14 TOP Best Gujarat famous places

places to visit in gujarat with family

Gujarat was officially formed as a state on 1 May 1960. Gujarat’s leading city, Ahmedabad was the state capital until This bustling industrial and commercial centre also has a fascinating old quarter, redolent with Gujarat’s traditional culture and history.

It is situated on the west coast of India. The state is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Pakistan and Rajasthan in the north and north-east respectively, Madhya Pradesh in the south-east and Maharashtra in the south.

A ‘Krishi Mahotsav’ is organized every year to make farmers aware of the modern technologies and methods of scientific farming. Gujarat is the major producer of cotton, groundnut, and tobacco in the country and provides inputs for important industries like textiles, oil, and soap.

The Calico Museum

Ahmedabad

The museum was established in 1949 by the Sarabhai family, textile mill owners and leading philanthropists of Gujarat.

A major centre of India’s textile trade and industry since the 15th century, Ahmedabad is an appropriate location for this outstanding museum.

The exhibits, most of which date to the 17th and 18th centuries, are displayed in a beautiful old haveli.

Its collection of rare textiles includes royal tents, carpets and costumes; religious paintings on cloth; embroideries, brocades and silk weaves; and Kashmir shawls.

places to visit in gujarat

Adalaj Vav

This place has intricate designs on walls and step well area. You will immerse in the history of time and forget about the world above you.

• A series of beautiful platforms and galleries are built into the sides of the stepwell, all the way down to its subterranean depths.

The stepwells (vavs) of Gujarat are an ingenious answer to the water scarcity in this arid region.

Many of these elaborately ornamented, underground wells are dedicated to deities, acknowledging the hand of God in providing life-sustaining water.

Adalaj Vav, perhaps Gujarat’s finest stepwell, was built in 1499 by Rudabai, the wife of a local chieftain, to conserve water and provide a cool and pleasant ambience for social interaction.

Lothal

• Located 6 km (4 miles) northwest of the confluence of the Sabarmati and Bhogavo rivers, Lothal (literally, “Mound of the Dead”) had a navigable estuary to the sea through the Gulf of Cambay (now Gulf of Khambat), which made it a flourishing port that once traded with Egypt, Persia and Mesopotamia.

The city was surrounded by a mud brick embankment, to protect it from the perennial floods that, in all probability, caused the city’s destruction around 1,900 BC.

Lothal is known as port town of Harappa Civilization. The ruins are preserved and the port is very good to see. The whole place is a sight to behold. The museum is closed with no date present for opening.

Excavations at Lothal have unearthed the remains of a remarkable city of the Indus Valley Civilization that existed 4,500 years ago.

The site reveals the foundations of a well-planned city with blocks of houses, paved drains, channels and wells, and 12 public baths.

Other finds include beautifully made beads and pottery decorated with bird and animal motifs. Seals with intriguing, pictographic writing (as yet undeciphered), and weights and measures were also found here.

Among the prize exhibits in the Archaeological Museum are a copper figurine and a gold-bead necklace.

places to visit in gujarat

Nal Sarovar sanctuary

• A perennial resident is the Sarus crane, the largest species of crane in the world.

Nal Sarovar sanctuary is one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the country.

This is the place near ahmedabad where in every winter many migratory birds visit this place till march or april. You can go in the lake in boat. The Nal Sarovar is spread over a vast area with many island in between. Many documentaries are shoot here for birds. You can see different types of birds and know abput them .

The 115-sq km (44-sq mile) Nal Lake and the surrounding swamp forests are best visited between November and February, when they attract as many as 250 species of waterfowl, including geese, flamingoes, cranes, pelicans, storks, cormorants, ibis and spoonbills. Winter migrants from as far as Siberia, such as the bluish-grey demoiselle crane, also gather here in their hundreds, and can be observed at fairly close quarters.

Unfortunately, pressures on the habitat from the resident fishing communities, and from growing numbers of tourists, are slowly depleting the Nal Lake’s rich variety of birdlife.

Modhera Sun Temple

• The ruins of the old capital, Anhilwada, lie 2 km (1 mile) northwest of Patan, and include an impressive stepwell, Rani ni Vav, and a water tank. The seven- storeyed stepwell ranks with Adalaj Vav as the finest in Gujarat.

The town of Patan was the capital of this region between the 8th and 15th centuries, before Sultan Ahmed Shah moved base to Ahmedabad in 1411.

