Places to see in Gujarat

[Monubramhi]

I wanted to go for a different holiday destination this year and finally decided upon Gujarat, seeing that Mr. Bachchan is promoting the state so much, so I thought why not.

To be honest, I know nothing about the state or any of the famous places to visit there. So for starters, I need help with the places to see in Gujarat.

Please also mention the location of the places to visit, I can then decide exactly where I would go in Gujarat.

 

[briannagodess]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Gujarat is also known as the "Jewel of the West" because of the many fantastic attractions you can find here. Gujarat has everything for different interests and likes of tourists. If you love history, there's lots of monuments and structures for that here. If you're a religious person, then you can find many mosques and temples here. If you love nature, there's several sanctuaries and lakes in here as well.

It's really hard to just pick a few destinations in Gujarat. But for me, there's some places here that really stand out. Here they are:

1. Somnath. The Somnath Temple is probably the most visited attraction in here. But there are some more places worth visiting in here as well:

• The Somnath Temple. This temple has been rebuilt many times already. This is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.

• The Gita Mandir and Laxminarayan Mandir. The Gita Mandir is famous for its depiction of the Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta. While the Laxminarayan Mandir has the Divine Shreevigraha of Bhagwan Laxminarayan.

• Treeveni Sangam Snanghat. This is where the three rivers of Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati meet.

• Shree Parshuram Temple. This located on the banks of Triveni Theerth and this temple is dedicated to Lord Parshuram.

2. Bhuj. With a civilisation dating as far back as 4,000 years ago, Bhuj is the place to be to experience being immersed in different cultures and traditions. Here's a few places worth visiting in Bhuj:

• The Cenotaphs Complex. This is also known as Chattardi and it was made using red sandstones. The Cenotaphs serve as a burial ground for the royal families.

• Kera Temple. The temple is mostly in ruins now but it still remains beautiful despite this.

• Prag Mahal. This was built by Rao Pragmalji II and it took about 10 years to complete this.

• Aina Mahal. Built by Rao Lakhpatji, this is a magnificent palace with several halls. The most beautiful one is the Hall of Mirror with white marble walls and covered with mirrors.

3. Patan. Situated about 130 kms away from Ahmedabad, you'll find Patan. For many years, Patan has enjoyed a status as one of the richest and grandest towns in Gujarat. You will find traces of this in the hundreds of temples and other structures in Patan. Here's some worth visiting:

• Rani Ki Vav. This was built by Rani Udayamti, it's mostly in ruins now. This is a step well and at its time, it's one of the most architecturally beautiful and magnificent. You can still see some parts of the step well in good condition although many are destroyed now.

• Sahastralinga Talav. Built by Siddhraj Jaisingh, this also used to be the grandest water tank in Gujarat. It used to have thousands of shrines outside of it which are all in ruins now.

• Hemachandracharya Gyan Mandir. This contains rare manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit.

• The Mahavir Swami Derasar Temple. The dome is made of wood with some intricate carvings on it.

4. Champaner. This one is about 47 kms away from Vadodara. You'll find that there's a blend of Islamic and Hindu ruins here. Some places worth visiting are:

• The Jama Masjid. This is a fine example of Sultanate architecture. It has two tall minarets at its entrance. They say that it took about a hundred years and more to complete this mosque.

• The Champaner Fort. This was the royal enclosure of Muhammad Begara.

• The Kalika Temple. Dedicated to Goddess Kali, it is situated on the highest point of Pavagadh Hill.

5. Rajkot. This is located on the banks of both Aji River and Niari River. Places to visit are:

• Mahatma Gandhi's House. This is where Gandhi lived when he was six years old onwards. It contains items from when he was still alive.

• The Watson Museum. This contains ancient items during the colonial period and provides a great experience of learning about the Rajkot culture.

• Lal Pari Lake and Randerda. A great spot for having a picnic.

• The Jagat Mandir. A beautiful carved temple made of red sandstone.

• The Lang Library. This has books about the Rajkot history.

I hope this helps!

P.S.

This is not a complete list yet. There's lots more to explore in Gujarat although these are my favourites. Good luck!