Gujarat is home to the Gujarati people. It was also the home of Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel, who preached unity between all religions and became a worldwide figure for peaceful struggle against tyranny.
The state of Gujarat is in the Western India region of India. Lothal, near Ahmedabad and Dholavira. Near Kutch are sites of the Harappan (Indus) civilisation, which is over 4000 years old. Gujarat is known for the Stepped Wells, Jain Temples, Asiatic Lion and it's business-oriented people.
Gujarat is a state in Western India,It has an area of 196,024 km2 (75,685 sq mi) with a coastline of 1,600 km (990 mi), most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula, and a population in excess of 60 million.
The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west.
Its capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is the native place to the Gujarati-speaking people of India.
The state encompasses some sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, such as Lothal, Dholavira, and Gola Dhoro. Lothal is believed to be one of the world's first seaports.
Gujarat's coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch and Khambhat, served as ports and trading centers in the Maurya and Gupta empires, and during the succession of royal Saka dynasties from the Western Satraps era.
Modern-day Gujarat is derived from Sanskrit term Gurjaradesa, the Gurjar nation. Parts of modern Rajasthan and Gujarat have been known as Gurjaratra or Gurjarabhumi or land of the Gurjars for centuries before the Mughal period.
Gujarat was one of the main centres of the Indus Valley Civilization. It contains ancient metropolitan cities from the Indus Valley such as Lothal, Dholavira, and Gola Dhoro. The ancient city of Lothal was where India's first port was established.
The ancient city of Dholavira is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological sites in India, belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. The most recent discovery was Gola Dhoro. Altogether, about 50 Indus Valley settlement ruins have been discovered in Gujarat.
The ancient history of Gujarat was enriched by the commercial activities of its inhabitants. There is clear historical evidence of trade and commerce ties with Egypt, Bahrain and Sumer in the Persian Gulf during the time period of 1000 to 750 BC.
There was a succession of Hindu and Buddhist states such as the Mauryan Dynasty, Western Satraps, Satavahana dynasty, Gupta Empire, Chalukya dynasty, Rashtrakuta Empire, Pala Empire and Gurjara-Pratihara Empire, as well as local dynasties such as the Maitrakas and then the Chaulukyas.
Gujarat borders Pakistan's Sindh province to the northwest, is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the state of Rajasthan to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and by Maharashtra, Union territories of Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south.
Historically, the north was known as Anarta, the Kathiawar peninsula, "Saurastra", and the south as "Lata".Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna.The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast.
The capital, Gandhinagar is a planned city. Gujarat has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,030 km2) with the longest coast line 24% of Indian sea coast 1,600 kilometres (990 mi), dotted with 41 ports: one major, 11 intermediate and 29 minor.
The Sabarmati is the largest river in Gujarat followed by the Tapi, although the Narmada covers the longest distance in its passage through the state. The Sardar Sarovar Project is built on the Narmada River, one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of around 1,312 kilometres (815 mi).
It is one of only three rivers in peninsular India that run from east to west – the others being the Tapi River and the Mahi River. A riverfront project has been built on the Sabarmati River.
While Gujarati speakers constitute a majority of Gujarat's population, the metropolitan areas of Ahmedabad and Surat are cosmopolitan, with numerous other ethnic and language groups. Marwaris compose large minorities of economic migrants; smaller communities of people from the other states of India has also migrated to Gujarat for employment.
Portuguese, Anglo-Indians, Jews and Parsis also live in the areas. Sindhi presence is traditionally important here following the loss of Sindh after the Partition of India in 1947.
According to 2011 census, the religious makeup in Gujarat was 88.6% Hindu, 9.7% Muslim, 1.0% Jain, 0.5% Christian, 0.1% Sikh, 0.05% Buddhist and 0.03% others. Around 0.1% did not state any religion.Hinduism is the major religion of the state, as about 89% population of the state is Hindu.
A major part of the Hindu population follow Vaishnavism.Muslims are the biggest minority in the state accounting for 9.5% of the population. Gujarat has the third-largest population of Jains in India, following Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
The Zoroastrians, also known in India as Parsi and Irani, are believed to have migrated to Gujarat to escape adverse conditions in Persia and maintain their traditions.
