Anjar, Gujarat

Inscriptions of Anjar

The foundation and early history of the town is unclear, due to a lack of written evidence and documentation. Popular folklore suggests a group of settlers led by Ajay Pal Chauhan (also called Ajepal) – the brother of the king of neighbouring Ajmer – arrived in Anjar in 650 AD (Samvat 707).[1] Soon after, Ajay Pal devoted his life to asceticism after his Chauhan clan was defeated by Muslim Rajputs. At different points in history, the town was ruled by the Chauhan, Chaulukya, Vaghela and Chawda, as well as the Jadeja, who gained control of the entire Kutch region. The town was declared the capital of the Kingdom of Kutch by King Khengarji I in 1545, and was fortified by Deshalji II in the early eighteenth century. The fort wall was sixteen feet high and six feet thick.[2]

Anjar was gifted to Fateh Muhammad in 1800, who extended the town's trading routes by establishing the Tuna Port.[2] The town was attacked by Colonel East of the British East India Company on 25 December 1815, with Tuna being occupied the following day. The fort and dependent villages were colonised by the British over the following year, with British rule imposed there until 1822.[2][3] The town suffered massively from the 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake, which destroyed or damaged thousands of homes and caused thousands of deaths.[2][3] The population fell shortly afterwards to about 10,000.[3] In 1822, the East India Company transferred the region back to the Jadeja clan in exchange for an annual fee.[3] The payments were a burden on the local treasury, and the entire burden (including arrears) was paid on its behalf by the British government.[3] By 1901, the population of the town had increased to 18,014.[4]

Since the earthquake of 1819, Anjar has endured several other major earthquakes. The town was the epicenter of the 1956 Anjar earthquake, which destroyed approximately 1,350 homes and killed around 115 people, injuring hundreds more.[5] The 2001 Gujarat earthquake caused large scale devastation in Anjar. The earthquake resulted in the destruction of the entirety of the "old town" district. 143 people were killed in a single incident when the buildings on both sides of a narrow laneway collapsed on to students as they were celebrating Republic Day.[6] Around 2,000 people died in Anjar as a result of the earthquake, and over 6,000 families were made homeless.[7] According to official estimates, between 13,805[8] and 20,023 people died – and over 166,000 people were injured – in the Kutch region as a result of the earthquake.[9] The region was drastically redeveloped following the 2001 earthquake.[10]

As of the 2011 Indian census, the total population of Anjar is almost 150,000, with a male—female ratio of approximately 90%: 78,000 male to 70,000 female.[11]

Gate of Anjar

Anjar is located at 23.113424°N 70.027744°E / 23.113424; 70.027744 and has an average elevation of 72 metres (240 ft).[12] The land is mainly dry, arid flatland. In the late 19th century, the town was greatly dependent on well irrigation for its water supply, and was listed in the 1878 and 1911 editions of Encyclopedia Britannica as being only 10 miles (16 km) north of the Gulf of Kutch.[3][4] However, the town is nearly 40 kilometres (20 mi) away from the gulf, and is also 75 kilometres (50 mi) south of the Great Rann of Kutch, a seasonal salt marshland.[1]

Anjar is in a region classified on the Koppen-Geiger system as hot semi-arid climate, or BSh. There are three distinct seasons in Anjar: winter, summer, and the rainy season. The town can experience severe winters, which span from November to February with temperatures dropping as low as 4 °C (39 °F). Summer usually begins in March and lasts until July or August, with the town frequently experiencing strong heat waves. The monsoon season typically ranges from September to October, when the town experiences the majority of its yearly rainfall. On average, the region receives 400 millimetres (1 ft 4 in) of rainfall per year.[1]

Anjar cuisine is famous both in India and internationally. The local specialty is Dabeli, a masala-spiced mashed potato mixture served in a burger bun and garnished with pomegranate seeds or peanuts, and served with a variety of chutney. Farsan is another local delicacy. Anjar is also home to region-specific varieties of mango (Kesar Keri) and date palm fruit (Kharek). The region also produces a locally-sourced form of buttermilk known as "Chhash".[1]

Chitrakoot Circle

Following the 2001 earthquake, the government in Kutch created a number of initiatives that greatly benefited the community in Anjar. Local government exempted all business operations from taxes, including excise duty and indirect tax, for five years after the earthquake. Textile company Welspun India built the largest towel factory in the world in Anjar nine months after the earthquake. The factory was producing 250,000 towels a day by 2011, when the BBC reported that the company had purchased Christy, the official towel provider of the Wimbledon Championships. A decade after the earthquake, over 110,000 jobs had been created in the Kutch province.[10] Anjar is also one of the largest manufacturers of pipeline in the world. In 2006, the town produced over one million tonnes of pipeline, primarily for the oil, gas, water and sewage industries.[17]

Kalash Circle

The people of Anjar come from a wide variety of backgrounds. The three most populous religions are Hindu, Jain and Islam. Gujarati, Kutchi and Hindi are the most commonly spoken languages. Major festivals from multiple religions are celebrated in the town, including Hindola, Navaratri, Ram Navami, Sharad Purnima, Diwali, Holi, Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan.[1]

Several members of the Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya community in Anjar made substantial contributions to the Indian railway system. Jagmal Pitambar Rathod was dubbed a "Gaidher" (English: "Chief Architect") in 1750 by Lakhpatji, the Rao of Cutch, for his work creating the fort surrounding Anjar. Sons from three subsequent generations of Rathod's family – who all resided in Anjar – were also awarded the "Gaidher" title, for their work building the forts of nearby towns Bhuj and Mandvi, as well as their work building the palaces Aina Mahal, Prag Mahal, Vijay Vilas, and the Ashapura Temple, among others. The Pamban Bridge, which links the southern island of Rameswaram to the Indian mainland, was designed by Manji Daya Vegad and Lakhu Devji Vegad, who were both born in Anjar. They also designed other railway lines in the south of India. Narshi Bechar Khodiyar, the son of Anjar-born Bechar Hardas, was given the title of honour "Rai Sahib" by the British in 1920, for his contributions to railway engineering.[18]

In total, there are 66 villages in the Administrative division ("Taluka") of Anjar, including, among others: Amrapar, Bhalot, Chandiya, Chandroda, Devaria, Khambhra, Khedoi, Khokhra, Kotda Nayani, Kumbhariya, Lakhapadar, Lovariya, Meghpar, Mindiyana, Nagalpar, Pantiya, Ratnal, Sanghad, Sinugra, Tuna, Vidi and Vira.[11]

• Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), "Anjár" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 58
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "Anjar" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 55

• Direct View Of Anjar