Veraval is a municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is 6 km from Somnath. Veraval was founded in 13th or 14th century by Rao Veravalji Vadher, a Rajput. Veraval was once a fortified port town of the royal family of Junagadh. It was a part of the Kingdom of Junagadh till 1947 when Junagadh was merged with India. The city still bears some remnants of the old Nawabi heritage, the beautiful Nawabi summer palace being among them. There are ruins of the old Nawabi fort and Nawabi Gates in and around the place. The old walls of the port are now ruined, but the impressive Junagadh gate and the Patan gate are still seen, but are in a very bad state. The Nawabi Palace with Gothic features which is one of the main attractions. It is popularly known as Somnath College (the palace was converted into a college after it was abandoned by the Nawab). At present it is the building of a Sanskrit university. The town is often known as the gateway to the magnificent temple of Somnath and the pilgrimage centres of Prabhas Patan and Bhalkha. Veraval is also the nearest town to the Gir National Park (42 km away). Before the rise of Surat, Veraval was the major seaport for pilgrims to Mecca. Its importance now is as a fishing port, one of the largest in India. Seafaring dhows and wooden fishing boats are still built by the fishermen without the use of any modern technology. Traditional skills are passed down from father to son. About 25 km from Veraval is the historic Savani village. Veraval has a hot semi-arid climate with warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. Almost all precipitation falls during the summer monsoon season from June to September. Veraval has a predominant Gujarati population. Amongst Gujaratis, Jains (Oswal), the sonis (Jewellers,mainly from the clans of Dhakan, Patt, Sagar, etc.), the Kharwa, Ahir brahma smaj and the Kolis Turks, Rajwadi bhois, Hadi, Lohanas, Maleks, Memons, Patnis and Raykas. There is also a sizable population Sindhis. Gujarati and Hindi are the most common languages in the town. Veraval Junction is a fairly busy railway junction station for Western Railways and is served by more than 14 pairs of regional and long-distance trains. Daily (or multiple daily) trains connect it to major cities in Gujarat such as Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara. Daily connections are also available to many other towns in Gujarat such as Keshod, Jetalsar, Gondal, Wankaner, Surendranagar, Viramgam, Nadiad, Anand, Valsad, Vapi, Dahod and Godhra. Daily long distance trains connect Veraval to several cities in India including Bhopal, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Ratlam, Ujjain and Mumbai. Pune, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangalore, Karwar, Madgaon, Ratnagiri and Panvel are some of the cities connected by weekly long distance trains. The nearest airports are Diu And Rajkot. Daily Flights connect Rajkot and Diu to Mumbai.