Willingdon Dam, Junagadh

Willingdon Dam lies east of Junagadh at the foot of the Datar hills, across the Kalwa River. It was named after the Marquess of Willingdon, then governing India, and in 2008 it was renamed Sardar Patel Dam; it now belongs to the Junagadh Municipal Corporation. Work began on 11 May 1929 with a Ganesh puja, in the reign of Nawab Mohabbat Khan III. E. Proctor Sims drew up the design, and English and Indian engineers and craftsmen carried it out; it took seven years and was inaugurated on 10 January 1936.

The dam is built of Girnar black stone, stands 44 feet high and holds about one billion gallons. On top of the Datar hills beside it is the shrine of the saint Jamiyal Shah Datar, worshipped by Hindus and Muslims alike; reaching it means a climb of about 2,500 steps.