Shapur Sorath
Encyclopedia
Shapur the biggest village of Junagadh
district and a Gram Panchayat
, falls under Vanthali
taluka Junagadh district
in the India
n state
of Gujarat. The village is 8 km from Junagadh, on Junagadh
– Veraval
national highway – NH: 8D. This region is known as "Sorath", the name of the earlier Muslim-ruled Princely State
of Junagadh.
Shapur is as old as the Muslim-ruled Junagadh state. Before Indian Independence the village was the main military-base and Janana (Muslim Queens) residence of Muslim-ruled Junagadh state. The Navabs of Junagadh-State used to visit Shapur almost every day to meet their wives and children residing at Shapur. Later on Mahatma Gandhi
, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
and Indira Gandhi
visited this villages for various independence/political reasons. Even after the Indian independence Shapur remained important in regional and State politics, business, education and social advancement. Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
visited the first and the only public utility Thermal Power Station
in that State, at that time located in Shahpur. He wanted to see personally the working conditions and the amenities provided for the villagers housing and the recreation facilities as this power station was using crushed coal as fuel for boilers and chlorination for the cooling water system, which normally polluted the local atmosphere.
The village-economy was almost destroyed after the flooding of June 22, 1983. Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi was rushed to Shapur and was much socked after seeing villagers' loss of home, business, and crops.
Later on the brave villagers and local leaders took over the situation, rebuild the economy and made village in such a way that it has been lauded as a model and modern village of the district and state for so many years.
The main road (Bazaar) divides village from the center. It connects Station and Ozat gates. It is about 3 km long and 30 feet wide, which is wider than other older villages' roads. It has paved sidewalks on both sides. The main road has more than 500 retail stores/businesses, banks, post offices, village administration office (Gram Panchayat Office) temples, mosques, vegetable market, fruit sellers, grocery shops, Pan Masala, bookstores, hotels, snack bars, cafes, repair shops, tailors, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, shoe makers, barber shops, cloth shops, STD/PCO stores, medical stores, electric stores, lumber and hardware stores, agricultural supply stores, Sweet stores, etc.
Other main roads of the village are Ashram road, Kharakuva road, Khan Darvaja road, Patel Samaj road, Civil hospital road, Society road and Navdurga road.
The various areas of the village are known as Patel Chock (cross section), Bank of Baroda Chock, Panchayat Chock, Navdurga Chock, Azad Chock, Banglapat, Jalaram Chock, Navafari, Rabari pa, Koli pa, Soni pa, Kandarvaja, Kharakuva, and Raval ni papal.
Along with main road, there are several retail shops inside the village. Other than that, the village is residence place of Hindus and Muslims. The Hindu community includes Patel, Rabari, Koli, Kadia/Kumbhar, Lohana, Mochi, Dargi, Soni, Bramhins, Bavagis, Satvara, and Harijans. The Muslim community made of Khoja, Gameti, Naghori and Sayads.
Shapur is known for lignite based power generation plant owned by Gujarat Electricity Board. This is one of the biggest power generation facilities in Saurastra region and employs more than 2000 people locally.
Shapur is the last rail road junction on Junagadh-Veraval and Junagadh-Saradiya railroads. Even the Train station is farther than the Bus Station it is always full of travelers because availability of longer distance trains.
Shapur’s finest educational system comes from the best teachers and management system (mainly from Javahar Vinay Mandir). The students rank average higher than other schools around area. Shapur has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:
After Junagadh became Municipal Corporation, Shapur is one of the best places to do business in real estate and farming land transfer. Farmers having farms on Junagadh-road get very good value of their farms. People, who work in Junagadh but cannot afford living in Junagadh, live in Shapur as commute to Junagadh is only 15 minutes. They save lots of money in taxes, grocery, and education and get city-like lifestyle and facilities in this modern village. By looking at the growth of region, it looks like Shapur has been partially merged with Junagadh and will be under corporation's control within next few years. That’s why investors around Junagadh have been rushed towards Shapur and acquire land and real estate opportunities.
