Rangilu Rajkot

                Rajkot, often referred to as Rangilu Rajkot, which means colorful Rajkot, is the fourth largest city in Gujarat. Rajkot as a city has been under many different rulers in the past. The city has had a critical impact on the Indian freedom movement. Rajkot was home to numerous personalities, including the likes of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rajkot is located at 22.3°N and 70.78°E, on the bank of seasonal rivers Aji and Nyari. It covers an area of area of 170.00 km² and has an average elevation of 128 metres. The city has an average temperature og 27.5°C and recieves about 676 mm of rainfall every year. The population of Rajkot in 2020 is estimated to be 1.98448 million, with a population density of 8500 people per square kilometer, whereas the city had a population of 1.39064 million in 2011. The literacy rate of Rajkot is 82.2%, which is higher than the national average.

Rajkot is a mosaic of various cultures and heritages all put together, as well as a popular tourist destination with several places worth seeing, like: the Swaminarayan temple which is constructed out of hand carved stones, the Aji Dam with its garden, amusement park, food court, aviary, zoo, and crocodile park, Mahatma Gandhi High School where Mahatma Gandhi once studied and is now converted into a museum where one can learn much about the life of Gandhiji, Kaba Gandhi No Delo, the primary residency of Gandhiji, which is now converted to a museum of sorts and has photos of Gandhiji’s life and the important events of his life along with some objects that were once possessed by Gandhiji, the Watson museum, which is named after the British political agent Col John Watson, and which houses some of the most precious objects and items of interest which are founded by the Jadeja Rajputs and has a reference library along with very valuable photographs, artifacts. It is also called the second most important museum in Gujarat. The Rotary Dolls Museum contains innumerable unique dolls from all over the world, giving an insight into the various traditions and cultures of the lives of people from across the globe. It was established in 2001 and contains more than 1600 dolls from more than 102 countries. Pradhyuman zoological park is located near Lalpari Lake and covers an area of 137 acres. The two lakes surrounding the park – Lake Lalpari and Lake Randarda provide a natural habitat for migratory birds along with the variety of flora and over thirty-five thousand trees. There are in-built necessities and cafes. Golf carts are provided for senior citizens.

The city of Rajkot is also famous for its food, for example dhokla, handva, undhiyu, pani puri, khaman, fafda jalebi, patra, gathiya, dabeli, ghughra, etc. One can find good food everywhere, be it from street vendors or restaurants like Flavours, Waves, The Grand Thakar and Lords.

The city of Rajkot has a very interesting history:

Rajkot city was founded by Thakorji Vibhaji in the year of 1610 and he ruled about 282 square miles area with 64 villages throughout. In 1720 the deputy subehdar Masum Khan belonging to Sorath regiment defeated the ruler and the name of Rajkot was changed to Masumabad. After that in the year of 1732 the son of the deafeated ruler Meramanji took the revenge of his father’s defeat by defeating Masum Khan again and changed its name to Rajkot again. In 1921 the political leadership of the Kathiawad first met in Rajkot. And during this time Lakhaji Raj represented the first meet and established the first settlement of the political leadership in the area. In 1925 Mahatma Gandhi for the first time visited the city and thereby established the first educational activities. In 1937 Vadhera started a wide agitation against the atrocities of Diwan Viravada and thereby started the first satyagrah. And this was finally resolved by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. This resolution was finally let down at a later stage and with this development Mahatma Gandhi started the hunger strike to denounce this move. 1942 quit India movement was also a major contributor for Rajkot to become a major hub for the developments as well.

Since that time, Rajkot has changed a lot. Today it is as modern as any other metro cities in India. Basic living amenities are provided to everyone in Rajkot. Rajkot is one of the fastest growing and developing cities in India, which makes it an excellent choice for investment for multinational companies, as will be seen in the following years. The city has recieved numerous awards over the years, like Best Law and Order city - 2013, Best Housing and Transport city - 2015, Safe city Award for RAjkot Eye-Way Project 2018, Best city for Women Safety - 2013, Best CIty Cleanliness and Sanitation - 2013, National Winner of WFF's One PLanet City Challenge - 2018, and National Award For Implementation of Food Safety Act - 2016.

Rajkot is a thriving metro city with a very high prosect of developing. The people here preserve the old while adapting the new. It is a truly magnificent city and I am proud to be a Rajkotian😊.