On the western end of Kutch district, with picturesque seashore is the Mandvi town, a prominent destination in Kutch, Gujarat. As the entire Kutch is soaring with rapid infrastructure development, Mandvi has emerged as a global tourist attraction.

The Mandvi seashore is unique, compared to the beaches at other owns of Kutch, like Kandla, Mundra or Jakhau. The sea is just 1km from the city with clean shallow waters. Since it’s not an ideal place for fishing, the beaches keep smelling fresh. In a single city, there are three coastal attractions – Kashi Vishwanath beach at Salaya suburb, Mandvi port for transport of cargo, and windfarm beach. In the past, the Kashi Vishwanath beach, where Government guest houses are located, used to buzz with tourists, but now the rush has moved to the windfarm beach.

The Mandvi port area is closed to common visitors.  Earlier this port was used for exporting minerals. It’s a treat to see indigenous ships anchored here in monsoons and off seasons. Ships are also repaired here. Towards the end of winter, the port authority organizes boat races between Mundra and Mandvi shores.

In 1983, Asia’s first windmill-farm was established on a beach in Mandvi. With the passage of time and with clean energy initiatives of the government of Gujarat, Suzlon has installed modern windmills in the whole of the coastal area of Kutch, and hence the 18 windmills are not being uninstalled, yet, the beach is now popular as windfarm beach, and is pride of Mandvi, with many wedding ceremonies, pre-wedding photo-shoots, water sports, and cultural activities organized by city administration. There are many food stalls and kid-friendly water rides too, adding up as a tourist attraction. Except for monsoons, the sea is calm and safe, but yet, it’s the need of the hour to improve safety measures for occasional swimmers.

In the Gujarat tourism advertisement “Khushbu Gujarat ki”, Shri Amitabh Bachchan has also highlighted the seashore of Mandvi. Apart from these natural attractions, three private beach resorts near the Vijayvilas palace about 7km from the city are a major destination for international tourists, with luxurious tents and continental restaurants too. Vijay Vilas palace owned by the Maharaoshri of Kutch is also open for tourists. This beautiful palace also featured in Hindi movies like ‘Hum dil de chuke sanam’, ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Commando’, hence there are many keen visitors here. The palatial building and its surroundings are well-maintained and artifacts used by Maharaoshri are displayed nicely, adding to the glory of the heritage building.

In the year 2010, Four kilometres from Mandvi, Krantitirth was established in the memory of the well-known revolutionary and national hero Shyamji Krishnavarma who hailed from Mandvi. In the past eight years, lakhs of visitors have paid homage to the guide of Indian freedom fighters who kept the freedom struggle alive even from foreign lands. The birthplace of the national icon is in the city and is declared a national monument, managed now by a local trust. A school and a library are operated here. A visit to KrantiTirth enlivens patriotic spirit in the visitors.

Tomb of the 37th religious leader of the Bohra community is situated at Mandvi, which Bohras from all over the world visit to pay their respects.

Mandvi has an ideal location to build Kutchi ships on Rukmavati riverbank. The ships made here are used to transport many goods from Kutch or Mumbai to Middle Eastern Gulf. Many foreigners visit Mandvi to study the intricacies of hand-building ships, which provides employment to many local skilled workmen. After the earthquake in Kutch, a magnificent modern lighthouse was constructed in these backwaters for the safety of incoming ships.

The bridge over the Rukmavati River, which connects Mandvi to other towns in Kutch, completed 100 years in 1983, yet it stands sturdy to the day. The waters of Rukmavati swell during monsoon, and it’s a treat to watch the rising river at the bridge. Many attempts have been made to build a crossway as an alternative to this Gateway of Mandvi, but such temporary crossways get washed out in heavy rains. When a car passes the sturdy old bridge, cool breeze gives a warm welcome to Mandvi.

As per primary sources of history, the Maharao of Kutch had inspired Bhatia Topan Seth from Jaisalmer to establish the town of Mandvi in Vikram Samvat 1636. A fort was built around the town for security, and five gates were constructed for entry. The fort does not exist now, but Talav naka, bari naka, sonawaro naka, bhuj Naka and kantha Naka stand witness to the history. After the earthquake, three of these gates were beautified by retrofitting.