The farmers of Shapur take 3 crops per year that keeps farms green and live around the year. Farmers produces fruits, vegetables and flowers like Mango, Chiku, Banana, Sitafal, Coconut, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Pupnus, Grapes, egg-plants (bringers) peppers, cubage, cucumber, Zucchini, Turia, Tomato, Potato, Cilantro, Lemon, Wheat, Peanut (ground nut), Beans, Cotton, Castrol, and Spices are common produces of the area.
Because of the big production of fruits, vegetables and grains; the local farmers/vendors get opportunity to do business with cities like Junagadh
, Rajkot, Ahmedabad
, Baroda, Surat
and up to Mumbai
. On the other hand these produces are very cheap in local market, making easy and wealthy lifestyle for local people.
The Patel and Rabari community mostly engaged in farming and dairy business. They sell milk and milk products to inside and outside of the village. Shapur’s 'Hari Oum’ and 'Kismat' are well reputed dairy and sweet producers in the district, state and outside the Country.
, Somnath
, and Porbandar
.
Rail: The railway station of Shapur lies on Ahmadabad /Rajkot – Veraval,(Only local trains stop) connects it the major cities of the country.
Road: State transport and Junagadh municipal corporation buses link Shapur with all the major cities of the state.
Best time to visit: August to March; during rainy season to visit Girnar
and in winter for many events occurring in Shapur and Junagadh
Junagadh
Junagadh is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat. The city is located at the foot of the Girnar hills, 355 km south west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. The city is in western India. Literally translated,...
district and a Gram Panchayat
Gram panchayat
Gram panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India. As of 2002 there were about 265,000 gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System. A gram panchayat can be set up in villages with minimum population of 300...
, falls under Vanthali
Vanthali
Vanthali is a city and a municipality in Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat.-Demographics: India census, Vanthali had a population of 15,861. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Vanthali has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of...
taluka Junagadh district
Junagadh district
Junagadh District is a district of the Indian state of Gujarat. Its administrative headquarters is the city of Junagadh.-Geography:The district is located on the Kathiawar peninsula in western Gujarat. It is surrounded by Rajkot District , Porbandar District , Amreli District...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Gujarat. The village is 8 km from Junagadh, on Junagadh
Junagadh
Junagadh is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat. The city is located at the foot of the Girnar hills, 355 km south west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. The city is in western India. Literally translated,...
– Veraval
Veraval
Veraval is a city and a municipality in Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is located 6 km from Somnath.- History :...
national highway – NH: 8D. This region is known as "Sorath", the name of the earlier Muslim-ruled Princely State
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Junagadh.
History
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...
and Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
visited this villages for various independence/political reasons. Even after the Indian independence Shapur remained important in regional and State politics, business, education and social advancement. Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji Jadeja was a cricketer who played for England. He was educated at the Rajkumar College, Rajkot, India.-Career:...
visited the first and the only public utility Thermal Power Station
Thermal power station
A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam driven. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser and recycled to where it was heated; this...
in that State, at that time located in Shahpur. He wanted to see personally the working conditions and the amenities provided for the villagers housing and the recreation facilities as this power station was using crushed coal as fuel for boilers and chlorination for the cooling water system, which normally polluted the local atmosphere.
The village-economy was almost destroyed after the flooding of June 22, 1983. Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi was rushed to Shapur and was much socked after seeing villagers' loss of home, business, and crops.
Later on the brave villagers and local leaders took over the situation, rebuild the economy and made village in such a way that it has been lauded as a model and modern village of the district and state for so many years.
