Places to visit in Gujarat: tourist attractions

Places to visit in Gujarat

Gandhinagar: This is the capital city of Gujarat. It is famous for the Akshardham Temple which has been built in the memory of Lord Swaminarayan.

Ahmedabad 

·        Kankaria Lake
Constructed by Sultan Qutub-ud-Din, this lake is a popular recreational spot for people of Ahmedabad. The lake is surrounded by landscaped garden, terraced slopes, zoo, aquarium and balvatika.

·         Teen Darwaja
His triple-arched gateway was originally meant to serve as the royal entrance to the Maidan Shahi or Royal Square.

·         White marbled Hathee Singh's Temple
This temple is dedicated to the 15th Jain apostle - Dharamnath. It is built in pure white marble and  embellished with intricate carving.

·         Sarkhej Roza
Sarkhej comprises one of the most elegant architectural complexes of Ahmedabad. The buildings are remarkable for the complete absence of arches and the use of pierced stone trellises.

·         Mosque of Sidi Saiyad
Ahmedabad has a large number of mosques but the most famous is the Sidi Saiyad Mosque built in 1571 AD, which is acclaimed for its splendid filigree screen, framed in the ten semi-circular windows.

·         Dada Hari Vava
This step-well manifests a unique architectural feature of Gujarat. Step-wells were built to provide travellers with water and cool resting place.

·         Jumma Masjid
It is considered to be one of the most beautiful  mosques in western India. This mosque, built in 1423 AD, is outstanding for its grand scale, superb proportions and exquisite workmanship.

·        Rani Sipri Mosque
A small, exquisite mosque built in 1514 by a queen of Mehmud Shah Begda. The queen herself lies buried here.

·        Shaking Minarets
The shaking Minarets of Sidi Bashir's Mosque have generated tremendous curiosity. The two minarets are designed such that if one of them is shaken, the other trembles as well.

 

Gandhi Ashram: The Gandhi Ashram along the Sabarmati river, was once Gandhiji's nerve centre for the Indian freedom movement. The Gandhi Memorial Centre, Library and much more can be seen at the Ashram. 

Porbandar: This place is famous as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. Kirti Mandir , where he was born, today, houses a photo exhibition on the life and times of the Mahatma, a library, a prayer hall are other memorabilia. One can also take the Gandhi route and this would cover Anand, Vadodara, Surat, Navsari, Dandi, Saputara.

Rajkot:  This city is mainly known for the handicrafts, bead and mirror work, tie and dye fabric (Bandhani), silk embroidery and applique work. Other places to see would be Alfred High School(where Gandhiji did his schooling) and Kaba Gandhini Delo street.

Lothal: In Lothal excavations have brought to light an ancient port complete with dockyard measuring 218 x 37 metres connected to sea  through river Bhagava. Streets laid out in chess-board pattern, dividing the town into many blocks, houses with bathrooms and  underground drainage system are identical to the ones found at Mohenjodaro and various arts and artifacts are the interesting   features of this place.

Modhera: 97 kms from Ahmedabad, it has one of the most magnificent monuments of Gujarat. The Modhera Temple, built by the Solanki kings in 1025 AD was dedicated to Surya - the Sun God. The temple was constructed in such a manner that the rising sun at the equinoxes  shines straight into the shrine and illuminats the image of Surya. The temple is profusely and intricately carved.

Somnath: The legendary shore temple of Somnath is one of the most sacred Shiva shrines in India. According to legend, Somnath is as old  as creation, built by the Moon God himself. Through the turbulent centuries, Somnath was sacked and rebuilt seven times. The present temple known as the Maha Meru Prasad was rebuilt about 25 years ago on the location of the original shrine in accordance with ancient plans.

Patan: This city is famous for its architectural wonders built during the Solanki dynasty. Patan is an important weaving centre for geometrically patterned Patola Sarees.

Sasangir: Gujarat can really boast of a rich variety of wild and rare fauna. Gir forest is the only place in the world, outside Africa, where the lion can be seen in its natural habitat. Also one might come across a host of other herbivores like Chital, Nilgai, Blue Bull and rare four horned antelope.

Dandi: Along the coastline, Dandi has been known as the salt centre. It gained a place of pride after the famous Dandi March Satyagraha,in 1930, by Mahatma Gandhi.

Saputara: Literally the abode of the serpents, Saputara is Gujarat's best known hill resort offering breathtaking views of the sunrise and sunset.

Palitana: The architectural grandeur of nearly 863 Jain temples on the Shetrunjaya Hills, have few parallels. These temples, dedicated to various Jain Saints and Deities, is an important place of pilgrimage on the Jain circuit.

Dwarka: The ancient sacred city, on the edge of the Saurashtra peninsula was once the capital of Lord Krishna's empire where he had shifted from Mathura thousands of years ago. The main attraction is the Dwarkadhish Temple.

Bhavnagar: Bhavnagar is known for Gandhi Smriti, an institution built in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.

Junagarh: To the west of Bhavnagar, situated at the base of Girnar hills is Junagarh. Its special claim to fame is the rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka, dating back to 250 BC.

Chorwad: Once the royal summer retreat of the pleasure loving Nawabs of Junagadh, the imposing Chorwad palace and the lovely expanse of beach before it combine to make Chowrad unique.

Ahmedpur Mandvi: Just 125 kms along the coastline from Chorwad lies this unusual beach resort designed as a traditional ethnic Saurashtrian village.

Jamnagar: This city was built by the Jadeja Rajputs, Known as jams, as their capital in the 16th century. It is famous for its lake which is surrounded by two buildings called Kotha Bastion and Lakhota Palace.