Pirotan Island Jamnagar
Pirotan Island (also known as Pirotan) is an island in the Marine National Park, Arabian Sea. It is located 12 nautical miles (22 km) off the coast (Bedi Port), Jamnagar District of Gujarat state, India. It consists of mangroves and low-tide beaches, and has an area of 3 square kilometres. Rozi island is located about 10 kilometres to the southeast.
Of the 42 islands in the park, Pirotan Island is the most popular and is one of the two islands where visitors are normally permitted.[citation needed] Visitation is strictly limited, permission is required from the Forest Department, Customs Department and the Ports. The mangroves consist mainly of species of Rhizophora, Avicennia and Ceriops.
History
The island derived its name from Pirotan Patan, the ancient city probably at the place of Bedi Bandar.
In 1867 a flagpole was placed at the northern tip of the island to aid in navigation. In 1898 it was replaced with a 21-metre masonry lighthouse, which in turn was replaced in 1955–57 with a 24-metre-high (79 ft) lighthouse tower. In 1996, the lighthouse power was converted from diesel generator to solar power. The diesel generators exist for backup generation.
The island along surrounding coral reefs covering an area of 3 square kilometres was notified as part of Marine National Park in 1982.
Population
The only people there on the island are the forest guard, the lighthouse people and the Mujhavar (Server) at the Holy Saint Khwaja Khizer R.A. shrine (Durgah). The sacred shrine of Khwaja Khijer Rahmatullahialaih is located on the island.
Most visitors come in the morning with the high tide and leave by evening. Weekends in winters may bring more than 200–300 visitors.
How to get there
By Road: It has a robust bus service to connect to different parts of the state.
By Rail: 15 km away from Jamnagar railway station. Jamnagar’s railway stations, Hapa (HAPA), Jamnagar (JAM), Modpur (MDPR),are well connected to cities and towns on the western railways network.
By Air: Jamnagar airport is located 9 km from the city centre. Jamnagar’s Govardhanpur Airport offers connectivity by domestic air services to several major Indian towns.
