About Morbi:


Morbi is a city and a municipality in Rajkot district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was a Princely State ruled by Jadeja clan of Rajputs until Indian independence in 1947. It is situated on the Kathiawar peninsula. As of 1981, the city had a population of 73,327. Its chief products are cotton and grain. The town is a railroad junction. The town of Morbi is situated on the river Machhu, 22 miles from the sea and 60 from Rajkot.The city was badly damaged in the floods of 1979, caused by the failure of a dam.
In the past decade, the town has seen some major industrial growth in terms of clock manufacturing. It boasts of one of the largest clock manufacturing factories in Asia in terms of production units. Some of the famous names are Ajanta, Sonam, Samay among others. The town is also a magnet for ceramics and roofing titles. However, by the turn of the century, the new trend that is becoming evident suggests that while the brand name is being retained, the production units are being outsourced to China.


Most recently lot of damage was sustained by the town during the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake. Famous monuments such as Darbargarh, Nagar Darwaja, Mani Mandir were damaged.


Morbi was the capital of the former princely State of Morbi,ruled by the Jadeja Rajput clan. The house of Morbi claimed seniority over the Jadejas of Jamnagar and Kutch. The beautiful town of Morbi is located on the banks of the Machchu dam burst during heavy rains. The folk song, which predicted this tragedy, years before it happenned, is still sung by the bards of the region.


The prosperous city state of Morbi and much of the built heritage and town planning is attributed to the efficient adminstration of Sir Waghji, who came to the throne in 1879 AD and ruled till 1948 AD. Sir Waghji acted as a ruler, manager, patron and policemen of the state with great authority, always keeping the citizens' interests in mind. Sir Waghji, like other contemporary rulers of Saurashtra, built roads, Railway Network of seventy miles connecting Wadhvan and Morbi and two small ports of Navlakhi and vavania for exporting the state's production of salt and cloth. The railway station of Morbi is a beautiful example of Railway architecture, combining Indian and European architectural elements.


The most important buildings at Morbi are: Darbargadh, Mani Mandir, Wellingdon Secretariat, Suspension Bridge, Art Deco Palace and Lakhdhirji Engineering College.


Mani Mandir is a temple situated in the courtyard of Wellingdon Secretariat. The images of Laxmi Narayan, Mahakali, Ramchandraji, Radha- Krishna and Shiva are worshiped in this temple. Mani Mandir is made out of Jaipur stone with excellent workmanship and exquisitely carved elements-arches, brackets, jalis,chhatris and shikhara. Wellingdon Secretariat is an excellent example of the application of principles of Rajput architecture by master craftsmen, at the turn of the century. The Suspension Bridge, an engineeiring marvel built at the turn of the century, reflects the progressive and scientific nature of the rulers of Morbi. This was built to give a unque identity to Morbi using the latest technology available in those days in Europe. It is 1.25 m wide and spans 233 m on the Machchhu river connecting Darbargadh Palace and Lakhdhirji Engineering College. Green Chowk is a town square approached by series of three gates. European town planning principles inspired the creation of these gates as landmarks in the town. The Nehru Gate is made out of stone using elements of Rajput architecture with central clock tower, while another one uses elements of western architecture and is capped by a three-storyed cast iron frame structure with a dome.