The temple complex is a must see in Gujarat, and it’s best to take your time to really soak in the majesty of the structures and try to picture the era they were made in, and how this architectural marvel was achieved during that period. it was well worth braving the bustle for.Highly recommend a visit, but please be respectful of the surroundings, keep it clean and avoid littering or doodling you name anywhere in the complex.

At the base are 37 niches, with the elephant god Ganesha carved into them. Nearby, the Sahastralinga Talav, a water tank with 1,000 shrines dedicated to the god Shiva, stands on the banks of the Saraswati river.

Constructed in the 11th century by Queen Udaymati as a memorial to her husband, Bhimdeva, its unique feature is its direct as well as lateral series of steps leading to the water’s edge.

This splendid piece of architecture from the Solanki period (10th–14th centuries), now painstakingly restored, boasts some 800 individual, elaborately carved sculptures.

places to visit in gujarat

Vadodara Museum

The museum is considered to be one of the most famous museums of the country. It was constructed in 1894 and was designed by the famous architect R. F. Chisholm.

Kamati Baug is situated on river Vishwamitri. It was built by SayajiRoa III in 1879 A.D. and covers an extensive area of 113 acres.

The Picture Gallery building was added in 1910 and it houses excellent collection of originals by famous British Painters Turner and constable and many others.

Champaner

• Champaner remained the capital of Gujarat until 1535, when it was conquered by the Mughal emperor Humayun. Thereafter, it fell into gradual decline.

The Pavagadh Fort, at the crest of the 820-m (2,690-ft) high Pavagadh Hill, is 4 km (2 miles) to the southwest of Champaner.

Place of champaner is 40 km from Vadodara, situated near the heel of pavagarh, Pavagarh is a famous tourist as well as religious place where as champaner may not be such a famous place.

The deserted city of Champaner, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is situated at the foot of Pavagadh Hill. Originally the seat of a Rajput Chauhan dynasty, Champaner was conquered by the Muslim ruler Mahmud Begada in 1484. He spent 23 years rebuilding the citadel, adding mosques, palaces and tombs within its massive walls, guarded by huge gateways.

The Jama Masjid, built in 1523, is a large, symmetrical structure with a perfectly proportioned dome. elegant mosque here is the 16th-century Nagina Masjid.

Its richly ornamented exterior with 172 pillars and 30-m (98-ft) high minarets, makes it one of the finest Islamic monuments in western India.

places to visit in gujarat

Daman

• The smaller Rosario Chapel, outside the fort walls, has exquisitely carved wooden panels, depicting scenes from the life of Jesus. The lighthouse, to the north of the fort, affords fine views of the Gulf of Cambay.

Tucked away in the southern tip of Gujarat, adjoining Maharashtra, is the tiny enclave of Daman, which was a Portuguese colony until 1961.

The Damanganga river, which flows into the Arabian Sea, divides the town into two distinct parts Nani Daman (Little Daman), which is dotted with hotels and bars, and Moti Daman (Big Daman), the old Portuguese township. Moti Daman is enclosed within the massive Daman Fort.

Its ten bastions and two gateways date to 1559, and it is ringed by a moat linked to the river.

Daman’s well- preserved churches include the large Bom Jesus Cathedral, which was built in 1603, which has a richly carved portal and an ornamental altar.

Diu

Diu town, sandwiched between the fort to the east and the city wall to the west, retains a distinctly Portuguese atmosphere in its churches and its many mansions

Most famous Places to visit in diu.

1- Ghoghla Beach

2- Diu Fort

3- Jallandhar Beach

4- Nagoa Beach

5- INS khukri Memorial (war btwn India Pakistan 1971)

6- Gangeshwar Mahadev (tried visit during full moon – poonam)

7- St Paul’s Church

The little island of Diu covers an area of just 39 sq km (15 sq miles). Once known as the “Gibraltar of the East”, it was a flourishing Portuguese colony from the 16th century onwards.

It was ceded to India in 1961 and is today a Union Territory administered by the Central Government.

The majestic Diu Fort on the eastern end of the island dominates the town. Built in 1535, when the Portuguese took control of Diu, it is worth a visit for its impressive double moat, its old cannons and for the superb views of the sunset it offers.

The Nagar Seth Haveli is particularly outstanding, with carved balconies and stone lions.

