesteryears and that gets reflected through the handloom and textile work made here. Like any other cities of Gujarat, shopping in Gondal is an enthralling experience. Gondal is famous for its fabrics and exclusive jewelry items. The shops mainly located in the famous shopping arcades of Gondal City, Nani Bazar and Moti Bazar. Gondal is also famous for its delicious snacks named Gathiya, a snacks made with besan.

Business and Economy in Gondal

The business and economy of Gondal is developing in a fast pace. The city has great opportunities for small businesses like timber trading, jewelry designing, hardware business etc. The main source of economy in Gondal are Marketing Yard located at Moti Bazar and Nani Bazar and also the numerous oil mills located in Gondal. In the state of Gujarat, the largest amount of ground nut production happens in Gondal and it has about 400-500 oil mills. Gondal also export Ayurvedic medicines to different parts of the world and earn quite a good amount of revenue through these exports.

Famous Places to Visit in Gonadal

Gondal prides itself with many ancient buildings which still carry the glory and elegance of the past era especially the heritage hotels of Gondal.

Heritage Hotels in Gondal

Gondal was a princely state and it had beautifully built palaces. Some of these palaces were turned into Heritage Hotels. Orchard Palace and Riverside Palace are two such palace-turned hotels in Gondal.

Orchard Palace

This palace was constructed as an annex building of Huzoor Palace which was the residential place of the royal family. Orchard Palace was built in later years of 19th century as a place where personal guests of the king could stay. This palace still maintains handicraft, furniture and antique items of 1930s and 1940s. The palace has got its name from the groves of chikoo, lime and mango trees. In the garden of this palace is the home to many peacocks and peahens. The Rail Saloon of this palace is one of the main attractions for the guests. The saloon is now transformed into a suite that has bedroom, dining room and drawing room with beautiful antiques and English style washrooms adorned with telephone showers. This heritage hotel has seven rooms to accommodate the guests.

Riverside Palace

This palace was built in 1880 and was influenced by colonial architecture. Riverside Palace was the residence of Crown Price of the Royal Family of Gondal. The palace is now a heritage hotel of 11 rooms. Each of these rooms is big and have very high ceiling. The rooms are provided with four-poster bed and furniture of colonial era. The bathrooms are provided with hot and cold showers and westernized fittings. The galleries have many antique works and historic pictures. One of the most important attractions of this hotel is the Indian Room, a sitting room that is decorated with beadwork and brassware belonging to the Royal Family. Guest can watch varieties of birds as they come from the river located nearby.

Naulakha Palace

This palace was constructed in 1748 AD and is also called Darbargadh. The palace displays beautiful stone carvings on columns and balconies with jarokha work. Spiral staircases and beautifully carved arches are special attraction of this palace. The palace has a museum which is a private museum and has a collection of silver caskets of the then ruler Maharaja Bhagwatsinghji. Gifts and messages sent to the king were sent in those caskets on the occasion of his 50th years of rule in Gondal. The durbar hall also has antique mirrors, stuffed panthers and wooden furniture.

Royal Garages

The Royal Garage of Gondal is a worth place to see. It has collection of classic and vintage cars of the years from 1910 to 1955. Many sports cars and limousine of 50s and 60s are also kept here. The American Cars of 40s and 50s and many vehicles from the period of World War II and post World War Era can be found in the Royal Garage.

Temples of Gondal

Gondal is a city with spiritual environment and it boasts many famous temples. The most famous temples of Gondal are Dhareshwar Mahadev Temple, Bhuwneshwari Temple, Sureshwar Mahadev Temple, Akshar Mandir, Sai Baba Mndir, Gayatri Mandir, Tarkoshi Hanumanji, Shri Ram Mandir, Bala Hanuman Mandir and others. Dasi Jeevan Mandir in Gondal is located at Ghodhavadar, a place located 6 KM from Gondal. This was the residential place of Dasi Jeevan, a famous saint. The birth anniversary of this holy saint is celebrated every year on the occasion of Gujarati New year. Aksar Mandir has the Samadhi of Gunatitanand Swami, who is considered as the successor of Swaminarayan by BAPS or Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayn Sanstha.

