The town of scales
Savarkundla, a bustling town in the south of Amreli district, holds a quietly remarkable distinction: for generations it has been one of India’s leading centres for the manufacture of weighing scales, balances and brass measuring instruments, its workshops supplying markets across the country.
This craft heritage gives the town an industrious, characterful air, its bazaars busy with metalwork, trade and the everyday commerce of rural Saurashtra. Set on the Navali river, Savarkundla is also a market hub for the surrounding farmland and a stop on the routes through the district.
While not a conventional sightseeing destination, it rewards the curious traveller with a glimpse of living Gujarati craft and small-town enterprise — a place where the clang of the metalworker’s hammer is part of the texture of the town.
Savarkundla’s craft.
Scales made on the Navali, sold everywhere
Scales and measures.
Savarkundla became a centre of scale-making generations ago, and the craft became the town's name.
Its balances and brass measures went out to shops and markets across India.
The town grew as a trade hub on the Navali river, market and workshop feeding each other.
It remains a characterful craft-and-market town — working, unpolished and genuine.
Reasons to make the time
Scale craft
Savarkundla is India's scale-making town — the trade that made its name and still marks it.
Brass metalwork
Balances, weights and brass measures are the products, made in family workshops.
Busy bazaars
Trade and commerce built the town, and the bazaars still run on both.
Market hub
The farmland around feeds the market; the market equips the farmland.
Kathiawadi life
It is small-town Saurashtra at its most unvarnished — a working place, not a sight.
Living craft
The workshops at work are the thing to see, hammering and finishing by hand.
What to look for inside
THE CRAFTScale-making
Brass balances and measures, made by hand.
THE TOWNBusy bazaars
Trade and metalwork in the town's core.
How to spend an hour or two
Walk the bazaars
Walk the bazaars, where metalwork and trade share the same lanes.
See the craft
Find the scale and measure workshops; ask, and most will let you watch.
Sense the enterprise
See a working craft town going about its day — the point of coming.
Stroll the Navali
Cross the Navali, the town's modest river.
Taste Kathiawadi food
Eat well; Kathiawadi small-town food is honest and hearty.
Pass through
Use it as a stop on routes across Amreli district — Gir's east is close.
A craft town.
Workshops, bazaar and river
Savarkundla is a working Kathiawadi town: clusters of metalworking workshops and shops where scales, balances and brass measures are made, busy bazaar streets given over to trade, and the Navali river running by.
Its character is industrious and everyday rather than monumental — the appeal is in seeing a living centre of Gujarati craft and small-town commerce in action.
More places to visit across the district are gathered in our Amreli travel guide.
Scale-making workshops
Brass-measure craft
Busy market bazaars
On the Navali river
When to go
November to February is the comfortable season across Amreli district.
The monsoon greens the farmland; the workshops run regardless.
April to June is hot; do the bazaars in the morning.
⏰ Visit in the cooler months and explore the bazaars on foot; combine it with the wider Amreli district.
Timings & entry
- Bazaars are busiest by day
- Workshops keep working hours
- Carry water and sun protection
- Allow a half day
- The town is free to explore
- Ask before photographing workshops
- Respect traders and craftspeople
- Combine with the Amreli district
Getting there
By Air
Rajkot and Diu are the nearest airports.
By Rail
Savarkundla has a railway station.
By Road
In south Amreli, linked to Amreli and Bhavnagar.
In the town
CRAFT & TRADE
A living centre of Gujarati craft
What to shoot
Metalwork and the workshops — ask before shooting.
Detail
Bazaar shops and the trade in progress.
Theme
Scales and brass measures, finished and hanging.
Best light
Soft daytime light in the lanes.
Know before you go
More to see close by
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6Eastern Gir Trails
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WILDLIFEAsiatic Lions
Amreli shares Gir, the lion’s last natural home
Where to eat near Savarkundla
THALIKathiawadi Thali
Rotla, kadhi, shaak and ghee-rich fare.
SNACKSGanthiya & fafda
Saurashtra's beloved fried snacks.
STREETLocal bites
Bhajiya, chevdo and chaat.
Veg & seafood
Veg fare inland; fresh seafood on the coast.
Savarkundla FAQ
What is Savarkundla known for?
Being one of India's leading centres for making weighing scales and brass measures — a craft that has defined the town for generations.
Where is it?
In the south of Amreli district, on the Navali river, on the roads towards Mahuva and the coast.
Is it a tourist town?
Not conventionally — it is a living craft and market town rather than a sight, and it rewards the curious traveller precisely for that.
What can I see?
The metalworking workshops, the busy bazaars, and the ordinary life of a working Saurashtra trade town.
Is there an entry fee?
No — the town is free to walk and explore.
When should I visit?
October to March, in the cooler season.
How do I get there?
By road or rail, about 35 km from Amreli town.
Can I photograph the workshops?
Ask first, always — most craftspeople are happy to show their work to someone genuinely interested.
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 24 August 2026