Tara Mandir, Porbandar, Gujarat India

Tara Mandir is one of the popular tourist destinations of Porbandar. There is an overhead round screen inside the Tara Mandir planetarium with celestial bodies depicted on it. The scientific projection of these stars and planets, with the help of special effects, adds to the interest of the viewers.

Porbandar is a city of great import in the motleyed history of the Indian Subcontinent, being the birth place of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. The Tara Mandir, in Porbandar belies its name as it not a temple at all but a planetarium, built solely by the donation of Shri Nanjibhai. ‘Tara’ is actually Gujarati for stars. What lends further regard to the place is that it is one of the maiden two planetariums in India to be started by the First Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Housed within the Mandir is an overhead round screen, adeptly projected on which are detailed renditions of the moon, stars and other heavenly bodies.

The Tara Mandir Planetarium is said to be built by the donations of Shri Nanjibhai. It not only interests the children but also catches the interest and attention of all age groups. The tourists visiting Porbandar never miss to visit the planetarium.