They have also played an instrumental role in economic development, with several of the best-known business conglomerates of India run by Parsi-Zoroastrians, including the Tata, Godrej, and Wadia families. There is a small Jewish community centred around Magen Abraham Synagogue.
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language evolved from Sanskrit and local Prakrits, and is part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is native to the Indian state of Gujarat, and is its main language, as well as of the adjacent union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
About 59 million people speak Gujarati, making it the 26th most-spoken native language in the world. Along with Romani, Kutchi, and Sindhi, it is amongst the most western of Indo-Aryan languages.
The majority of the population in the state can speak Gujarati. People from the Kutch region of Gujarat also speak in the Kutchi mother tongue, and to a great extent appreciate Sindhi as well. Memoni is the mother tongue of Kathiawar and Sindhi Memons, most of them who are exclusively Muslims.
Almost 88% of the Gujarati Muslims speak Gujarati as their mother tongue, whilst the other 12% speak Urdu.
A sizeable proportion of Gujarati Muslims are bilingual in both languages; Islamic academic institutions (Darul Uloom) place a high prestige on learning Urdu and Arabic, with students' memorising the Quran and ahadith, and emphasising the oral and literary importance of mastering these languages as a compulsory rite of religion.
Other native languages spoken in low proportions are Bhili and Gamit, which are spoken exclusively among the tribals.
Apart from this, English, Marwari, Sindhi, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Odia, Malayalam, Marathi and others are spoken by a considerable number of economic migrants who have flocked to the state in recent decades seeking employment and higher standards of living.
During the British Raj, Gujarati businesses served to play a major role to enrich the economy of Karachi and Mumbai.Major agricultural produce of the state includes cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), dates, sugar cane, milk and milk products. Industrial products include cement and petrol.
According to a 2009 report on economic freedom by the Cato Institute, Gujarat is the first most free state in India the second one being Tamil Nadu.Reliance Industries operates the oil refinery at Jamnagar, which is the world's largest grass-roots refinery at a single location.
The world's largest shipbreaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at Alang. India's only Liquid Chemical Port Terminal at Dahej, developed by Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Co Ltd. Gujarat has two of the three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the country (Dahej and Hazira). Two more LNG terminals are proposed, at Pipavav and Mundra.
Gujrat has 85% village connectivity with all‐weather roads.Nearly 100% of Gujarat's 18,000 villages have been connected to the electrical grid for 24-hour power to households and eight hours of power to farms, through the Jyotigram Yojana.
As of 2015, Gujarat ranks first nationwide in gas-based thermal electricity generation with a national market share of over 8%, and second nationwide in nuclear electricity generation with national market share of over 1%.
More than 900,000 internet users and all villages are connected with broadband internet.The state registered 12.8% agricultural growth in the last five years against the national average of 2%.
Gujarat records highest decadal agricultural growth rate of 10.97%. Over 20% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Gujarat.As per RBI report, in year 2006–07, 26% out of total bank finance in India was in Gujarat.
In a July 2011 report, The Economist referred to Gujarat as India's Guangdong.
Gujarat's major cities include Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar. In 2010, Forbes list of the world's fastest growing cities included Ahmedabad at number 3 after Chengdu and Chongqing from China.
The state is rich in calcite, gypsum, manganese, lignite, bauxite, limestone, agate, feldspar, and quartz sand, and successful mining of these minerals is done in their specified areas.
Jamnagar is the hub for manufacturing brass parts. Gujarat produces about 98% of India's required amount of soda ash, and gives the country about 78% of the national requirement of salt.
It is one of India's most prosperous states, having a per-capita GDP significantly above India's average. Kalol, Khambhat, and Ankleshwar are today known for their oil and natural gas production.
Dhuvaran has a thermal power station, which uses coal, oil, and gas. Also, on the Gulf of Khambhat, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Bhavnagar, is the Alang Ship Recycling Yard which is the world's largest.
General Motors manufactures its cars at Halol near Vadodara, Tata Motors manufactures the Tata Nano from Sanand near Ahmedabad, and AMW trucks are made near Bhuj. Surat, a city by the Gulf of Khambhat, is a hub of the global diamond trade. In 2003, 92% of the world's diamonds were cut and polished in Surat.
Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) spread across 453,000 square hectares—in Bharuch.
Gujarat is one of the first few states in India to have encouraged private-sector investment, some of which are already in operation.In addition, the liquid cargo (chemicals) handling port at Dahej is also set up in joint sector and made operational.
