Godhra

For the neighbourhood in Karachi, see Godhra, Karachi.

Godhra
City
Ramsagar Lake near Bus Stand, Godhra
Nickname:  Land of Cows
Godhra Location within Gujarat Godhra Location within India
Coordinates: 22°46′38″N 73°37′13″E
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Panchmahal
Named for	Cows
Area
• Total	20.16 km2 (7.78 sq mi)
Elevation	73 m (240 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	143,644
• Density	7,125/km2 (18,450/sq mi)
Demonym	Godharian
Languages
• Spoken	Gujarati
• Official	Gujarati, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	389001
Telephone code	02672
Vehicle registration	GJ-17
Sex ratio	935/1000 ♀/♂
Literacy rate	93.51 %
Website	panchmahals.nic.in

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Godhra (Godhrā) is a municipality in Panchmahal district in Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative capital of the Panchmahal district. Originally, the name came from gou which means "cow", and "dhara", which has two meanings depending on how the word is pronounced. 'Dharaa' means a feminine thing or person that "holds" something, and it usually means "land", and the other pronunciation is 'dhaaraa' which means "flow". However, the second pronunciation is not widely used nor is it usually associated with this word. Hence, 'Godhra or Godharaa' means the Land of the Cow.

Godhra is widely known in India and internationally for being the starting point of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Statewide religious riots between Hindus and Muslims began after the Godhra train burning incident near the Godhra railway station on 27 February 2002, where about 59 train passengers were burnt alive. It was in Godhra that Vallabhbhai Patel first met Gandhi in 1917 and was subsequently drawn into the Indian freedom struggle.

Godhra is a road and rail junction and a commercial centre for timber and agricultural produce. Industries include oilseed pressing, flour milling, and glass manufacture.

Godhra has a science, commerce, arts, law, ITI, engineering and medical colleges.