Adding to the glory of the town is a number of religious places. The beautiful Swaminarayan Mandir which was built after the earthquake also has a guesthouse. The huge campus and auditorium here are always buzzing with activities. Shri LakshmiNarayan mandir at Topansar lake which was built by the founder of the Mandvi town, Sanchai Mataji mandir honoring the Kuldevi of Topranis, Shri Kalyaneshwar mandir stand as ancient heritage. Shri Ashapura Mataji mandir, Shri Raneshwar, Shri Vagheshwari Mandir, Old Swaminarayan Mandir, Shri Shitla Mata Mandir, Satsang Ashram, Jabaleshwar Ashram, Marad peer, Jain community Dadawadi, Ajitnath Jinalaya, Dharmanath Jinalaya, Mahavir Swami and Shantinath dehrasar are revered centers of faith. A heritage walk around Mandvi would be an excellent idea to promote tourism here.

The Topansar Lake which was formed at the time of establishment of Mandvi is named after the founder Topan Seth. The Vikas path constructed around the lake which was beautified recently, and the migratory birds visiting the lake in winters make the lake a wonderful and pleasant. Many gardens around the lake and the fun-n-fair held here every Sunday are some ways to refresh and recharge for the residents of the town. Occasionally the lakeshore is illuminated by the city administration, making it a must-see place. There is a public bath – kuydi – near the lake, which is a unique facility in Kutch. In foregone days, prosperous people from the city used to gather here for a bath and to discuss current news. The city administration has maintained the heritage site and has added more facilities, but the newer generation is not drawn to this place. Some elderly still do visit the lace every morning to catch up on conversations.

There are many places to visit around Mandvi too. A beautiful old-age-home at Ashray Sthan Jain Ashram on Nagalpur road tirelessly serves the homeless elderly, those with physical or mental illnesses or the disabled. As it is situated near the national highway, there are many visitors to the facility. Nearby the ashram, there is Vivekanand Research Institute established by the Excel group, which is active in rural development, literary and educational areas. The social services projects by this institute have earned many state-level a well as national awards. Here, Kutchi rogan work and bandhani production center is also active in maintaining and developing the intricate local art.

There are some more religious sites in the district which one must visit at least once. Sonaldham at Kathra, Shivamastu Sadhana kendra near Shirwa, Ashar mataji mandir at the seashore of Layja, Ambedham and Prernadham at Godhra, Jyoteshwar mahadev and Ayu mata Donn,a nd the Rajda hill nearby, Ashapura peeth at nana ratadia village, Ambedham at Ghadhshisha, Gangaji sthan at the picturesque foothills of nana asambiya, Balaji Hanuman and Padmavati devi at Jakhania, the sacred dhrabudi tirth at the outskirts of Maska-Gundhiyari, Rawalpeer’s site, Bahuter jinalay at Koday, Manavmandir near Bidra are all within 20 kilometers radius of Mandvi. Many of these places have very good lodging and boarding facilities too.

Apart from places of religious significance, there are many promising landmarks in this region worth exploring. Bentonite mining at Vaandh-Sherdi villages 20km from Mandvi is a major industry in Kutch, putting Mandvi on the global map. Vipassana centre at Bada village 22km from Mandvi is an ideal retreat from practitioners all over India. Arogyadham at Bidada is well-known far and wide for its holistic health programmes, rehabilitation center, and naturopathy clinic. A multispeciality hospital at Bhojay too is well-known for diagnosis and health care. Navjivan Arogyadham located near Vijayasagar dam on the outskirts of Nana Asambiya village is popular amongst people from many nationalities for naturopathy health care. Virayatan vidyapeeth campus at Jakhaniya has many courses and allied facilities, which promise to develop Mandvi as a major destination for higher education. A vast stadium is also inaugurated here for sports.

