Introduction

Anand district is situated in the southern part of Gujarat. Nearness with Ahmedabad,  Vadodara, Bharuch and Gandhinagar has made the district an important industrial center. The district has 8 talukas, of which the major ones are Anand (district headquarter), Umreth, Anklav, Borsad and Khambhat. The total area of the district is 2951 sq kilometers.

History of Anand District

History of Anand District speaks about the formation of this Indian district since the time of the British Raj. Following the independence of India, the newly formed government included some royal states into Mumbai.

On 1st August, 1949, the district of Kheda was formed. From that time onwards, certain alterations were made in certain villages and `talukas`, while some talukas were identified from 15th September, 1950. Balashinor talukas, Kapadvanj, Mahemdavad, Thasara, Matar, Khambhat, Nadiad, Petalad, Borsad and Anand talukas are parts of the Kheda district. The State Government of Gujarat created six new districts from 1st September, 1997 and thereafter Anand was carved out from Kheda district, as an entirely separate district. Anand district consists of eight talukas known as Tarapur, Anklav, Borsad, Umareth, Sojitra, Khambhat and Petalad.

The district of Anand is popularly referred to as `Charotar` and boasts of producing the highest amount of tobacco in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Anand talukas, Petalad and Borsad are all situated in this area of India and it is termed as the `Golden Leaf`, due to its fertile soil. As per the Gujarati language, the word `Charutar` implies a pot filled with gold coins. The area of land which stretches from the river banks of Mahi till the banks of Vatrak River, which is based near Mahemabad fall within the domain of Charutar. Some villages belonging to Tarapur talukas and Khambhat are included in the region of 'Bhal'.

Geography of Anand District

Geographical location of Anand district is 22.07 degree to 23.29 degree North Latitude and 72.15 degree to 73.18 degree East Longitude. Average rainfall of the place is 777 mm. The major rivers flowing through the district are Sabarmati River, Mahisagar, Shedhi and Navida.

Education of Anand District

There are 1,123 primary, 225 secondary and 68 higher secondary schools in the Anand district. The ITIs offer several industrial training programs which includes, fitting, armature and motor rewinding and diesel mechanics, etc. Twelve pharmacy and five engineering colleges are present in this district. Pramukhswami Medical College is the only medical college present in the district. Anand Agricultural University and Sardar Patel University are the two universities present in this place of Gujarat.

Economy of Anand District

Economy of Anand District depends chiefly on Chemical, Engineering and Food and Agriculture products. Anand Milk-producers Union Limited (AMUL) of this district is the largest dairy cooperative in India. Industrial developments could be attributed to the presence of a significant numbers of Chemical and Engineering units in the district, which include Hindustan Packaging Company Ltd., National Dairy Development Board, Cambay Chemicals Ltd., Beepee Coating Ltd., Elecon Engineering Company Ltd., and Mother Dairy Food Processing Ltd. More than nine hundred and fifty units of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are present in this district of Gujarat.

Agriculture is also a significant revenue earner of the district. Major crops produced in the district are papaya, potato, mango, banana, gooseberry, onion and cabbage. Anand district is one of the most important producers of banana in the state followed by potato. A significant amount of cereals, pulses and cotton production is witnessed in Anand. In five talukas, with an investment of INR 6,635.16 lakhs, there are over nine hundred and fifty units, generating over 5,909 jobs. Industries engaged in lathes and machine tools, rice production, tobacco stemming and wood products have shown substantial progress. Some of the most important constituents of engineering sector, such as metallurgical industries, misc. machinery and engineering, electrical equipments and auto parts have also been growing at a steady rate.

Anand district is an upcoming hub for Auto and Engineering, Chemical, Plastic Industries and Food and Agro industries. Recent surge in the growth of plastic industries in the district has added more jobs and increased opportunities for the masses. Proximity with other chief industrial hubs of the state, such as Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Vapi has made the district a prosperous region for investments. There is an accessibility of a large pool of skilled and competent manpower due to the presence of educational and research institutes in the district. Small scale industry sectors such as textiles, electronics, ceramics and food products, are the supporting pillars of the economy which provide direct and indirect employment to over 5,900 people in the district. The emergence of Khambhat port, with a cargo handling ability and ship building yards would be considered as a major driver of the financial system.

