Godhra
Godhra is a municipality in Panchmahal district in Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Panchmahal district. Originally the name came from "gou" which means "cow" and "dhara"- which have two meanings depending on how you pronounce the word: 'dharaa' means a feminine thing or person that "holds" something and it usually means"land", and the other pronunciation is 'dhaaraa' in which means "flow". However, the second pronunciation is not popular nor is usually associated with this word. Hence, 'Godhra or Godharaa' means the Land of the Cow. Godhra is widely known in India and internationally  for being the starting point of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Statewide religious riots between Hindus and Muslims began after the Godhra train burning incident near the Godhra railway station on 27 February 2002, where about 59 Hindu train passengers were burnt alive. It was in Godhra that Vallabhbhai Patel first met Gandhi in 1917 and was subsequently drawn into the Indian freedom struggle. Godhra is a road and rail junction and a commercial centre for timber and agricultural produce. Industries include oilseed pressing, flour milling, and glass manufacture. Etymology. The word "Godhra" means the land of cows. As per local  folklore, cows used to come here from Pavagadh for grazing. Gujarati Historic Novel named "Gujaratno Jay" written by Zaverchand Meghani based on various Jain Prabandhas describes city as Godhpur(ગોધપુર). History. A bronze of Lord Rishabhanath from AD 975 was found at Akota which mentions Gohadra kula, i.e., the school of Jain monks at Gohadra. The historical name of Godhra is "Godhrahk", which was established by Parmar king named Dhudhul Mandalik in A.D. 1415. Five hundred years ago, in the 15th century, the respectable Saint Shrimad Vallabhacharya in his morning ritual speech gave the example of his dream city. He explained  how the city which was seen in dream by her daughter was handed over by a Muslim resident to a Hindu family. Demographics. As of 2011 India census, Godhra had a population of 143,644. Males constitute 51.67% of the population and females 48.32%. Godhra has an average literacy rate of 87.51%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. Male literacy is 92.25%, and female literacy is 82.44% Government and politics. Godhra city is governed by a municipality. The city is divided into 12 wards for the purpose of administration, and each ward is represented by 3 councillors. The city is  also represented by an MP elected from the Panchmahal Lok Sabha constituency (erstwhile Godhra Lok sabha constituency), Ratansinh Rathore from the BJP, and an MLA elected from the Godhra Assembly constituency, CK Raulji. I. I. Chundrigar, former Prime Minister of Pakistan was born in Godhra in 1897. Religious violence. Several incidents of communal violence have taken place in Godhra before and after the independence of India. Notable acts of violence include: Connectivity. Godhra is connected to all major towns of Gujarat by public transport service operated by GSRTC. And Godhra is Railway Junction that connects Godhra with different parts of  state and nation Education. Godhra has an average literacy rate of 87.51%, higher than the national average of 59.5% Culture. Landscape. Geographic and manmade features in the area include the Mesri River, Ramsagar Lake, Voharwad Masjid Tower, Polan Bazar, Methodist Church, Naheru Garden and, in the far east, Kanelav Lake.