Botad is a city as well as a municipality in the Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat in India. Botad is also the administrative headquarters of Bhavnagar district. Botad is a gateway of Kathiawad and junction point of Gohilwad, Zalawad and Panchal. The city has a mean elevation of 70 metres (229 feet) above sea level. Botad is a vibrant town surrounded by small beautiful hills on east and west forming a valley. Utavali Creek flows through the town, and Madhu Creek joins the Utavali near Dash Nala.
It is near district centers such as Ahmedabad (170 km), Bhavnagar (90 km), Rajkot (120 km), Surendranagar (90 km) and Amreli (93).
Botad is the death place of Jhaverchand Meghani and Damodar Botadkar, politician Bachu Bhai Shah, author and educator Mohammad Makad and freedom fighter Bhanushankar Joshi. Mahatma Gandhi visited Botad during a tour of Kathiawad.
Demography of Botad
According to the 2011 census, Botad has a population of 130,302. Males make up 53% of the population and females amount to 47%. The literacy rate of the city is 83%, greater than the nationwide standard of 59.5%. Among the males and the females, 71% and 55% are respectively literate. 15% of the population is made up of children less than 6 years of age.
Climate of Botad
Botad has a tropical wet-and-dry climate, with a hot, dry summer from mid-March to mid-June and the monsoon season from mid-June to October. From November to February the weather is mild, with an average temperature of about 20 degreeC and low humidity. Thunderstorms are frequent in June and July, and fog is common in winter. Summer temperatures range from 24 to 42 degreeC, and winter temperatures from 10 to 22 degreeC.
Economy of Botad
Although Botad`s economy was based on agriculture, industries such as diamond cutting and processing, real estate, cotton processing and packing and healthcare are newer sectors.
Education at Botad
The public school system in the city is operated by state government. The language of study is Gujarati in all public schools and most private schools. A few elementary schools provide instruction in English. The city has number of colleges, Kavi Shri Damodardas Botadkar College is the first college started around year 1965.
Attractions of Botad
Botad"s clock tower, built by Damodardas Jagjivandas, is part of the central business district and a library is named after Jagjivandas. The lake which supplies water to most of the town was built by Krishna Kumar Singhji, maharaja of Bhavnagar State, and is a popular attraction. Haran kui (Deer Spring) was a freshwater spring in the northern part of the town which provided a habitat for wildlife.
Transport of Botad
Botad is connected to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Surendranagar by rail and road. There is direct rail service to Pune, Hyderabad, Kakinada and Kochuveli on the east coast.