The Church of St Paul (built in 1610) has a lovely, carved wooden altar, statues of the saints and a sonorous old organ. Its impressive Gothic façade was rebuilt in 1807.

places to visit in gujarat

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Sasan Gir National Park

• A number of rivers wind through Gir, making it a haven for a range of wildlife, including the caracal, the chausingha (four-horned antelope), the blackbuck and a substantial leopard population.

Until the early 1900s, the Asiatic lion roamed vast areas of India, from Gujarat all the way to Bihar in the east. Now, the Sasan Gir National Park is the lion’s only habitat outside Africa.

Asiatic lions are smaller than African ones, with a fold of skin along the belly.

The males have shorter manes. About 320 lions live in Gir’s 259 sq km (100 sq miles) of dry scrub forest. By the early 1900s, the Asiatic lion had been hunted and poached almost to the point of extinction.

Their remarkable resurgence in Gir is attributed to the conservation efforts of the erstwhile Nawab of Junagadh and, subsequently, the Gujarat state government.

Junagadh

Junagadh, which means “Old Fort”, takes its name from the ancient fort of Uparkot, built in the 4th century on a plateau at the eastern edge of the town.

The fort is surrounded by massive walls, over 20 m (66 ft) high in places, and a 90-m (295-ft) deep moat inside the walls. This once teemed with crocodiles that were fed on criminals and political enemies. An ornate, triple-arched gateway marks the entrance to the fort. Inside, a cobbled path leads past Hindu temples to the now deserted Jama Masjid at the top of the plateau. Its carved stonework and pillars show that it was constructed on the remains of a destroyed Hindu temple.

Nearby is a cluster of Buddhist caves dating to the 2nd century. The fort also has two fine 11th-century stepwells, the Navghan Kuan and the Adi Charan Vav.

places to visit in gujarat Junagadh

Dwarka

Legend has it that about 5,000 years ago, Lord Krishna forsook his kingdom at Mathura and came to live on the seafront at Dwarka, where he founded a glittering new city.

It is believed that the city was subsequently submerged under the sea. Whether or not this is myth or fact, excavations of the seabed have indeed established the existence of a submerged city in the vicinity of Dwarka. Hindu pilgrims flock to Dwarka throughout the year.

The city’s main temple is the towering Dwarkadhish Temple, dating to the 16th century. Built of granite and sandstone on a plinth area of 540 m (1,772 ft), it is supported by 60 pillars and rises seven storeys to an impressive height of 51 m (167 ft). Situated a short distance to its east is the small, lavishly carved Rukmini Temple.

Built in the 12th century, it is dedicated to Krishna’s wife.

Bhuj

• Until the earthquake of January 2001 reduced much of Bhuj to rubble, this was a fascinating walled city, with beautiful palaces and havelis, and a bazaar famous for its rich handicrafts and jewellery.

Bhuj was the capital of the prosperous princely state of Kutch, whose wealth derived from its sea trade with East Africa and the Persian Gulf ports. African slaves were an important part of Kutch’s maritime trade, and their many descendants still live in the city.

Shipwrecked off the East African coast as a 12-year-old, he was rescued by a Dutch ship and taken to the Netherlands, where he spent the next 17 years.

The town’s main attraction was the Darbargadh Palace complex, which houses the fabulous Aina Mahal or “Palace of Mirrors”. Built in 1752, it was damaged in the 2001 earthquake but has now been extensively renovated. The palace and its contents are linked to the remarkable life of its Gujarati architect, Ramsinh Malam.

The royal cenotaphs, the Swaminarayan Temple and the bazaar are now unfor- tunately in ruins, but the excellent Folk Arts Museum still stands. It has a choice collection of Kutch textiles and local crafts, and a reconstructed village of Rabari bhoongas.

places to visit in gujarat bhuj

Mandvi

• In the town is the curious 18th-century Old Palace of the Kutch rulers (now a girls’ school).

This old port town has fine beaches, good swimming, and camel and horse rides along the shore. Close to the beach is the Vijay Vilas Palace, an impressive Indo Edwardian pile built in the 1940s as a royal summer retreat.

Architecturally a blend of local and European styles, it has a façade decorated with cherubic Dutch boys holding wine goblets – architect Ramsinh Malam’s touching salute to his adopted country.

Its lovely garden, drawing room and rooftop terrace are open to visitors and provide beautiful views of the sea.

places to visit in gujarat