Island Cities of West India attracts the tourists for the presence of temples, water bodies and sea beaches. Some of the islands are now converted into eco tourism spots. While some of the islands are converted into the pilgrimage tourism destinations especially in Gujarat.
Island Cities of Goa
Island Cities of Goa are popular for the hills, water bodies and the sea beaches. Some of the islands of Goa are Divar, Chorao, Sao Jacinto, Ilha de São Jorge and Ilha Grande. The island of Divar lies in the Mandovi river in Goa. The popular tourist spots are Piedade (Goltim-Navelim), Malar, Naroa, Naroa Fort and Porne Tirth. Sao Jacinto is an island in the estuary of the Zuari River in Goa. It is one of the few inhabited islands of this tiny state on the west coast of the Indian peninsula.
Bet Dwarka
Bet Dwarka or Shankhodhar is an inhabited island at the mouth of Gulf of Kutch. It is situated 3 kilometers off the coast of Okha, Gujarat. Bet Dwarka is measured northwest to southeast in 13 km with an average 4 km (2 mi) in east-west direction. It is a strip of sand and stone situated 30 km (19 mi) north of town of Dwarka. Dwarkadhish Temple and Shri Keshavraiji Temple are major temples of Lord Krishna. Hanuman Dandi and Vaishnav Mahaprabhu Bethak are also pilgrimage places. Sidi Bawa Peer Dargah, Haji Kirmai Dargah and Gurdwara are also situated here. A small Abhyay Mata Temple is situated south of Bet Dwarka. Bet Dwarka can be reached by ferry service from Okha. After independence of India in 1947, Bet Dwarka was integrated in Saurashtra State that is the Princely State of Saurashtra. Later Saurashtra was merged with Bombay State that is the Bombay Presidency under state reorganization scheme. When Gujarat was created from bifurcation of Bombay State, Bet Dwarka came under Jamnagar district of Gujarat. Devbhoomi Dwarka district was created from Jamnagar district in 2013 so it became part of it. Bet Dwarka or Shankhodhar is surrounded by several sand beaches. The southeast most end of Bet Dwarka or Shankhodhar is known as Dunny Point. It is the first place in Gujarat developed for ecotourism.