At an investor's summit entitled Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit, arranged between 11 and 13 January 2015, at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, the state government signed 21000 Memoranda of Understanding for Special Economic Zones worth a total of ₹ 2.5 million crores,short scale.
However, most of the investment was from domestic industry.In the fourth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit held at Science City, Ahmedabad, in January 2009, there were 600 foreign delegates.
In all, 8668 MOUs worth ₹ 12500 billion were signed, estimated to create 2.5 million new job opportunities in the state.In 2011, Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit MOUs worth ₹ 21 trillion (US$ 463 billion) were signed.
Gujarat is state with surplus electricity.The Kakrapar Atomic Power Station(KAPS) is a nuclear power station run by NPCIL that lies in the proximity of the city of Surat. Recently, the Gujarat Government has upgraded its installed capacity of 13,258 megawatts (MW) by adding another 3,488 MW.
According to the official sources, against demand of 40,793 million units during the nine months since April 2010, Gujarat produced 43,848 million units. Gujarat sold surplus power to 12 states: Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Gujarati folk music, known as Sugam Sangeet, is a hereditary profession of the Barot, Gadhvi and Charan communities. The omnipresent instruments in Gujarati folk music include wind instruments, such as turi, bungal, and pava, string instruments, such as the ravan hattho, ektaro, and jantar and percussion instruments, such as the manjira and zanz pot drum.
The folk traditions of Gujarat include bhavai and raas-garba. Bhavai is a folk theatre; it is partly entertainment and partly ritual, and is dedicated to Amba. The raas-garba is a folk dance done as a celebration of Navratri by Gujarati people. The folk costume of this dance is chaniya choli for women and kedia for men.
Different styles and steps of garba include dodhiyu, simple five, simple seven, popatiyu, trikoniya hand movement which forms an imagery triangle, lehree, tran taali, butterfly, hudo, two claps and many more Sheri garba is one of the oldest form of garba where all the ladies wear red patola sari and sing along while dancing.
It is a very graceful form of garba. Makar Sankranti is a festival where people of Gujarat fly kites. In Gujarat, from December through to Makar Sankranti, people start enjoying kite flying. Undhiyu, a special dish made of various vegetables, is a must-have of Gujarati people on Makar Sankranti.
Surat is especially well known for the strong string which is made by applying glass powder on the row thread to provide it a cutting edge. Apart from Navratri and Uttarayana, Diwali, Holi, Tazia and others are also celebrated.
Due to close proximity to the Arabian Sea, Gujarat has developed a mercantile ethos which maintained a cultural tradition of seafaring, long-distance trade, and overseas contacts with the outside world since ancient times, and the diffusion of culture through Gujarati diaspora was a logical outcome of such a tradition.
During the pre-modern period, various European sources have observed that these merchants formed diaspora communities outside of Gujarat, and in many parts of the world, such as the Persian Gulf, Middle East, Horn of Africa, Hong Kong and Indonesia long before the internal rise of the Maratha Dynasty, and the British Raj colonial occupation.
Early 1st-century Western historians such as Strabo and Dio Cassius are testament to Gujarati people's role in the spread of Buddhism in the Mediterranean, when it was recorded that the sramana monk Zarmanochegas of Barygaza met Nicholas of Damascus in Antioch while Augustus was ruling the Roman Empire, and shortly thereafter proceeded to Athens where he burnt himself to death in an act to demonstrate his faith.
A tomb was made to the sramana, still visible in the time of Plutarch, which bore the mention "The sramana master from Barygaza in India".
The progenitor of the Sinhala language is believed to be Prince Vijaya, son of King Simhabahu who ruled Simhapura the modern-day Sihor near Bhavnagar.Prince Vijaya was banished by his father for his lawlessness and set forth with a band of adventurers.
This tradition was followed by other Gujaratis. For example, in the Ajanta Frescoes, a Gujarati prince is shown entering Sri Lanka.
Many Indians had migrated to Indonesia, most of them being Gujaratis. King Aji Saka, who is said to have come to Java in Indonesia in year 1 of the Saka calendar, is believed by some to be a king of Gujarat.
