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Gopnath was the summer home of Maharaja
Krishna Kumar Singhji of Bhavnagar. 75
kms from Bhavnagar, The breathtakingly beautiful sea coast with it's
spectacular limestone cliffs and great views, sea breezes and colourful
birdlife, must have made an excellent break from the city during the
summer months.
The
Gopnath beach has lovely, firm, sands for walking and shallow shore waters
for wading, but the high tidal difference of the coast, makes the water
murky and not very inviting for a long swim. Gopnath is the base for some
spectacular sightseeing.
A beautiful hamlet on the coast of the Gulf of Khambhat and at a distance
of 10 kms from Talaja, the 'taluka' headquarter of Bhavnagar district is
Gopnath. Vying for eminence on the tourist circuit with development of a
heritage hotel- Gopnath Bungalow, it was a pleasant seashore retreat of
Gohil rulers of Bhavnagar.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Gopnath Temple: The 700 year old Gopnath temple is perhaps the
only one in India with flags of 2 colours a white flag denoting a Vishnu
temple and a saffron flag representing a Shiva temple.
Talja: Talja is a Jain temple spiralling on a 350-foot high
volcanic hill.
Alang: Alang is the world's largest ship breaking zone.
Besides this, one can enjoy shopping for furniture, food-stuff, crockery,
utensils, textiles, home appliances salvaged from the ships.
WHERE TO STAY
Gopnath Bungalow:
The bungalow built in a European colonial style with cottages and mansions
surrounding the courtyard faces the sea and offers a beautiful view of the
gulf . It attracts marine life and birdwatching enthusiasts to the rocky
shores on the coast. It is also renowed for the temple of Gopnath Mahadev,
where Narsinh Mehta is believed to have performed penance.
Other royal resorts by the beach are the Nawabi palaces of Chorwad, near
Veraval with a splendid view of the rocky sea, and the mansion retreat of
the Maharajah of Baroda at Ubharat near Surat, both of which are now
tourist complexes.
>GETTING THERE
Gopnath is well connected by rail and bus to
Ahmedabad .
City bus transport is available as are various city sight seeing buses.
For travel
Agents & Tour Operators in Gujarat - Click here
NEARBY CITIES
Bhavnagar: 75 kms.
Ahmedabad :
275 kms.