Morbi

About:

• Morbi is a major hub of small and medium industry and India's ceramics factory.
• The more than a century old bridge across the Machchhu river has long been a major tourist attraction.
• Morbi district was created on August 15, 2013, along with several other new districts.
• This district is flanked by Kutch district in the north, Surendranagar district in the east, Rajkot district in the south, and Jamnagar district in the west.
• Ceramic industry:
  • Morbi is famous for its ceramic industry.
  • The district is dotted by several hundred ceramic producing factories, mainly medium and small scale units.
  • Around 70 per cent of India’s ceramics are produced in Morbi, and ceramic tiles manufactured here are exported to countries in the Middle East, East Asia, and Africa.
  • The major competition to the Morbi ceramic industry comes only from China.
• Machchhu:
  • Machchhu is a small river that rises in the Madla Hills and flows 130 km into the Rann of Kutch.
  • In 1979, a major tragedy occurred after a dam on the river failed, inundating Morbi town and killing a large number of people.
• The ‘Jhulto Pul’ on the river:
• The suspension bridge, “Jhulto Pul”, was a pedestrian suspension bridge that was inaugurated in 1879, during the reign of Sir Waghji Ravaji, the Thakur Sahib of Morbi (1858-1922).
• Sir Waghji is credit with planning and building the entire city of Morbi, which included India’s first art deco palace, and a European-style central square known as Green Chowk.