Dhrangadhra
Dhrangadhra is a town in Surendranagar district, Gujarat, India. It is the taluka headquarters and a municipality, located about 64 meters above sea level. The population was about 75,000 in 2011, and the official languages are Gujarati, Hindi and English.
The town’s name means “stable land,” a nod to the solid ground beneath. Dhrangadhra has a long history, with roots going back to ancient times. It was the capital of the princely state of Dhrangadhra, founded around 1090 by the Jhala Rajputs, and became the state capital in 1735. The state later joined Gujarat in 1956.
In 1925, India’s first soda ash factory began here, and in 1939 the Dhrangadhra Chemical Works (DCW) was established and remains a major employer. The Gobar gas plant is at Navalgadh, and many industries operate in the nearby GIDC area.
Dhrangadhra is a railway junction on the Western Railway, with road links to Ahmedabad and other regions. The town has more than 100 places of worship, a rich tradition of stone sculpture, and the Stone Artisan Park Training Institutes to preserve this craft. The Sompura caste from Dhrangadhra is known for building Jain derasars across Gujarat and India.
The town is the headquarters of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, overseeing the nearby Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary in the Little Rann of Kutch. It has hospitals, schools and a college, and providers of basic services such as telephone, mail and courier. The literacy rate is around 68%, with higher male literacy than female literacy.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:13 (CET).