The first Indian settlements in Java Island of Indonesia are believed to have been established with the coming of Prince Dhruvavijaya of Gujarat, with 5000 traders.Some stories propose a Brahmin named Tritresta was the first to bring Gujarati migrants with him to Java, so some scholars equate him with Aji Saka. A Gujarati ship has been depicted in a sculpture at Borabudur, Java.
Gujarat is one of the most popular states in India for tourism with an annual footfall of 19.81 million tourists in 2010–11. It offers scenic beauty from the Great Rann of Kutch to the hills of Saputara and is the sole home of pure Asiatic lions in the world.
During the historic reigns of the sultans, Hindu craftsmanship blended with Islamic architecture, giving rise to the Indo-Saracenic style. Many structures in the state are built in this fashion.
It is also the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, great iconic figures of India's Independence movement. Amitabh Bachchan is currently the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism. The Khushboo Gujarat Ki campaign by Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has enhanced tourism in Gujarat by 14 per cent, twice that of national growth rate.
Gujarat has a variety of museums on different genres that are run by the state's Department of Museums located at the principal state museum, Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery in Vadodara,which is also the location of the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum.
The Kirti Mandir, Porbandar, Sabarmati Ashram, and Kaba Gandhi No Delo are museums related to Mahatma Gandhi, the former being the place of his birth and the latter two where he lived in his lifetime.
Kaba Gandhi No Delo in Rajkot exhibits part of a rare collection of photographs relating to the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Sabarmati Ashram is the place where Gandhi initiated the Dandi March. On 12 March 1930 he vowed that he would not return to the Ashram until India won independence.
The Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum is housed within Lakshmi Vilas Palace, the residence of the erswhile Maharajas, located in Vadodara.
The Calico Museum of Textiles is managed by the Sarabhai Foundation and is one of the most popular tourist spots in Ahmedabad.
The Lakhota Museum at Jamnagar is a palace transformed into museum, which was residence of the Jadeja Rajputs. The collection of the museum includes artefacts spanning from 9th to 18th centuries, pottery from medieval villages nearby and the skeleton of a whale.
Other well known museums in the state include the Kutch Museum in Bhuj, which is the oldest museum in Gujarat founded in 1877, the Watson Museum of human history and culture in Rajkot, Gujarat Science City and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad.
Religious sites play a major part in the tourism of Gujarat. Somnath is the first amongst twelve Jyotirlingas, and is mentioned in the Rigveda. The Palitana temples of Jainism on Mount Shatrunjaya, Palitana are considered the holiest of all pilgrimage places by the Svetambara and Digambara Jain community.
The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque and Jama Masjid are holy mosques for Gujarati Muslims. The Sun Temple, Modhera is a ticketed monument, handled by the Archaeological Survey of India.Dwarakadheesh Temple and Dakor holy pilgrimage sites are for devotees of Lord Krishna. Other religious sites in state include Mahudi, Shankheshwar, Ambaji, Dakor, Shamlaji, Chotila etc.
A five-day festival is held during Maha Shivaratri at the fort of Girnar, Junagadh, known as the Bhavanth Mahadev Fair. The Kutch Festival or Rann Festival is a festival celebrated at Kutch during Mahashivratri.
The Modhra Dance Festival is a festival for classical dance, arranged by the Government of Gujarat's Cultural Department, to promote tourism in state and to keep traditions and culture alive.
The Ambaji Fair is held in the Hindu month of Bhadrapad around August–September at Ambaji, during a time which is particularly suitable for farmers, when the busy monsoon season is about to end. The Bhadrapad fair is held at Ambaji which is in the Danta Taluka of Banaskantha district, near the Gujarat-Rajasthan border.
The walk from the bus station to the temple is less than one kilometre, under a roofed walkway. Direct buses are available from many places, including Mount Abu (45 km away), Palanpur (65 km away), Ahmedabad and Idar.
The Bhadrapad fair is held in the centre of the Ambaji village just outside the temple premises. The village is visited by the largest number of sanghas (pilgrim groups) during the fair.
Many of them go there on foot, which is particularly enriching as it happens immediately after the monsoon, when the landscape is rich with greenery, streams are full of sparkling water and the air is fresh.
About 1.5 million devotees are known to attend this fair each year from all over the world. Not only Hindus, but some devout Jains and Parsis also attend the functions, whilst some Muslims attend the fair for trade.
The Tarnetar Fair is held during the first week of Bhadrapad,September–October according to Gregorian calendar, and mostly serves as a place to find a suitable bride for tribal people from Gujarat.
