| 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. |
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