Khambhat, Gujarati:

,(Hindi: ) (

pronunciation (helpinfo)), also known as Cambay, is a

town and the surrounding urban agglomeration in Khambhat Taluka, Anand district in
the Indian state of Gujarat.[1] It was once an important trading center, but its harbour gradually silted
up, and the maritime trade moved elsewhere. Khambhat lies on an alluvial plain at the north end of
theGulf of Khambhat, noted for the extreme rise and fall of its tides, which can vary as much as thirty
feet in the vicinity of Khambhat. Khambhat is known for its halvasan, sutarfeni and kites (patang).
And though being a part of sources of oil and gas.
Khambat is perhaps the only place in India, where the Harappan craft the agate bead making is
found in the living tradition. Surprisingly Khambat has no stone deposit. But the craft has survived
mainly through acquiring stones from the Rajpipla hills, about 200 km away from the town. In the
folklore of Khambat the beginning of the craft is attributed to Baba Ghor, a 1500 AD saint from
Ethiopia who had led a large contingent of Muslims to settle in the town. However, in the
archaeological record the origin of the craft can be traced to the nearby Lothal, a Harappan outpost
flourished about 4000 years ago.
Contents
[hide]

1Origin of name

2History
o

2.1Princely State of Cambay

3Geography

4Demographics

5Economy

6Transport
o

6.1Railway

6.2Road

7Schools

8Colleges

9Tourism

10Additional information

11References

12External links

Origin of name[edit]
Further information: Kamboja (name)
A few suggest the name Khambhat/Khambat

[2]

an apabhram a form of theSanskrit Kamboja.

is connected with the Kambojas. It is stated to be

[3][4]

Some people believe that the town of Khambhat

may be the Camanes of Ptolemy. Lieutenant-ColonelJames Tod believes that the name comes from
the Sanskrit Khambavati or 'City of the Pillar'.
The most accepted belief is that 'Khambhat' is made up of two words: 'Khambh' and
'Aayat'. Khambh means pole or pillar andaayat means import in Gujarati language. It is believed that
there has to be some pole, which must have been an identity for this city and as it was a glorious
port, import/export trade was at the extreme.

History[edit]

Mausoleum of 1st WaliulHind Moulai Abdullah, Khambat, Gujarat, 1050AD-1100AD.

The city of Cambay was an important Indian manufacturing and trading center noted by Marco Polo and
illustrated here in the 15th century.

The king of Cambay, painted by theItalian painter, Ludovico di Varthema in the early 16th century.

Cambay was formerly a flourishing city, the seat of an extensive trade, and celebrated for its
manufactures of silk, chintz and gold stuffs. The Arab traveler al-Mas'udi visited the city in 915 AD,
describing it as a very successful port; it was mentioned in 1293 byMarco Polo, who, calling it
Cambaet, noted it as a busy port. He mentions that the city had its own king. Indigo and fine
buckram were particular products of the region, but much cotton and leather was exported through
Cambay. A contemporary Italian traveler, Marino Sanudo, said that Cambeth was one of Indias main
two ocean ports. Another Italian, visiting in about 1440,Niccol de' Conti, mentions that the walls of
the city were twelve miles in circumference.
The Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa visited the city, which he calls Cambaia, in the early
sixteenth century.[5] His description of the city is very full, he states:
"Entering by Cuindarim,[6] which is the internal river, there is great and beautiful city that they call
Cambaia, populated by 'mouros' (Muslims) and 'gentios' (Hindus). It has many beautiful houses, very
high with windows, and covered with tiles in our manner. The streets are laid out well, with pretty
squares and large buildings."
He describes the city as very busy and affluent, with merchants coming frequently by sea from the
world around.
Owing principally to the gradually increasing difficulty of access by water by the silting up of the gulf,
its commerce has long since fallen away, and the town became poor and dilapidated. The spring
tides rise upwards of 30 ft (10 m) and in a channel usually so shallow that it is a serious danger to
shipping. By 1900, the trade was chiefly confined to the export of cotton. The town was celebrated
for its manufacture of agate and carnelian ornaments, of reputation, principally in China.
The houses in many instances are built of stone (a circumstance which indicates the former wealth
of the city, as the material had to be brought from a very considerable distance); and remains of a
brick wall, three miles (five km) in circumference, which formerly surrounded the town, enclose four
large reservoirs of good water and three bazaars. To the southeast there are very extensive ruins of
subterranean temples and other buildings half-buried in the sand by which the ancient town was
overwhelmed. These temples belong to the Jains and contain two massive statues of their deities:
one black, the other white. The principal one, as the inscription intimates, is Pariswanath or
Parswanath, carved in the reign of the emperor Akbar; the black one has the date of 1651 inscribed.