The region is believed to be the place where Arjuna took up the difficult task of piercing the eye of a fish, rotating at the end of a pole, by looking at its reflection in the pond water, to marry Draupadi.
Other fairs in Gujarat include Dang Durbar, Shamlaji Fair, Chitra Vichitra Fair, Dhrang Fair and Vautha Fair.
The Government of Gujarat has banned alcohol since 1960.Gujarat government collected the Best State Award for Citizen Security by IBN7 Diamond States on 24 December 2012.
According to the India State of Forest Report 2011, Gujarat has 9.7% of its total geographical area under forest cover.As per the districts, The Dangs has the largest area under forest cover.
Gujarat has four national parks and 21 sanctuaries. It is the only home of Asiatic lions and outside Africa, is the only present natural habitat of lions. Gir Forest National Park in the southwest part of the state covers part of the lions' habitat.
Apart from lions, Indian leopards are also found in state. They are spread across the large plains of Saurashtra and the mountains of South Gujarat.
Other National parks include Vansda National Park, Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar and Narara Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutchh, Jamnagar.
Wildlife sanctuaries include: Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary, Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Porbandar Bird Sanctuary, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary, Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Anjal, Balaram-Ambaji, Barda, Jambughoda, Khavda, Paniya, Purna, Rampura, Ratan Mahal, and Surpaneshwar.
Gujarat has some of the major mountain ranges of India, including Aravalli, Sahyadri (Western Ghats), Vindhya and Saputara. Apart from this Gir hills, Barda, Jessore, Chotila, etc. are situated in different parts of Gujarat. Girnar is the tallest peak and Saputara is the only hill-station in the state.
In the early 1980s, palaeontologists found dinosaur bones and fossils of at least 13 species Balasinor in Kheda District.
Gujarat (North Gujarat, Central Gujarat, South Gujarat)
It contains the three biggest cities of Gujarat state - Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodra.
Saurashtra - It was never incorporated into British India. Instead it survived as more than 200 princely states until Independence. It consists of the districts of Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Amreli, Rajkot, Junagadh, Jamnagar and Porbandar.
Kutch - The largest district in the state and the largest district of the country. The main city is Bhuj.
Gujarat's most populated cities:
Gandhinagar — administrative capital of Gujarat, city of Akshardham Temple and the second planned Green City
Ahmedabad — Manchester of the East, commercial capital of Gujarat, home of Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram and the world’s finest textile museum
Bhavnagar — busy industrial centre, base for journeys to nearby sites
Jamnagar — home to the world’s largest Grass-Root Refinery complex
Junagadh — city of ancient Ashokan Stone Edicts
Rajkot — former capital of the state of Saraushtra
Surat — Diamond City, famous for mouth watering Surati food
Vadodara — Cultured City, Oxford of Gujarat
Places of interest:
- Pirotan Island
- Gir Forest National Park
- Dholavira - Harappan (Indus) Civilization Site.
- White Desert of Kutch - A desert created by nature with Salty soil in Kutchh district.
- Taranga Hills - Wildlife Sanctuary and Jain Pilgrimage Center
- Polo Forest - Wildlife Sanctuary and Archeological Site
- Champaner - UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- Lothal - Well planed Harappan (Indus) Civilization Port.
- Rani ni Vav - A famous stepwell (1304 AD.)
- The Sun Temple Modhera – 1000 years old famous Sun Temple.
- The Somanath- Glory of the Somnath temple attracted Islamic looter (Mahmud of Ghazni). That time temple is so wealthy that it had 1000 priest and 300 musicians. The temple is located on beach of Arabian Sea.
The Dwarka- The Dwarka is believed to have been built by Lord Krishna himself. The temple must have been erected during the period of Mughal Emperor, Akbar.
Gujarat is a dazzlingly diverse state that shakes up the know-it-all Indophile, and reveals treasures hidden from the tourist hordes. Gujaratis are famous for their business sense and entrepreneurship, both within India as well as abroad.
Encounter an Indian entrepreneur anywhere, from Wall Street to Wellington, and there’s a good chance they hail from this wealthy, resourceful state.
There are many significant sites of God Krishna’s life lie along the coast of Saurashtra.The geographic diversity and strategic location has made Gujarat home to an incredible diversity of people. With 20% of the country's total industrial output, it is the most industrialized state in Republic of India.
