Bhavnagar district has a university which offers courses in professional disciplines such as management, computer applications, etc apart from the conventional courses. Bhavnagar hosts a number of Engineering, Medical, Nursing, Ayurvedic, and physiotherapy Colleges and Industrial Training Institutes. Engineering colleges offering courses in chemical, civil, electrical, and electronic and communication, information technology, production and mechanical engineering are present in the district. Economy of Bhavnagar District Economical development in Bhavnagar district could be attributed to the presence of a large number of diamond cutting and polishing units, plastics, ship building, salt and marine chemicals, and breaking industries. Bhavnagar stands second in diamond cutting & polishing industry after Surat in India. Bhavnagar is the largest producer of salt, with 34,500 tons of salt being produced annually in the district. Some sections of the society depend upon agriculture for their livelihood. Major crops produced in the district are citrus, onion, guava, banana and chiku. Total production of cotton for the year 2006-07, in Bhavnagar was 12, 73,500 Bales, the second highest in the State after Rajkot. Tourism in Bhavnagar District Bhavnagar district has several places for tourist attraction. Some of the well-known tourist destinations in Bhavnagar are Takhteshwar Temple, Gaurishanker Lake, Gandhi Smriti, Sardar Vallabhai Patel (Pill Garden), and old Darbargarh. The Velavadar National Park, which is situated 40 km from Bhavnagar, is a sanctuary for blackbuck, wolf, pelicans, flamingoes, white storks, cranes etc. Talaja is a scenic and peaceful town in the district. Shihor Darbargadh, the royal residence of the Gohil Rajputs between 1570 and 1723 is famous for paintings which depict the attire of the period, the weapons used, and the expressions on the warriors` faces. How to reach Bhavnagar District By Road: National Highway 8E passes through the district connecting it to Junagadh (205 km) and Amreli (113 km). Bhavnagar district is also connected to Ahmedabad (170 km), Vadodara (280 km), Jamnagar (266 km), Surat (447 km), Rajkot (178 km), Ankleshwar (364 km), Vapi (514 km), Gandhinagar (228 km) and Mehsana (274 km). By Rail: Almost all the talukas of Bhavnagar are well connected to cities such as Amreli, Ahmedabad and Mumbai by rail. By Air: Bhavnagar is one of the first cities to have an airport in Gujarat. Air services are available between Bhavnagar and Mumbai. Nearest international airport in Ahmedabad (200 km). By Port: Bhavnagar port is well connected with a broad gauge railway line. The port is 10 km away from Bhavnagar city which is well connected to Ahmedabad and Mumbai. There is a minor port at Ghogha and ship breaking yard at Alang. The nearest natural port of Pipavav is at a distance of 113 km.
(Last Updated on : 10/07/2010)