Chill out Places around Gujarat, India

Taranga hills, Mehsana, Gujarat, India

Distance: - 130kms

How to get there: - take the Ahmadabad – Mehasana road and turn right on Visnagar road and then drive 20 km from Vadnagar.

About the place: - Taranga is a three peaked hill. The river Rupen flows along the Taranga Hills, Taranga is considered one of the most important Shvetambar Jain temple, one of the five most important Mahatirthas of the Jains.

What to do there: - Apart from visiting the Jain Temples explore the lost fort of Anartpur on Taranga Hills. Here are the recently discovered Tantrik Buddhist caves which are a maze. The main idols enshrined in the Taranmata and Dharanmata temples are of Buddhist goddess Tara.

Champaner – Pavagadh, Gujarat, India

Distance 150kms

How to get there: - take Ahmadabad – Vadodara expressway and take exit towards Vadodara – Halol Highway (state highway -87)

About the place: - there are many Hindu and Jain temples a thousand years old, mosques from the time of the Gujarat Sultanate.

What to do there: - Enjoy the architectural wonder while taking a stroll through the fort, mosques and religious places.

Lothal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Distance 80kms

How to get there: - take the Ahmadabad – Rajkot highway and turn left from Vataman Crossroads.

About the place: - one of the most important remnants of Harrapan town planning. The unique lock gated dockyard is perhaps the greatest in maritime architecture from the ancient world. The site is located on the banks of the river Sabarmati.

What to do there: - a museum outside the historical site is stocked with priceless artifacts.

Modhera Sun temple, Mehsana, Gujarat, India 

Distance 96 kms

How to get there: - take Ahmadabad – Mehsana, highway, take road towards Becharji when you reach 

Mehsana.

About the Place: - the exclusively carved temple complex and the magnificently sculpted kund are jewels in the art of masonry of the Solanki period.

What to do: - as you enter the historical complex, you first come across a magnificent kund. And a historical adventure begins!

Rani Ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat, India 

Distance 126 kms

How to get there: - take Ahmadabad – Mehsana highway and turn onwards left on Patan road.

About the place: - its greatest reminder of the golden period of Gujarat under the Solanki Kings.

What to do there: - the patola sari is one of the finest hand woven saris produced today and is woven in Patan town you could visit some of the families that make them. A patola sari takes 4 to 6 months to make. Apart from Ran ki Vav there are lakes which include historically and archeologically important Sahstralling Sarovar.

Vadnagar, Gujarat, India

Distance 103 kms

How to get there: - take the Ahmadabad – Mehsana road and turn right on Visnagar Road.

About the Place:- it is an ancient city in Gujarat and its known history goes back to 2,500 BC.

What to do there: - The town is punctuated with waters of Shakti Tirth stream cures one of leprosy. The town was earlier called Chamatkarpur as it was home of the famous rishi Yagyavalkya or “Master of the Vedas”.

Courtesy:- Times Of India

Destination Gujarat

Gujarat is richly rewarding tourism destination offering travelers a wide range of holiday possibilities. The state has a fascinating architectural heritage with some impressive and some distinctive monuments embracing Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, Jain and European styles, a wide variety of sceneries ranging from desert areas of Kutch and Surendranagar districts in the northwest to the hill resort of Saputara in the moist of the forests of Dangs district to Gujarat’s southeast, and a long coastline with lovely beaches, shore temples, historic coastal cities, seaside palaces and India’s first Marine National Park.

Gujarat has an excellent tourism infrastructure with more operational infrastructure with more operational airports than most other states of India, High-rail connectivity with most state capitals of India and withion the state, some of India’s best highways, good cell phones and broadband networks, entertainment complexes like waterparks, amusement areas, multiplexes, malls and food courts, and accommodations ranging from star rated hotels in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Gandhidham, Bhuj, Bhavnagar and other major business centers to palaces, forts, havelis and mansions converted into heritage hotels, wildlife resorts and eco-camps near Gir National Park, Velavadar National Park, Little Rann Of Kutch, Banni, Jambudhoda and Kilad (near Vansda National Park), rural resorts, and Hindu, Jain and Parsee dharamshalas at the respective pilgrimage destinations.

Gujarat has important sites of Harrapan Civilisation which thrived from 2600 to 1600 BC in various parts of Indus Valley and Gujarat. Some of best known sites of this civilization in Gujarat are Dholavira, which is one of the largest Harappan sites in India, and Lothal which reflects one of the most mature phases of the civilization in its own planning, drainage systems and dockyard.

Some of India’s finest Hindu temples can be seen in Gujarat including the 11th century Modhera Sun Temple built during the reign of Solanki rulers. During this period exquisitely carved Jain Temples were built at Girnar, Taranga and Kumbhariyaji. The Gujarat Sultanate developed an Indo Saracenic architectural style blending elements of Islamic and Hindu architecture.

Good examples of this architectural style are the 15th century mosques of Ahmedabad and the 16th century monuments of Champaner, a world heritage site.