About 89% of the population of Gujarat are Hindu. Muslims account for 9% and Jains 1% of the population. Most of the Gujarati people are strict vegetarians. Amongst Hindus, Lord Swaminarayan is famously worshipped throughout Gujarat.
Since Gujarat being a heavily industrialized state of India, attracts lots of outsiders from various parts of India.
The Winters are mild, pleasant, and dry with average daytime temperatures around 29 °C (83 °F) and nights around 12 °C (53 °F) with 100 percent sunny days and clear nights. The Summers are extremely hot and dry with day temperatures around 46 °C (115 °F) and at night no lower than 34 °C (90 °F) with sunshine.
The time just before the Monsoon, the temperature are similar to Summer but now there is high humidity which makes things feel hotter. Relief comes when the monsoon season starts around mid June. The day temperatures are lower to around 38 °C (100 °F) but humidity is very high and nights are around 27 °C (80 °F). Winter (October to March) is the best time to travel in Gujarat.
Gujarati is the language spoken here, although Hindi is widely understood. In main cities, English is widely known.
Ahmedabad is the only International Airport in Gujarat with regular flights to and from London, New York, Chicago, Singapore, Muscat, Kuwait, Doha Qatar, Sharjah and Dubai.Domestically, travellers can be coming from hubs such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Indore, Kolkata.
Flights into smaller airports of Baroda, Bhavnagar Bhuj, Diu, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Keshod, Kandla, Surat and Rajkot will connect through Mumbai.
The route you take depends on where you're coming from:
- From Delhi Agra, Jaipur Jodhpur, and from other place of North India: Take the National Highway 8 (NH8).
- From Mumbai and from other place of North India: Take the National Highway 8 (NH8).
- From Nagpur and from other part of Vidarbh: Take the National Highway 6 (NH6).
- From Indore Bhopal and from other part of Central India: Take the National Highway 59 (NH59).
- Gujarat has 1,572 Km National Highway Network.
India has very big rail network. Indian Rail has total 63,140 kilometres rail track network in India and 5,890 km rail network in Gujarat.
There are trains from/to Bombay (500 km) and New Delhi (1000 km) and other big cities of India several times a day going to the main cities of North-Centre-South Gujarat like: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat.
Cites of Saurashtra and Kutch like: Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Surendranagar, Porbandar, Kandla and Rajkot are connected via Mumbai.
There is only one flight between cites of the state which is between Bhavnagar and Surat.
Gujarat has seventeen airports. The Gujarat Civil Aviation Board (GUJCAB) has been formed to foster development of aviation infrastructure in Gujarat. The Board is headed by the Chief Minister.
International airports:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at Ahmedabad
Vadodara International Airport at Vadodara
Domestic airports operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI):
Bhavnagar Airport — 9 km from the city of Bhavnagar
Bhuj Airport — Located on Airport Ring Road Bhuj city
Deesa Airport – 5 km from Deesa
Harni Airport – Integrated Terminal Airport (Vadodara)
Jamnagar Airport – About 8 kilometres from the Jamnagar city
Kandla Airport (Gandhidham) — Situated at Kandla, near Gandhidham, in Kutch district
Keshod Airport (Junagadh) — Keshod Airport is found 3 km from Keshod city in Junagadh District
Porbandar Airport — Situated 5 km from the city of Porbandar
Rajkot Airport — 4 km from the city of Rajkot
Surat Airport — Located on Magdalla Road Surat city
State-operated airports:
Mehsana Airport — Mehsana Airport is about 2 km from Mehsana city
Mandvi airport
Most people in Gujarat travel by private buses or by Taxi. These are excellent modes of transport as the roads are among the best in India. Check In Hotel for Travel Agent for private buses. Gujarat is famous for its punctual public transport by state owned buses.
The buses even connect to the remote villages of Kutch and north Gujarat. The major cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Baroda and Bhavnagar are connected even by luxury and a/c buses from State owned GSRTC.
Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) is the primary body responsible for providing the bus services within the state of Gujarat and also with the neighbouring states.
It is a public transport corporation providing bus services and public transit within Gujarat and to the other states in India. Apart from this, there are a number of services provided by GSRTC.
Mofussil Services — It connects major cities, smaller towns and villages within Gujarat.
