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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Morbi

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

Darbargadh, on the bank of Machchu, is an orginal residence of Morbi rulers. It can be reached by crossing an imposing gate arcaded facade, Now it is the only heritage hotel at Morbi.

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.

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