In the past decade, many modern places have come up at Mandvi for travellers to stay. About 25 god hotels, 3 beach resorts, 1 palace resort and one Five-Star beach resort are operatonal here, as also the Jain dharma-shala has been modernised. Bhatia mahajanwadi, lohana boarding and Jainpuri continue to cater to people from the communities. Around mandvi, Vijayvilas palace resort, Bahoter jinalay- Koday road, Manav Mandir Bidada, shivamastu smaran tirth have good facilities for a stay. In all, there is accommodation for about 1200 travellers in and around Mandvi. Some place offer online booking.

A variety of festivals are celebrated at Mandvi round the year. Kite festival at the beaches, holi, Janmashtami, Deepawali and New year, Ashadhi beej – which is Kutchi new year, Chaitri chaand, Ganeshotsav and Navratri are also celebrated at the sea-shore. Gojarat tourism had organised International kite festival at Mandvi beach, and Sarvajanik ‘Aapani’ navratri celebrations put Mandvi ina  new light. he whole month of Shravan is spent in celebration with various mela. Gokulasthami mela near Rukmavati river, Kashi vishwanath mela every Shravan Monday, mochi talav, rawalpeer and dhrabudi mela re also traditional celebrations, as also is Nani and Moti Rawadi mela which people look forward to, to enjoy with family.

When talking about Mandvi, what one can’t miss mentioning is ‘Dabeli’, a favourite snack for all. Mohan Bhai, who invented the dish, is no more, but everyone in Mandvi knows the legend. Inspired by Mohanbhai, about 40 to 50 dabeli eateries are now active in Mandvi. In each stall, there is some unique taste which draws foodies to it. Gabho, bhupo, kesho run some of the famous eateries. Spices and peanuts made by them are bought by visitors from abroad too. Gabho roti was the first choice for all and used to be open like clockwork for two hours each in morning and evening only on weekdays, with Sunday and holidays off. His preparations were enjoyed by Members of Assembly at Gandhinagar too. The road show ‘Highway dhaba’ once featured Gabho dabeli, which is available on youtube, and their facebook page is popular too. A visit to Mandvi is incomplete without the taste of dabeli, which is available at many places. Not just in Kutch, the ‘Mandvi dabeli’ signboards have now come up in all cities of Gujarat in Mumbai and also overseas, wherever Kutchis dwell. With time, variants of dabeli – like kadak, Gokal ni plate, daar-tost, bhelwari roti are added to the list of popular snacks. There was a time when dabeli alone was a go-to snack, which has now changed to accommodate Punjabi, south Indian, Chinese dishes too. There are about 20 good restaurants serving a variety of cuisines and fast food. Osho dining hall at K T Road continues the legacy of its founders, serving travelers in and out of Mandvi. A variety of gathiya, jalebi, samosa, bhajia, dhokla are available for snacks. Most of the food stalls close at 10 in the night, and nothing is available after 11pm, which may be inconvenient for late night travelers.

With the fame of Dabeli, the masala and peanuts used in dabeli are also in demand. Natives of Mandvi staying far away order for these spices, of which chandubhai and betubhai’s garam masala, kesha and gabha’s dabeli masala, Gokal’s plate masala and sing-daal, kesha bhupa and bapu’s peanut daal are in high demand. Other food which travellers love to buy is peda, adadiya, gulad paak, variou chikkis, khari biscuit, pakwaan etc.

Travellers also buy Bandhani fabrics at attractive prices in Mandvi. There are many shops at Bandhani bazaar and K T Shah road. Dress material, saree, readymade dresses, shawl, bed sheets, lungi, blockprinted fabric, earthenware are in good demand. People also buy silverware and ornaments from Mandvi. New travelers may miss out on the market area because of narrow lanes leading to it, but those familiar with the interiors of the town may guide you to good plces for shopping.

Tourism is not a full-time occupation yet for the entrepreneurs in Mandvi, but the people of Mandvi are very welcoming of travellers. They are very friendly and helpful with directions. As such, owing to the prominent place in Gujarat Tourism, travellers to Mandvi go back with fond memories of the place and recommend it enthusiastically to fellow travellers.