Construction and areas of Shapur
Because of its connection with Junagadh-State’s Navabs; Shapur was the most planned and developed village of the State. No village of its time in India was as organized as Shapur was. Since then (and even today), the village is protected by a strong fort with 4 main gates around. These gates are known as Station, Ozat, Khan and Ashram gates. Perhaps today, Shapur is the only “fort-village” of India with 15 feet tall fort with 3.5 feet wide walkway and guard-rail on its top. You can take a nice walk on top-of-fort from wide stair ways constructed next to both sides of each gate of the fort. Each gate has big hall on its top, from where Navab’s security guards used to monitor the outside activities of the village. The roads and streets of the village are parallel and perpendicular from one end to other end of the village.The main road (Bazaar) divides village from the center. It connects Station and Ozat gates. It is about 3 km long and 30 feet wide, which is wider than other older villages' roads. It has paved sidewalks on both sides. The main road has more than 500 retail stores/businesses, banks, post offices, village administration office (Gram Panchayat Office) temples, mosques, vegetable market, fruit sellers, grocery shops, Pan Masala, bookstores, hotels, snack bars, cafes, repair shops, tailors, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, shoe makers, barber shops, cloth shops, STD/PCO stores, medical stores, electric stores, lumber and hardware stores, agricultural supply stores, Sweet stores, etc.
Other main roads of the village are Ashram road, Kharakuva road, Khan Darvaja road, Patel Samaj road, Civil hospital road, Society road and Navdurga road.
The various areas of the village are known as Patel Chock (cross section), Bank of Baroda Chock, Panchayat Chock, Navdurga Chock, Azad Chock, Banglapat, Jalaram Chock, Navafari, Rabari pa, Koli pa, Soni pa, Kandarvaja, Kharakuva, and Raval ni papal.
Along with main road, there are several retail shops inside the village. Other than that, the village is residence place of Hindus and Muslims. The Hindu community includes Patel, Rabari, Koli, Kadia/Kumbhar, Lohana, Mochi, Dargi, Soni, Bramhins, Bavagis, Satvara, and Harijans. The Muslim community made of Khoja, Gameti, Naghori and Sayads.
Shapur is known for lignite based power generation plant owned by Gujarat Electricity Board. This is one of the biggest power generation facilities in Saurastra region and employs more than 2000 people locally.
Shapur is the last rail road junction on Junagadh-Veraval and Junagadh-Saradiya railroads. Even the Train station is farther than the Bus Station it is always full of travelers because availability of longer distance trains.
Education
Shapur was educational and cultural hub for neighbor villagers. The villagers take pride to have one of the best educational systems, schools, and teaching staffs in the district. Students come from nearby towns and villages including Vanthali (Taluka place) and Junagadh! The village has following schools:- 1. Sarvoday Ashram’s Bal Mandir.
- 2. Government primary school for boys.
- 3. Government primary school for girls
- 4. Government primary school for boys and girls at power house.
- 5. Javahar Vinay Mandir’s high school for boys and girls.
- 6. Sarvoday Ashram primary school.
- 7 Sarvoday Ashram high school.
- 8. Sarvoday Ashram Adhyapan Mandir - PTC College
- 9. Vivekananda education trust’s primary school for boys and girls
- 10. Vivekananda education trust’s higher school for boys and girls
- 11. Vivekananda education trust’s higher secondary school for boys and girls
- 12. Faladu’s primary school for boys and girls.
Shapur’s finest educational system comes from the best teachers and management system (mainly from Javahar Vinay Mandir). The students rank average higher than other schools around area. Shapur has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:
Economy and Industries
Almost 50% of village business and shoppers come from smaller villages around Shapur. Shapur provides better employment / business / earning opportunities to local workers in farms, industries, retail businesses, Ferries, Vegetable and Beauty stall –Laris etc. Shapur is also famous for Oil, Engineering, Cement products and Dairy industries around the region. They provide good deal of internal and external employment and business and economy. Some of the well known industries are…- 1. Thermal Power Station.
- 2. Nova Precision Industry.
- 3. Trimurti ginning mill(Shashikant & Co.)
