Hidden Treasures of Gujarat

No other place in Gujarat is so praised than Vadodara its most spoilt child. Nestled on the banks of River Vishwamitri, this city has some of the most scenic views packed for the wanderers like the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Champaner and Pavagadh. Coming to the history, the city has seen many a ruler from Mughals, Pathans, Hindus, and Marathas who left their impact in a way which can be seen in the language, the architecture, and the culture and traditions. Tourist places like Laxmi Vilas Palace, Sayaji Baug, Aurobindo Ashram keep travellers entertained while they try the food and source the famous fabrics in the city.

Holding utmost importance for Jain Dharma, this city in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat is what every pilgrim’s dream of visiting at least once in his life. It is a land which is home to Mount Shatrunjaya where lies the largest number of temples in the world and the place where the first Jain Tirthankaras, Ādinātha is believed to have meditated. Palitana lends its travellers a rejuvenating experience which no other place in the whole of Gujarat possibly can.

Gujarat doesn’t leave any stone unturned and when it comes to the variety of flora and fauna it shelters, the western state is no doubt a paradise. Giving a shelter to the endangered species of Asiatic Lions, Blackbucks and Wild asses under one roof, the Sasan Gir also known as Gir National Park is the saviour of the wild in West India. In an area of 1412 sq km the forest and national park houses 2,375 distinct fauna species out of which there are 300 avifauna species and 400 plant species. A safari in one of the oldest sanctuaries in India is bound to be packed with fun and thrill for wildlife lovers.

Surrounded with the prayers of innumerable devotees and their love is the Somnath Temple, one of the first twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is believed that the prismatic shrine is the place where Hiran, Kapil, and Sarasvati, the three important rivers meet and hence is a Triveni Sangam. Legend has it that the Moon-god, Soma (another name for Lord Shiva) took a dip in the River Sarasvati, to get rid of the curse upon him which caused the loss of his shine. After being brought down to ruins many a time, it was later in the year 1951 that this temple got back its radiance all thanks to Vallabhbhai Patel.

A sudden calmness flows over the Little Rann of Kutch whenever travellers come here to see the Indian wild ass to whom this land provides shelter. Some call it just a salt marsh sharing space with the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, but only the wildlife lovers understand its value as an Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary. Blanketed over an area 5000 square kilometers, the Little Rann of Kutch is the spot where locals raise groundwater and convert it into salt; the desert which gives equal space to migratory waterbirds, land birds and also some less seen mammals like Indian wolf, nilgai, and desert fox.

It is impossible to sit back and picturise the beauty of Patan from a faraway corner. It is only when travellers come all the way to this land which was the capital of Gujarat for six straight centuries that they realise the essence Patan embodies. Named as Anhilpur Patan after the friend of Vanraj Chavda, the king of Chavda Kingdom, the city was not as rustic as it seems as it was brought down to ashes by Ala-Ud-Din Khilji around 1300. A traveller covering Gujarat would probably come here to sightsee Rani ki Vav, Patan Patola Heritage Museum, Patan City Museum and most of all the Patan silk textiles.

A vision of its kind, which has been pulling in travellers from far corners of India, is none other than Nashik. The is one of those cities which as much as it’s dipped in spirituality has its say in other aspects of tourism. As the day goes by in taking a religious tour to Kalaram Temple, Kapleshwar Temple, Navshya Temple, and Ganga Godavari Temple, rest of the day is spent sharing some time close to the Godavari river and at the aromatic vineyard that Nashik possesses with pride, for it is one of the best in the country.