Places to Visit around Gondal

There are many nearby places near Gondal which offer excellent tourist destinations. Rajkot is located 40 KM away from Gondal which houses many interesting places like Old Residence of Mahatma Gandhi and Watson Museum. Rajkot is famous for its textile and handicrafts. Another historical city Junagadh is located 60 KM away from Gondal in its south. It is famous for Uperkot Fortress, mausoleums of royal people, Jundagadh Museum, Darbar Hall Museum, Skkarbagh Zoo and many rock edicts during the reign of Emperor Ashoka.

Dhoraji is another important place around Gondal. Dhoraji used to be a very important city of erstwhile princely state Gondal. Dhoraji is famous for its beautiful sculptures made with sandstone and the Darbargadh Palace. Jetpur, a town located about 30 KM away from Gondal is also worth to visit and it is famous for its block printing and screen printing works. Girnar Peak, the peak that has an altitude of 3660 feet, is the house to Jain Temples at the top and the Hindu Temples at its foothill. These temples belong to 12th Century AD.

How to Reach Gondal

Gondal can be approached using all three means of transport such as rail, road and air. The nearest airport to Gondal is Rajkot Airport which is about 40 KM away. Daily flights are there between Rajkot and Mumbali thus making Gondal easily reachable from Mumbai too. Regular buses and taxis are available from this airport to reach Gondal City. From different parts of Gujarat, Gondal is easily approached by road. Regular buses run by the State Transport Corporation and private operators run connecting Gondal with Ahmadabad and Rajkot.


From other cities of Gujarat and some parts of Maharashtra, Gondal can be reached through buses. Gondal has a railway Station and it is located between Veraval and Rajkot Railway Line and is a part of Western Railways. The major railway station is Rajkot which has a broad gauge railway track. Local Transport in Gondal is primarily the auto-rickshaws.

Important Trains Passing through Gondal

Gondal Railway Station belongs to Western Railway Zone and the Junction Name is Bhavnagar. The station code is GDL. Many passenger and express trains pass through Gondal. Find below the detail of trains passing through Gondal Railway Station.

Train No.: 19120
Train Name: Somnath Ahmedabad Intercity Express
Source Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Destination Station: Ahmadabad Junction in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 09:44
Departure from Gondal: 09:45

Train No.: Santragachi Junction Porabandar Kavi Guru Express
Train Name: 12950
Source Station: Santragachi Junction in West Bengal
Destination Station: Porbandar in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 16:55
Departure from Gondal: 16:56

Train No.: 59424
Train Name: Veraval Rajkot Passenger
Source Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Destination Station: Rajkot in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 20:58
Departure from Gondal: 20:59

Train No.: 59422
Train Name: Somnath Rajkot Passenger
Source Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Destination Station: Rajkot in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 8:04
Departure from Gondal: 8:05

Train No.: 59421
Train Name: Rajkot Veraval Passenger
Source Station: Rajkot Junction Gujarat
Destination Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 8:51
Departure from Gondal: 8:52

Train No.: 19221
Train Name: Ahmadabad Veraval Somnath Express
Source Station: Ahmadabad Junction in Gujarat
Destination Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 3:13
Departure from Gondal: 3:15

Train No.: 59459
Train Name: Rajkot Veraval Passenger
Source Station: Rakot Junction in Gujarat
Destination Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 12:05
Departure from Gondal: 12:07

Train No.: 19222
Train Name: Veraval Ahmadabad Somnath Express
Source Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Destination Station: Ahmadabad Junction in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 22:30
Departure from Gondal: 22:32

Train No.: 59460
Train Name: Veraval Mumbai Central Passenger Express
Source Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Destination Station: Mumbai Central in Maharashtra
Arrival at Gondal: 16:14
Departure from Gondal: 16:16