Princely State of Cambay[edit]

Main article: Cambay State
Khambhat was the capital of Cambay State, a princely state of British India. It was the only state in
the Kaira Agency of the Gujarat division of Bombay Presidency. It had an area of 350 square miles
(906 km). It was founded in 1730, at the time of the dismemberment of theMughal Empire.
Its Nawabs were descendents of Mumin Khan, the last of the Mughal governors of Gujarat who in
1742 defeated his brother-in-law Nizam Khan, governor of Khambhat, and established himself there.
[7]

In 1780 Cambay was taken by the army of general Goddard Richards, but it was restored to
the Marathas in 1783. Finally it was ceded to the British by the Peshwa under the treaty of 1803. The
state was provided with a railway in 1901.

Geography[edit]
Khambhat is at 22.3N 72.62E.[8] It has an average elevation of 8 metres (26 feet).
Khambhat has warm and humid climate. It is located on the plains. The land on which Khambhat sits
is the silt deposited by Mahi river, so Khambhat has very fertile, wet coastal alluvial soil.The area
south of Khambhat is muddy wetlands and then coast line comes. Normally April to June is summer.
From July, it rains until September. It has muggy climate for most part of the year except winters.
Sometimes Khambhat receives heavy rain. And sometimes surrounding areas gets affected from the
floods in Mahi river. October to February is winter. max. average temperature remains 25 to 30 and
min. average temperature goes until 10 to 12. Summer max. average temperature remains 38 and
minimum remains around 22. In summer, wind blows high. Khambhat coast's tides are the highest in
the world. It goes high up to 35 feet.[9]

Creative artwork in a mosque

Demographics[edit]
As of 2001 India census,[10] Khambhat had a population of 80,439. Males constitute 52% of the
population and females 48%. Khambhat has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the

national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 67%. In Khambhat, 10% of
the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy[edit]
Mostly here the people have agate business, color stone business (mainly ruby) and have shops
which sell eatables and household products.

Transport[edit]
Railway[edit]
Khambhat is Connected with Anand (district headquarter) by Railway Line. Total 8 trains departs per
day for Anand.

Road[edit]
Khambhat is connected with Tarapur,Dharmaj,Vataman and Dali by Regional roads.

Schools[edit]

R.C. Mission School

ST. Xavier's High School(Science+Common Stream)

Madhavlal Shah High School

S.Z. Vaghela High School(Science+Common Stream)

S.K. Vaghela High School

S.D. Kapadiya High School

M.T. High School

Metpur High School

Supath High School

Bits Education High School(Science Stream)

Vatsalya International School

Adarsh Saraswati Vidhya Mandir, NAGRA

Jalsan highschool, JALSAN

Harsh Balvatika, NANAKALODRA

N.A.Patel Shishuvidhyalay, NANAKALODRA

Chachaldeep Vidyavihar, NANAKALODRA

SMT.K.M.J.PATEL HIGHSCHOOL,SAYAMA.(ARTS& COMMERCE)

PRINCIPAL

Shree Pinkeshbhai M.Patel

Colleges[edit]

L.B. Rao Institute of Pharmaceutical Education