- 4. Patel Oil mill (Mavji Hari oil cake industry)
- 5. Press Oil and Cotton mill (Nanji Kalidas and group)
- 6. Jalaram Oil mill (Former Gordhan Jetha oil mill)
- 7. Vipul Oil mill
- 8. Hari Oil and seeds sampling
- 9. Girnar Dairy
- 10. Akash Ambry
- 11. Patel Caol
- 12. Shri Arun Industries of Cement products
- 13. Shri Momai Cement factory
- 14. Shri Momai Oil mill
- 15. Hari Oum Sweet
- 16. Kismat Sweet etc.…
- 17 Kariya Family (Lohana)kuldevi(Maa Harshiddhi & Nagbapa Tempel)in this village..(Vrujlal Nanalal Kariya)
After Junagadh became Municipal Corporation, Shapur is one of the best places to do business in real estate and farming land transfer. Farmers having farms on Junagadh-road get very good value of their farms. People, who work in Junagadh but cannot afford living in Junagadh, live in Shapur as commute to Junagadh is only 15 minutes. They save lots of money in taxes, grocery, and education and get city-like lifestyle and facilities in this modern village. By looking at the growth of region, it looks like Shapur has been partially merged with Junagadh and will be under corporation's control within next few years. That’s why investors around Junagadh have been rushed towards Shapur and acquire land and real estate opportunities.
Agriculture and farming
Shapur is only 1.5 km away from the Ozat River. Ozat is the 3rd largest river of Saurastra (128 km) with its most watersheds used for drinking water to Junagadh, Vanthali, Shapur and neighbor villages. After construction of Ozat-Vear dam near Shapur the tube wells of the region became so live with full of water, which made irrigation easy and affordable for farming. That is why the areas abound Ozat rive are the most greenest and best harvested in Junagadh district. These farms produce world famous 'Kesar/saffron' mango -best in test and flavor among all spices of mangos.The farmers of Shapur take 3 crops per year that keeps farms green and live around the year. Farmers produces fruits, vegetables and flowers like Mango, Chiku, Banana, Sitafal, Coconut, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Pupnus, Grapes, egg-plants (bringers) peppers, cubage, cucumber, Zucchini, Turia, Tomato, Potato, Cilantro, Lemon, Wheat, Peanut (ground nut), Beans, Cotton, Castrol, and Spices are common produces of the area.
Because of the big production of fruits, vegetables and grains; the local farmers/vendors get opportunity to do business with cities like Junagadh
Junagadh
Junagadh is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat. The city is located at the foot of the Girnar hills, 355 km south west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. The city is in western India. Literally translated,...
, Rajkot, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Baroda, Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
and up to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. On the other hand these produces are very cheap in local market, making easy and wealthy lifestyle for local people.
The Patel and Rabari community mostly engaged in farming and dairy business. They sell milk and milk products to inside and outside of the village. Shapur’s 'Hari Oum’ and 'Kismat' are well reputed dairy and sweet producers in the district, state and outside the Country.
Local Commute
Frequent commuting facilities of Trains, Buses, and private taxi/cabs to Junagadh made Shapur as a part of Junagadh urban area. Commuter can find buses and cabs/autos for Junagadh in every 5 minutes. That is why People feel so close to city life even living in Shapur. They feel pride living very close to GirnarGirnar
Girnar is a collection of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India, situated near Junagadh at a distance of 327 km from Ahmedabad. It is a holy place and an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Jains. There are a number of temples located here. Amidst the lush green Gir...
, Somnath
Somnath
The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed...
, and Porbandar
Porbandar
Porbandar is a coastal city in the Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama...
.
How to reach Shapur
Air: The nearest airports from Shapur are Keshod -25 km (at present not in use)and Rajkot -120 km.Rail: The railway station of Shapur lies on Ahmadabad /Rajkot – Veraval,(Only local trains stop) connects it the major cities of the country.
Road: State transport and Junagadh municipal corporation buses link Shapur with all the major cities of the state.
Best time to visit: August to March; during rainy season to visit Girnar
Girnar
Girnar is a collection of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India, situated near Junagadh at a distance of 327 km from Ahmedabad. It is a holy place and an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Jains. There are a number of temples located here. Amidst the lush green Gir...
and in winter for many events occurring in Shapur and Junagadh
See also
- Asiatic LionAsiatic LionThe Asiatic lion also known as the Indian lion, Persian lion and Eurasian Lion is a subspecies of lion. The only place in the wild where the lion is found is in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, India...
- Gir Forest National ParkGir Forest National ParkThe Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, India...
- Siddis
- Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Junagadh