Botad

Botad બોટાદ
city
Botad Location in Gujarat, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Botad district
Government
• President	Thakarshi Devji Maniya
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	130,302
Languages
• Official	Gujarati, Hindi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	364710

Botad (Gujarati: બોટાદ) is a city, municipality and the administrative headquarters of Botad district in the state of Gujarat, northwestern India.

Overview

According to the 2011 census, Botad has a population of 130,302. It is near district centers such as Ahmedabad(170 km), Bhavnagar (90 km), Rajkot (120 km), Surendranagar (90 km) and Amreli (93).

Botad is surrounded by low hills on the east and west, forming a valley. Utavali Creek flows through the town, and Madhu Creek joins the Utavali near Dash Nala.

The town is a gateway to Kathiawad (toward Gadhada, Lathi and Amreli), and a crossroads of Gohilwad (towards Bhavnagar), Zalawad (Limbdi, Surendranagar) and Panchal (towards Paliyad, Vinchiya, Jasadan).

Botad is the deathplace of Jhaverchand Meghani and Damodar Botadkar, politician Bachu Bhai Shah, author and educator Mohammad Makad and freedom fighter Bhanushankar Joshi. Mahatma Gandhi visited Botad during a tour of Kathiyavar.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Indian census the population of the town of Botad was 130,302 (67,778 men and 62,524 women). Total literacy was 94,563 (53,275 men and 41,288 women). The literacy rate is 83.21 percent. Botad's overall sex ratio is 922 women per 1,000 men, with a child sex ratio of 874 girls to 1,000 boys. There were a total of 16,654 children (birth to age six), 8,889 boys and 7,765 girls (12.78 percent of the municipality's total population).

Climate

Botad has a tropical wet-and-dry climate, with a hot, dry summer from mid-March to mid-June and the monsoon (wet) season from mid-June to October (when the average rainfall is 620 millimetres (24 in)). From November to February the weather is mild, with an average temperature of about 20 °C (68 °F) and low humidity. May and June have less rainfall and wind than the post-monsoon period. Thunderstorms are frequent in June and July, and fog is common in winter. Summer temperatures range from 24 to 42 °C (75 to 108 °F), and winter temperatures from 10 to 22 °C (50 to 72 °F).

Economy

Although Botad's economy was based on agriculture, industries such as diamond cutting and processing, real estate, cotton processing and packing and healthcare are newer sectors.

Culture

The diet in Botad is predominantly vegetarian. Hunting is unpopular, and the city has a variety of fauna. Clothing varies with the seasons and their festivals. Women generally wear the Gujarati type of sari, and men wear kurtas and trousers.

Historic attractions

Botad's clock tower, built by Damodardas Jagjivandas, is part of the central business district and a library is named after Jagjivandas. The city gate was at the present location of Din Dayal Chalk. The Tajiyo building was built by a civil engineer, Tulsi Mistri, after he was forbidden to build a clock tower by the prince of Bhavnagar State.

The lake which supplies water to most of the town was built by Krishna Kumar Singhji, maharaja of Bhavnagar State, and is a popular attraction. Haran kui (Deer Spring) was a freshwater spring in the northern part of the town which provided a habitat for wildlife.

Sports

Cricket is popular in Botad, and during the 1970s and 1980s the town hosted cricket tournaments with teams from Jasadan, Lathi and Bhavanagar. There are no sports facilities in Botad. Popular children's games include moy-dandiya, marbles and kabbaddi.

Education

Physical Facilities :Only institute in Botad city with high technology and centrally A.C. School of Gujarati & English Medium, spread in vast area of 4 Acres

• A fleet of well-facilitated AC buses manages transport to and from school. It covers most important parts of the city and we have a 45-55 minute limit on bus routes, making sure that no child is exhausted due to travel

Modern computer Lab with Audio-Visual conference Room and all other communicative facilities to enrich the language and knowledge of the students

• R.O. filtering plant for drinking water
• Eco friendly classroom with attached garden and single desk sitting facility
• Different types of Indoor and outdoor sport equipment facilities
• CCTV camera in every classroom for centralize control
• Large playground for different types of sports activities
• All classrooms with fire safety equipment
• 24x7 security guard facility
• First time in Botad, RAKVB is the school with their own ambulance.
• RAKVB offers RFID-GPS System I Card to all the students.

The public-school system in the city is operated by state government. The language of study is Gujarati in all public schools and most private schools. A few elementary schools provide instruction in English.

Botad High School was the first high school built after Indian independence. The city has a number of colleges. Kavi Shri Damodardas Botadkar College was founded during the mid-1960s. The Mahila (Women's) College began in 1995. Both schools offer courses in languages, economics, accounting, business administration and commerce.

The Shree Santram Education Trust includes Shree K. Rajyaguruji Prathmik Shala (primary school) and Madhyamik Shala (secondary school). The Shree Aradhana Educational and Charitable Trust offers bachelor's and master's programmes. The Shree Samanvay Trust offers MBA and BPharm degrees. The Takshashila Educational and Charitable Trust offers B.Ed degrees.

Saint Xavier's High School, operated by the Devdarshan Charitable Trust, Bhavnagar, is an English-language school providing education from pre-kindergarten to grade 11. It is the first school with English Medium education in Botad. The first 10th class batch passed out in 2012 from this school with 100% school result. The passed out batches of this school are pursuing degrees in Engineering and Medical from prestigious colleges in India. Besides its vast campus area, it provides all round development and growth of children with help of extra curricular activities and cultural events.

Shri JM Sabva Institute of Engineering and Technology, Botad (Shri JM Sabva Institute of Engineering and Technology (JMSIET) is located at Botad in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. JMSIET was set up in the year 2011 under the aegis of Shri Aradhana Educational & Charitable Trust. The institute is recognized by AICTE, New Delhi and affiliated to Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad. Major facilities are library, lab, hostel etc.)

Transport

Botad is connected to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara, Bhavangar, Rajkot and Surendranagar by rail and road. With Botad Junction railway station, there is direct rail service to Pune, Hyderabad, Kakinada ,Asansol ,Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Kochuveli on the east coast.