Train No.: 19572
Train Name: Porbandar Rajkot Express
Source Station: Pobandar in Gujarat
Destination Station: Rajkot Junction in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 17:49
Departure from Gondal: 17:50

Train No.: 19571
Train Name: Rajkot Porbandar Express
Source Station: Rajkot Junction in Gujarat
Destination Station: Porbandar in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 8:00
Departure from Gondal: 8:02

Train No.: 11465
Train Name: Somnath Jabalpur Express
Source Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Destination Station: Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh
Arrival at Gondal: 12:52
Departure from Gondal: 12:54

Train No.: 11466
Train Name: Jabalpur Somnath Express
Source Station: Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh
Destination Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 14:18
Departure from Gondal: 14:20

Train No.: 12949
Train Name: Porbandar Santragachi Kavi Guru Express
Source Station: Porbandar in Gujarat
Destination Station: Santragachi Junction in West Bengal
Arrival at Gondal: 10:34
Departure from Gondal: 10:36

Train No.: 11463
Train Name: Somnath Jabalpur Express
Source Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Destination Station: Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh
Arrival at Gondal: 12:52
Departure from Gondal: 12:54

Train No.: 11646
Train Name: Jabalpur Somnath Express
Source Station: Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh
Destination Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 14:18
Departure from Gondal: 14:20

Train No.: 11088
Train Name: Pune Veraval Ahimsa Express
Source Station: Pune Junction in Maharashtra
Destination Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 13:36
Departure from Gondal: 13:38

Train No.: 11087
Train Name: Veraval Pune Ahimsa Express
Source Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Destination Station: Pune Junction in Maharashtra
Arrival at Gondal: 10:34
Departure from Gondal: 10:36

Train No.: 16333
Train Name: Veraval Tiruvananthapuram Express
Source Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Destination Station: Trivandrum Central in Kerala
Arrival at Gondal: 5:40
Departure from Gondal: 5:42

Train No.: 16334
Train Name: Thiruvanathapuram Veraval Express
Source Station: Trivandrum Central in Kerala
Destination Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 13:37
Departure from Gondal: 13:38

Train No.: 19005-Slip
Train Name: Saurashtra Mail Slop
Source Station: Mumbai Central in Maharashtra
Destination Station: Veraval in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 12:08
Departure from Gondal: 12:10

Train No.: 59423
Train Name: Rajkot Somnath Passenger
Source Station: Rajkot Junction in Gujarat
Destination Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 19:20
Departure from Gondal: 19:21

Train No.: 19119
Train Name: Ahmadabad Somnath Intercity Express
Source Station: Ahmadabad Junction in Gujarat
Destination Station: Somnath in Gujarat
Arrival at Gondal: 16:10
Departure from Gondal: 16:11

Important Contact Numbers in Gondal

Shree Ram Sarvajanik Hospital: 02825 227 755
Mukteshwar Seva Trust: 02825 230 505
Manav Seva Trust – Gondal: 9727 700 101
Mukteshwar Seva Trust Ambulance: 9825 319 505
Shree Ramgar Bapu Gau Seva Trust: 02825 220 509
Ramanath Hospital: 02825 240 461 / 62
Aastha Blood Bank: 02825 220 837
Government Hospital: 02825 220 031
Mamlatdar Office: 02825 220 093
Deputy Collector Office: 02825 220 008
Taluka Office: 02825 220 168
Marketing Yard New (A.P.M.C): 02825 255 388 / 02825 226 088
Marketing Yard Old: 02825 220 871 / 02825 220 091
Government Animal Hospital: 02825 220 076
Market Yard Ambulance: 02825 253 391 / 9913 522 200
Grahak Surksha Kendra: 02825 220 100
Anath Ashram: 02825 231 537
Ambulance Emergency: 108
Fire Brigade: 02825 220 101
GSRTC: 02825 220 096
Railway Station: 02825 220 021
Railway advanced Booking: 02825 226 212
Gondal Police Station:
City Control (Emergency): 100
City: 02825 220 029
Taluka: 02825 240 090