Intercity Bus Services — It also connects major cities — Ahmedabad, Surat, Veraval, Vapi, Vadodara (Baroda) and Rajkot.
Interstate Bus Services — It connects various cities of Gujarat with the neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
City Services — GSRTC also provides city bus services at Surat, Vadodara, Vapi, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, within the state of Gujarat.
Parcel Services — This service is used for transporting goods.
Apart from this, the GSRTC provides special bus services for festivals, industrial zones, schools, colleges and pilgrim places.
There are also city buses in cities like Ahmedabad (AMTS and Ahmedabad BRTS), Surat (Surat BRTS), Bhavnagar (VTCOS) Vadodara (Vinayak Logistics), Gandhinagar (VTCOS), Rajkot (VTCOS and Rajkot BRTS), Anand (VTCOS) etc.
Auto rickshaws are common mode of transport in Gujarat. The Government of Gujarat is promoting bicycles to reduce pollution.
Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Surendranagar, Porbandar, Kandla are Big Station to access Indian Rail Network.
Museums
Sabarmati Ashram (Mahatma Gandhi Ashram), is located at Ashram Road, Ahmedabad. Opening hours are 8.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on all days including Sundays and Holidays. Entry is Free.
The Calico Museum of Textiles, Located at Sarabhai Foundation, Opp. Underbridge, Shahibag, Ahmedabad-380 004, Gujarat, India. Opening hours are 10.30 am to 12.30 pm and 2:30 PM to 5 PM. except Wednesday. (No entry after 11 am in morning.) Entry restricted to 30 visitors – 15 visitors on the basis of first-come-first-served and 15 by group booking. Entry is Free.
Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Indology Museum, Located at R Gujrat Universisity, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380015, Gujarat, India. Opening hours are 10:30 to 17:30 except except Monday and public holidays. Entry is Free.
The Museum covers a wide variety of topics from Buddhism, Jainism and its darshans, grammar, tantra and poetics to Vedas, agama to the different branches of Indian philosophy. It is learnt that this museum has the largest collection of Jain scripts which come around 75, 000 manuscripts with 500 illustrated versions and 45,000 printed books.
The Modhera Dance Festival - The three day Modhera Dance Festival is held every year during the third week end of January after the conclusion of Uttarayan festival. The dance festival is frequently visited by art and dance connoisseurs from all across the world.
Classical and folk dancers and musicians from different states of the India exhibit their talent and flair while culture enthusiasts become part of the festival to witness this splendid event.
The International Kite Festival - The three-four days International Kite Festival is held every year during the second/third week end of January at Ahmedabad during Uttarayan festival (14-January).
Visitors come from around India for the celebration and international visitors have come from countless countries, including Japan, Italy, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, France, China, and many more.
The Rann Utsav (desert festival) - The three day Rann Utsav is held every year during the Full moon night in the month of December at Bhuj and goes around the district with a grand finale. The festival is visited and enjoyed by more than 8000 tourists from all over the world to celebrate the mystical magic of Kutch and its diversity.
The Uttarayan- The one-day Uttarayan is held every year 14th January at each and every cities and villages of Gujarat. Peoples from all ages go to roof and take full enjoyment of Kite fligting for full day even in night also.
The Navratri Festival - The ten days Navratri Festival is held roughly corresponding to dates in the Gregorian calendar in September/October at all cities and villages of Gujarat. Navarati s the dance festival of Gujarat the dance form known as ras garba. Very large group of Youth enjoy dance all nine nights.
The Tarnetar fair - The fair is held for three days every year during the Hindu calendar dates of Bhadarva Sud - 4th, 5th and 6th (during the Gregorian calendar months Aug.-Sept). The Tarnetar fair is held 8 km from the town of Thangadh, in Surendranagar District.
The Bhavnath Fair- The fair during Mahashivaratri is held for five days commencing from the Hindu calendar date of Magh Vad 11, during the Gregorian months of February-March. The Bhavnath Fair is held at the Bhavnath Mahadev Temple near Junagadh.
Rath Yatra - Rath Yatra is a huge Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Ahmedabad , Bhavnagar and rest of India during the months of June (Rainy Season).
The Vautha Fair - This fair is held during Kartika Purnima, the full moon night of the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar at Dholka near Ahmedabad, corresponding roughly to the month of November. It lasts for five days.
