Santbal A Saint with a Difference

Author(s): T U Mehta
Publisher: Navjivan Prakashan Mandir

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the peninsula is the famous temple of Somnath which was once destroyed and plundered by Mohmed Gizni. In the heart of peninsula is the forest known as Gir Forest which contains rare specimen of world's lions.
This is the land where some of the great Saints, Litterateurs, Politicians and Educationalists were born, and this is also the place where the central figure of this book was born at village ‘TOL' which is situated at a distance of four miles from the place called Tankara which was the birth-place of famous Swami Dayanand Saraswati. This place is also at a little distance from Vavania which is the birth-place of another great religious figure known as Shrimad Rajchandraji whom Mahatma Gandhi treated as one of his Gurus. On the southern portion of peninsula is a port called Porbunder, where Mahatma Gandhi himself was born. Near Mount Girnar is situated a City called Junagadh which was the place of abode of the famous poet-devotee Narsinh Mehta. Bai Mira is said to have migrated from Rajasthan to this peninsula and contributed some of her lovliest devotional poems composed in Gujarati. This peninsula has also given birth to the politicians like Sir Prabhashanker Patni, Uchchharangray Dhebar and Jivraj Mehta. Poets Botadkar, and Kalapi who have contributed a lot to the Gujarati literature, were born in this peninsula. The land has given birth to great journalists like Amrutlal Sheth and Shamaldas Gandhi and great contributor to the Gujarati prose and poetry like Manubhai Pancholi (Darshak) and Zaverchand Meghani. Eminent Educationalist like Nanalal Bhatt contributed his life service to this land.
The land has produced not only saints, but also saint-like outlaws (Baharvatias) who fought tooth and nail against the injustices caused to them and others by the then Ruler Kings and subsequently by the Britishers but who, at the same time, protected the poor, the females, the ailing and old persons of the population.
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