Our member, Mr Dipak Kumar Dasgupta, shares his incredible tour experience of Gujarat with Mousumi Gupta.
Gujarat, India’s longest sea-shore state, is well-known for its varied terrain—sacred places, forests, hills and deserts—which has made this state a sought-after destination for tourists from across the country and abroad.
We visited Gujarat a few years ago, but the memories are still afresh. The places we liked the most were Somnath temple Prabhas Pathan, Bet or Beyt Dwarka, Gandhinagar and Gir forest.
Shree Somnath Jyotirling temple or popularly known as Somnath temple, adored by most tourists, specially attracted us because of the intricate and flawless carvings of the skilled artisans of Gujarat. It is famous for one of the 12 lit jyotirlingas - a symbol of Lord Shiva. The guide described how it had been destroyed and rebuilt countless times in the past years.
Millions of devotees come from different parts of the world to seek the Lord’s blessings. The Brahma Kund of Prabhas Pathan, which is spoken in Puranic literature with great reverence, is also known as Triveni Teerth, is another place worth visiting.
Bet Dwarka, a small island located off the coast on the Gulf of Kutch, always stirs curiosity among the tourists, for its mythical claim of being the actual residence of Lord Krishna, as well as the archaeologists because a major part of the island which drowned in the sea owing to continual coastal erosion.
The interesting part is that it is a 15-minute scenic ferry ride from Okha, which is quite comfortable even for elders. The place is also known as Shankhodhar because of its dotted and huge variety of conch shells.
Gandhinagar, the administrative capital of Gujarat, houses many spectacular sightseeing places of which we liked the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple, a grand architectural masterwork and a humble tribute to the sages of Hindu mythology.
The sanctorum embraces a 7-foot tall image of Lord Swaminarayan. It is a paradigm of silence and peace where people are engaged in selfless service to the Lord.
Sabarmati Ashram, on the suburbs of Ahmedabad, is also an interesting place to visit, as it was the residence of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. It has now been transformed into a museum with all the belongings of Gandhiji and the charkha he used in those days.
Gir forest, the royal kingdom for Asiatic lions, is another must-visit place in Gujarat for its wide variety of wildlife and also flora and fauna. This is a fully protected national park, where tourists can watch the wild animals free from captivity and in their natural habitat.
The lip-smacking dishes, the aesthetic art and craft, Gujarat has steeped in a certain charm and history and for us it was a well justified holiday trip.
