Kutiyana

Kutiyana
City
Kutiyana Location in Gujarat, India Show map of Gujarat Kutiyana Kutiyana (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 21°38′N69°59′E / 21.63°N 69.98°E / 21.63; 69.98
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Porbandar
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population  (2001)
• Total	17,108
Languages
• Official	Gujarati, Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	362650
Telephone code	02804
Vehicle registration	GJ-25
Website	gujaratindia.com

Kutiyana is a city and a municipality in Porbandar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is situated on the banks of Bhadar River.

History

The name of the town is supposedly derived from a Charan lady named Kunti, who established a nes (hamlet) at the location which grew into a village called Kuntiyana, later corrupted to Kutiyana. From a village, Kutiyana developed into a town. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Kutiyana was the home of poets Bhat Rao Lakhan, Sorathi Sarasvat Vaikunath, Kshatri Mardash Bhagat, Bhat Thakardas, and Bhat Bhupatsingh. ^[3]

Due to its strategic importance in the medieval period being on the main road to Porbandar-Barda and on the boundaries of Ghed and hill regions, the city of Kutiyana has seen many sieges and battles in its history. ^[3]

Kutiyana also came to be known as Muzafarabad by the Muslims because it is believed that Muzafar Halim, governor of Saurashtra, made it very popular and built a fort around the town. In contemporary Persian records, the town was named as such. In an inscription of Jamamasjid dated 1539 AD, it is stated that one Ibrahim Nizam Zermi build a mosque there. ^[3]

In 1730-1740, Kalidas, a baniya of Ahmedabad and an official of Vasantray Purabia, built a citadel called Kalikothi in the town. ^[3]

After the partition of India, displaced Hindu migrants from Pakistan were settled here in place of the Muslim population who chose to migrate to Pakistan. ^[3]

Kutiyana is also the original home of Mahatma Gandhi, whose family held barkhali lands in the town. ^[3]

Geography

Kutiyana is located at 21°38′N69°59′E / 21.63°N 69.98°E / 21.63; 69.98 . ^[4] It has an average elevation of 30 metres (98 feet). Kutiyana town is spread over almost a 2 km range on the banks of the Bhadar River. Kutiyana is around 42 km away from its district center, Porbandar, and 40 km away from Airport. Kutiyana taluka has 52 villages.

Demographics

As of 2001 ^[update] India census, ^[5] Kutiyana had a population of 17,108. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kutiyana has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 54%. In Kutiyana, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Towns and villages

• Amar
• Kansabad
• Katvana
• Mandva
• Khageshri, India

References

1. Garg, Sanjay (3 September 2018). Studies in Indo-Muslim History by S.H. Hodivala Volume I: A Critical Commentary on Elliot and Dowson's History of India as Told by Its Own Historians (Vols. I-IV) & Yule and Burnell's Hobson-Jobson. Routledge. ISBN   978-0-429-75783-9. This is 'Kuṭiāna' now in Junāgaḍh State, Kāṭhiawāḍ, about 25 miles east or Porbandar and on the banks of the Bhādar. It is an old town and is said to derive its name from Kunti, a Chāraṇ woman.
2. CENSUS 1961 GUJARAT District Census Handbook 6: Junagadh (PDF). 1964.
3. Gujarat (India) (1975). Gujarat State Gazetteers: Junagadh. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications, Gujarat State.
4. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kutiyana Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.