International Tourist Route (4 Day / 3 Night) - Start from Ahmedabad
Day one – Mahatma Gandhi Ashram - Calico Museum of Textiles – Night - Ahmedabad or Utelia Palace Hotel or Velavadar National Park gust house
Day Two - Velavadar National Park - Palitana – Night (Bhavnagar or Diu)
Day Three - Relax on beaches and resorts of Diu or The Somnath temple – Junagadh –Night (Junagadh or Rajkot or Rann Riders Resort) –
Day Four - Rann Riders Resort or Shopping or Exit for Rajasthan or Delhi or Mumbai.
Buddhist Route (4 Day / 3 Night) - Start from Bhavnagar
Day one - Buddhist Caves at Talaja - Night (Junagadh)
Day two - Ashoka Rock Edicts, Buddhist Caves at Junagadh and Upperkot Fort – Night (Bhuj)
Day three - Buddhist caves in Siyot village via Lakhpat - Night (Bhuj)
Day Four - Shopping at Ahmedabad and/or Exit for Rajasthan or Delhi or Mumbai.
Travel by Royal Orient Train: The Royal Orient train is one of the world's most exotic trains. The journey by the Royal orient train is a rare delight. It is an experience that takes you back to the times of Rajas and Maharajas.
You get to explore two of the most fascinating and culturally rich states of India, Gujarat and Rajasthan. The train travel 7 days through Delhi - Chittaurgarh - Udaipur - Junagarh - Dilwara - Palitana - Ahmedabad - Jaipur and back to Delhi
Travel by man driven Boat in Nal Sarovar lake Bird Sanctuary spread over 120 sq.kms to see over 250 species of migrated birds from Siberia and Europe. Best time to visit Nal Sarovar is Between November and February. In April Birds start to leave the lake.
Safari in Blackbuck National Park to see group of jumping Black Bucks from every parts of the park. There is no wild animal in park, it is also fun to trail or Camping in park.
Hiking on the Shatrunjaya hill and biking on Hastagiri to see devotion of Jain. There are in total 863 amazing Marble temples the largest cluster of temples in India on Shatrunjaya hill
Safari in Gir Forest National Park to see Remaining Asiatic Lions in the world.
Diu is house of lots of good quality of Beach. Administratively, it is not part of Gujarat, so every one can get good quality alcohol.
Stay at Rann Riders Resort to see and feel typical rann village life, music and culture. Resort also offer Camel safari to Wild Ass Sanctuary in the little rann of Kutch. It is very important destination of Rural tourism in Gujarat.
Beautiful Gujarati and Kutchhy Handicraft from State government promoted Gujarati Handicraft Development Corporation’s Show rooms
Gujarat is heaven for vegetarian (Lacto-vegetarian) people. Approx. 80% people of Gujarat eat vegetarian foods only. It is very famous for variety of vegetarian and quality food. There are hundreds of Lacto - vegetarian foods verities are offered across Gujarat.
Rotli (Chapati/Puri) , Shaak (Subzi/Vegetables/Curries), Mithai (Sweets), Rice and Dal are parts of Standard Gujarati Thali (Meal) in Restaurants. It might be little difficult to find non-vegetarian restaurant in Gujarat. International travellers can find multi-cuisine restaurants serving global varieties.
Gujarati food is primarily vegetarian. It is believed to be one of the healthiest cuisines in India.It has been portrayed in eminent Bollywood films, including the 2009 feature film 3 Idiots.
The typical Gujarati thali consists of roti or bhakri, dal or kadhi, khichdi, rice and sabzi. Indian pickle and chhundo are used as condiments. The four major regions of Gujarat all bring their own styles to Gujarati food.
Many Gujarati dishes are distinctively sweet, salty, and spicy at the same time. In Saurashtra region, chass (buttermilk) is believed to be a must-have in their daily food.
Alcohol is forbidden in Gujarat. Foreign tourists are partly exempted from this restriction. Drinking in public is strictly prohibited. However, if you are going to stay longer in Gujarat, you may apply for an alcohol permit. Ask how to do it in your hotel or the place where you stay.
Gujarat is a relatively safe state. To bring, buy or drink alcohol is forbidden in Gujarat. However foreign tourist can buy and drink in a few five-star hotels like the Taj and Courtyard by Marriott.
Tourism Observer
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