Mundra, a census town in Kutch district, houses the largest private port of India.
The Mahadev temple has memorials to some Mundra sailors, including some who advised the Sultan of Zanzibar and guided Vasco da Gama to India. Darya Pir, the patron saint of Kutchi fisher people, arrived here from Bukhara (now in Uzbekistan) in 1660. Popular among the locals, he introduced them to Islam, and they built the shrine that bears his name here when he died. This site still receives visitors of many religious backgrounds seeking blessings. The Mughal Emperor built a gate in his honor, which still stands and is known today as the Mughal Gate. Interestingly, the walls of the old city fortifications have a religious origin, as they were dragged from the ruins of the Jain city of Bhadreshwar.