Gujarat is known for its silk, cotton and wool weaving, the diversity of embroidery techniques seen in its village, bandhani or tie-and-die, block-printing, appliqué, beadwork, woodcarving, metalwork, terra cotta handicrafts and tribal crafts.

These handicraft skills can best be experienced by coinciding a visit to Gujarat with one of the many fairs and festivals that occur in the state when people dress in their brightest attires and sport artistic jewellery, and marts come up for the sale of handicrafts. Whether it is Janmashtami at the holy town of Dwarka, Shivratri at the Bhavnath Mahadev Temple near Junagadh or Holi in the tribal areas of Chhota Udepur taluka, the livestock fair at Vautha during the full moon period of Kartika Poornima or the tribal fair at Chitra Vichitra on the moonless night of Amawas after Holi, Navratri when millions across the state dance to traditional music or Makar Sankranti (Uttarayana) when the terraces throng with people flying kites, festivals in Gujarat are vibrant and participatory. Gujarat welcomes travelers to enjoy the festivities in the state.

Besides cultural heritage tourism, Gujarat is also a delightful destination for the eco-traveler. It is the abode of endangered wildlife like the Asiatic Lion and Indian Wild Ass not seen elsewhere, Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, White-backed and Long-billed Vultures, and rare marine species.

For the religious traveler, Gujarat has some of the most important Hindu, Jain and Parse temples in India.

Dholavira

DHOLAVIRA
An archeological site situated in the Kutch district and surrounded by the formidable Rann of Kutch, Dholavira was once an important part of the Harappan Civilization. This fortified city was ruled by fiercely protective men from 2900 BC to 1500 BC. The Harappan settlement found here is one of the major five significant sites unearthed so far. Dholavira, stretching over 50 hectares of semiarid land, had a heavily fortified citadel; followed by a middle town and a lower town.

It is an excavated site of Harrapan period. It is about 250kms from Bhuj, which has air connections to Mumbai, and approximately 212kms from Gandhidham, an important railhead. There are 3 and 4 star accommodations in and around Gandhidham. The formidable Rann Of Kutch, a seasonably marshy region located on the northwestern side of Gujarat surrounds Dholavira.

Dwarka

DWARKA
It is on the west coast of Gujarat on the shore of Arabian sea, features is the most of legends surrounding Lord Krishna. It is from here that Lord Krishna is supposed to have ruled his kingdom. Dwarka is a significant pilgrimage site for Hindus. Dwarka is sanctified as the place where Lord Vishnu slew the demon Shankhasura. Pilgrimage attractions in Dwarka Temple, Rukmini Devi Temple, Gomati Ghat Temples and the Bhalka Tirth.
Dwarka is located at 104kms from Jamnagar Airport. Jamnagar has private hotels and Gujarat tourism’s Toran Group Of Hotels. Other places of attraction include Bet Dwarka, Nageshwar Jyotiling Temple, etc.

Adalaj ni Vav

ADALAJ NI VAV
The stepwell at the village of Adalaj, situated 17kms north of Ahmedabad, is a fine example of water architecture. The Adalaj Vav is richly carved, every pillar and wall structure covered with leaves and flowers, birds and fishes and frezies of ornamental designs. The five storeyed Octogonal shaft- wonderful sculptures of a king seated on a stool beneath a parasol with two bears, gods, goddesses, dancing maidens, musicians, birds, animals, leaves one spellbound. From the steps of the well one can literally feel the presence of royal ladies peeping outside the intricately carved Jharukhas.
Adalaj ni Vav is located at 10kms from Ahmedabad airport. 3 to 5 stars and heritage hotels provide comfortable staying options. Other places of attraction include Infocity and Akshardham.

Vadnagar

VADNAGAR NU TORAN
The ‘Toran’, called the ‘Kirti Toran’ is a semi-religious or civic form that flourished under the Solanki rule in Gujarat. Two of the finest examples are at Vadnagar. Of the two, the one that stood at what was the edifice of Rewah, is a truly imposing structure. Almost complete and a typical example of its kind, it rises to a total height of 40 feet. All the parts forming the ‘toran’ are devised on the same principles as those employed in the temple design.

Ranki Vav

RANKI VAV

A jewel of architecture in Patan is about 150kms fromAhmedabad. There are hotels in town. A place nearest to Patan is Siddhpur at about 50kms. Siddhpur is a historical place, located in north Gujarat on the banks of Saraswati River, considered to be the branch of lost Saraswati River.

Ranki Vav, also known as Rani-Ki-Vav, the step-well at Patan in Gujarat, was constructed by Queen Udyamati in the 11th century AD. The sculptural art of Ranki Vav is of deep understanding and divine glory. The sculptures explain all aspects of life and the eternal wisdom of divinity is shared with the viewers. A casual look at these sculptures may indicate that the figures of apsaras are dancing figures. But a detailed examination and analysis convey a deeper philosophical message. It is a sincere attempt to relate physical health to spiritual well-being.Ranki Vav is located at 140km from Ahmedabad Airport. Ahmedabad hotels provide comfortable staying options. Other Places of attractions include Saraswati River.