Tourism of Anand District

Tourism in Anand District, Gujarat offers beautiful tourism opportunities to travellers in the form of historical structures, ancient buildings and religious spots. Plenty of national and foreign tourists throng this region to watch the tourist attractions located here which include the Flo-Art Gallery, Amul Dairy Cooperative Museum, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Veer Vithalbai Patel Memorial, Swaminarayan Mandir, Khapra Zaveri Palace and numerous others.

Flo-Art Gallery
The Flo-Art Gallery is renowned for its marvellous collection of cottage industry handicrafts and a vast quantity of artefacts which serve domestic utilitarian purposes. It occupies an area of nearly 1000 square meters. Wedding gifts, murals, sculptures, table bases, pots and corporate gifts are some of the several interesting objects displayed in the galleries of Flo-Art Gallery. Such unique masterpieces are available in various colours, textures, materials and shapes. Objects of metal work, cement, fibre and wood are also existent here.

Amul Dairy Cooperative Museum
Considered one of the most significant tourist destinations of Anand District, the Amul Dairy Cooperative Museum is surrounded by water body, made of beautiful red stones. Numerable photographs adorn the pathway to the gallery, which portray the development of the museum with the passage of time into its current state. There also exists an auditorium in this museum, which possesses 100 seats that depict the birth and growth of milk evolution in the country. Dr.Verghese Kurien deserves a mention, who contributed largely to the creation of the milk industry of Amul Dairy.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Veer Vithalbai Patel Memorial
Located in Karamsad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Patel and Veer Vithalbai Patel Memorial consist of a magnificent garden and a library. It occupies an area measuring about 70 acres and is based close to Shri Krishna Hospital, Karamsad and Pramukh Swami Medical College. Cultural events are often conducted in the `Bhavan` of this memorial. These buildings contain a main, central hall which is equipped with seating arrangements and is surrounded by balconies and also an open area meant for social interaction. A photo gallery is present in the Vallabhbhai Patel and Veer Vithalbai Patel Memorial, which boasts of photographs, banners portraying lifestyles of Veer Vithalbai and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and paintings.

Swaminarayan Mandir
The Swaminarayan Mandir comprises six storeys and the main idols present here include those of Narayan Lakshmi and Harikrishna Maharaj, which are based in the first shrine of this temple. The idol of Guruparampara is placed inside the second and the third shrine while the idol of Shri Akshar Purushottam Maharaj is located in the fourth shrine. The idol of Lord Ghanshyam has been placed inside the fifth shrine.

Khapra Zaveri
Khapra Zaveri Palace is another thrilling tourist locale of Anand District and is located on the way to Machi. Kalika Temple and Makai Kothar are the two famous monuments situated in this part of the country. Tourists can also visit the Atak Gate which is present near this palace.

Ranchhodrai Dakor Temple
Ranchhodri Dakor Temple consists of eight domes and 24 turrets and the main complex of this shrine is surrounded by a fort wall. The temple is situated near the river banks of Gomti, close to the market based at Dakor. The central dome of this shrine measures about 27 metres. The architecture of this temple portrays a Maharashtrian style and is decorated with a white flag and a `Kalash`. It is believed to have been built in 1722 A.D. The presiding deity of the Ranchhodrai Dakor Temple is Ranchhodrai, an avatar of Lord Krishna. The idol is composed of black sandstone, which measures about one metre and is embellished with dazzling jewels and gold.

Other Tourism Spots of Anand District
A famous Jain temple known as Stambhan Parshvanath Jinalaya built in the 11th century, BD Rao College Museum, Darbar Ghat, Air Manzil and the area of Khambat are the other interesting tourist spots which are located in this district. Khambat, which is about 60 km from Anand district, is reputed for its chintz and silk.

How to reach Anand District

By Road:National Highway 8 passes through the district connecting it to Vadodara (38 km) and Kheda (21km) district. Distance by road with major industrial centres in the State are Ahmedabad (73 km), Rajkot (255 km), Jamnagar (343 km), Ankleshwar (122 km), Bhavnagar (242km), Mehsana (147 km), Surat (205 km), Gandhinagar (101 km) and Vapi ( 272 km).

By Rail:In total there are 40 railway lines in Anand district. The district is well connected with Godhra, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Khambhat, Vasad and Mumbai through a broad gauge rail line of 147 km.

By Air:Nearest airports to Anand district are in Ahmedabad and Vadodara.

By Port: Nearest ports are Dahej port and Hazira port.