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Mandvi
Mandvi is located on the banks of the Rukmavati River, barely one km away from the Arabian Sea at the Gulf of Kutch. It is situated at 22°51' N and 68°32' E in the Kuchh district of Gujarat. History Mandvi was a originally a fortified town having a fort wall of
about 8 m high and 1.2m wide stone masonry. The fort had several
gateways and 25 bastions; but at present, most of the wall has disappeared.
The bastion on the southwest is largest and acts as a lighthouse.
In the heydays of maritime trade, before the arrival of steamboats, it was a rich and prosperous town earning four times more revenue from export than import. It was a profit-making centre of the Kutch State surpassing the capital city of Bhuj, in terms of wealth. In 18th century, the Mandvi merchants collectively owned a fleet of 400 vessels trading with East Africa, Malbar and the Persian Gulf. In the early 19th century, it was a major port of entry for the inland trade with Malwa, Marwar and Sindh. Mandvi was at the junction of two famous trade routes- the maritime spice trade route and the desert- camel- caravan route. The latter acted as an important trade centre. Mandvi was a town of merchants and seamen, both mutually benefiting from each other.
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