Gujarat Travel Guide
Gujarat is situated on the Western Indian coast having a 1,600kms long Arabian Sea coastline that encloses Gujarat from three sides like a girdle. It stretches from Kutch in the West to Daman in the South and the hilly tract from Aravalli in the East to the Western hills with lush green forests, rivers as well as plains. The most convenient entry point into Gujarat is through the metropolis of Ahmedabad. The city contains some very fine museums, the Calico Museum of Textiles being considered among the world’s finest. Ahmedabad’s walled city is a living testimony to its heritage of crafts as women walk by in dazzling embroidered garments and flashing ethnic silver jewellery. Traditional Ahmedabad combines mosques of inspired workmanship, wooden Jain temples, unique stone stepwells and houses with ornately carved wooden balconies and window screens. Modern Ahmedabad, just across the River Sabarmati spanned by four bridges, is a showpiece of contemporary architecture with designs by Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn and the best known Indian architects. Geographically, the State is made up of three main areas. The Eastern (mainland) region includes the major cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara (Baroda). The Kathiawar peninsula, also known as Saurashtra, is the coastal plain that is divided from the mainland by the Gulf of Cambay.
The west coast state of Gujarat is one of the India's busiest tourist destinations. It is quite easy to slot Gujarat in between Bombay and the cities of Rajasthan. Gujarat has a long varied history and a great number of interesting places to visit. Along the south coast are the sites where many of the great events in Lord Krishna's life took place. the city of Ahmed Shah (Medieval ruler of Gujarat), is known for its rich past and its association with the Mahatma (Great Soul), also known as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The city offers the traveler a unique style of architecture, which is a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles (Indo-Saracenic style of architecture). The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited, set up in 1975, provides comprehensive travel services to visitors to the state. These include accommodation, conducted tours and ground transport with a wide range of choice to meet diverse needs. he state is renowned for its beaches, its holy temple towns and its historic capitals with their architectural wealth. As much a part of the state are its wildlife sanctuaries, its hill resorts, its natural grandeur and religious and pilgrim centres. Mount Abu is one of the popular jain pilgrimage sites. The road to paradise has never been easy and this one is no exception. Bumping along an uneven road, hitting your head against the smooth roof of a deluxe bus you need to close your eyes and revive the temptations of your destination. Conjure up the lushness of Mount Abu, which all tourist guides announce is 'the paradise of Rajasthan'. The little pamphlet gushes that Mount Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, offers you the best of all possible worlds, with more scenic beauty, more architecture and archaeology in the form of the famous Dilwara caves, the chief center for the Brahmakumaris and a generous peppering of temples which shows that the place is exceptionally favored by the gods. Abu has been an important place of penance for the sages. Gujarat has various kingdoms like Mauryas, Guptas, Pratiharas etc. The Chalukyan kings were able to put general prosperity and well being of the state. After this glorious respite, Gujarat faced troubled from the Muslims, Marathas and the British rules.
In the eighth century, the Parsees first landed in Sanjan on the shores of Gujarat, they fled from Iran. The Muslim influence left its lasting imprints on the local art and architecture and it known as the Indo-Saracenic style.
Places to see here ;The capital city and one of the major town Ahmedabad; Gandhinagar, named after Mahatma Gandhi; Jamnagar, located in the Saurashtra region; Patan, a city famous for architectural wonders; Vadodara, the cultural capital of Gujarat; Surat, important trading center; Rajkot, a city known for handicrafts and many more like, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Uperkot, Porbandar, Kutch and Bhuj. Jama Masjid, Sidi Saiyad's Mosque, Kankaria Lake, Sabarmati Ashram Calico Museum of Textiles. Shree Girnar ji tirth-Neminath Temple, Palitana temple,TARANGA,Hatheesing Temple , ShankheshwarTemple.
Attractions in Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Patan, Vadodara, Pavagadh, Champaner, Surat, Saputara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Uperkot, Porbandar, Bhuj, Sarnath, Dwarka, Girnar, Palitana.
Festivals in Gujarat : Navratri, Diwali, Makar Sankranti, Janmashtami, Tarnetar, Other festivals of Gujarat include the Bhavnath fair, Dang Darbar, Saputara Summer Festival, Madhavrai fair, and Desert Festival.
Access: Gujarat has 10 domestic airports, apart from an international airport, which is located at Ahmedabad. Most of the domestic airlines operate through Ahmedabad connecting it to the other cities of India. Gujarat has a good railway network connecting the state internally as well as to other states in India. For a royal experience, travel around Gujarat through the Royal Orient. Gujarat has a good road network and they are in a fairly good condition. You can reach to various cities of Gujrat through both public and private transport.