Mani Mandir of Morbi; Morvi Mani Mandir; Mani Mandir; Willingdon secretariat; Morbi Waghji Thakor; Mani mandir -plan; Mani mandir encroachments; Illegal construction after 2001; History of Mani mandir; Morbi Skyline- Mani Mandir; Drone view- Mani mandir.

1. Mani Mandir
Marvel Architectural Monument of MORBI
Prof. Samirsinh P Parmar
Asst. Prof. Civil Engineering,
DDU Nadiad
Alumni: L E Collage Morbi
(2000- 2003 Graduating Batch)

2. About Morbi
• Morbi [also called Morvi ]This beautiful city is located on the Bank Of
Machchhu.It is 67 Kms away from the Rajkot and 245 Kms away from the
Ahmedabad.
• Morbi was founded in the year of 1698.
• Morbi was the Capital of Rajput Jadeja‘s State.
• Untill 1947 Morbi was a princely state.
• The prosperous city Morbi has much of the built heritage and town
planning is attributed to the efficient administration of Sir Waghji, who
came to the throne in 1879 and ruled till 1948.
• Sir Waghji acted as the Ruler, Manager, Patron and Policemen of the state
with great authority, always keeping the citizens’ interests in mind.

3. A Snap from special edition from
Times of India

4. Courtesy: Times of India

5. From The News Window
Courtesy: Times of India

6. Mani Mandir
• Mani Mandir Built by Thakor Saheb Sir Waghji to immortalize his love
for a girl named Mani, [ manibai] the building is a symbol of love that
stands testimony to excellent workmanship.In Gujarati and Hindi a
Hindu temple is called a ‘Mandir’. Mani Mandir is a temple of Radha-
Krishna, Shri Laxmi Narayana and God Shiva

7. Mani Mandir
• Mani Mandir is one of the great examples of the Temple Architecture in India.
• Mani Mandir was also one of the hidden places for the King.
• To this date no one has been able to count the total number of cellars in this
building!
• The Mani Mandir of Morbi is an excellent example of Art.
• Mani mandir is a stunning piece of temple architecture, situated in the courtyard
of Wellingdon Secretariat, in Morbi, Gujarat.
• Built in 1935, this magnificent structure took shape in Jaipur stone, adorned with
exquisitely carved elements-arches, brackets, jalis, chhatris and shikhara.
• The temple enshrines the images of Lakshmi Narayan, Goddess Kali, Lord Ram,
Radha- Krishna and Lord Shiva.

8. Waghji Thakor
Morbi

9. Before it was struck by the devastating earthquake of 2001, this
glorious building was home to the Willingdon Secretariat and the
Mani Mandir Temple.
The magnificent complex had more then 130 rooms along with a
central courtyard.
The Mani Mandir temple located in the central courtyard
enshrines a collection of deities including Laxmi Narayan, Shri
Ram, Wagheswar Mahadev, Mahakali Ma, Radha Krishna and
Hanumanji.
Ref: Thoughts by ILF Spark Vaishali Shah
Mani Mandir is often known as Wagh Mahal in
memory of Morbi’s erstwhile ruler, Thakor Saheb
Sir Waghji, who had built it as an eternal
testimony of everlasting love for his beloved Mani
Bai.

10. Oldest Available Pic

11. The History

12. Details of Mani Mandir
• Total area of the Willingdon Secretariat is;
• - 4900m2 on ground floor
• - 4150m2 on first floor
• - 255m2 a part of second floor
• Built in yellow sandstone in the tradition of the Indo-Saracenic style
of architecture.
• The Secretariat building has a large central courtyard housing the
Mani Mandir temple.
• Built in the 1930s by the ruler of Morbi

13. From Gujarat Samachar

14. From Yuva Upanishad
10-03-2020

15. Figure- (a) View from Southwest Corner, (b) Plan of Mani Mandir Complex

16. Plan of Mani Mandir Complex

17. Mani Mandir
• The Mani-mandir of Morbi reflects the wonderful mental capacity of
Shah Jahan as he built his Taj Mahal.
• This Mani-mandir was also built with such sharp and unusual
emotions at work.
• The history says, It is a symbol of Love in the history of Saurashtra.
• The King of Morbi, Vaghji Thakor had built this Manimandir in the
memory of his beloved first wife Manibai, and is no less than a royal
palace in its beauty of design and sculptures.

23. Mani Mandir- AT NIGHT

27. Mani
Mandir At
night

28. Mani Mandir
• Mani Mandir is a structure adorned with exquisitely carved arches, brackets, jalis,
chhatris and shikhara.
• It is famous for its beautiful architecture, which is a harmonious blend of Gothic,
Saracenic, and Rajput styles.
• At the centre of the temple complex, overlooking the river Machhu is the temple of
Radha Krishna.
• A rectangular double-storied complex with over 130 rooms surrounds the temple. Waghji
had completed the structure at a cost of Rs 30 lakh in 1922 and died the same year.
• After the 2001 earthquake, unfortunately most of the Mandir fell down but is back to its
noble stature again

30. Mani Mandir- Before 2001 BHUJ Earthquake

31. Mani Mandir- Before 2001 BHUJ Earthquake

32. Mani Mandir- After 2001 BHUJ Earthquake

34. MORBI- MANI MANDIR

35. How to reach Mani Mandir?
From Wankaner-
28 Km (BY RAIL / ROAD)
From Rajkot-
67 Kms (From Rajkot – Airport)

36. Courtesy: Google Earth Desktop

37. Courtesy: Google Earth Desktop

41. Some Remarks
• Not too old structure , but needs attention to maintain it.
• Can be converted to Museum of Morbi State.
• Proper marketing required to increase tourism aspect.
• Its required to protect the structure of Mani Mandir from
UNKNOWN- UNLAWFUL-UNFAITHFUL structure constructed after
2001 earthquake which can convert the Mani Mandir to something
else.

42. Painting of maharaja Thakur sir
Waghji Rawaji Jadeja of morbi
thakur saheb

43. Preserve The
Heritage
of
Morbi

44. Acknowledgement
Thanks to, Times of India, Divya Bhaskar, Atulya Vaarso, Local bloggers
of Morbi city, Facebook posts and news channels, without them this
valuable presentation is not possible.
Presentation is dedicated to the Citizens of Morvi.