Time Travel
Last December, we went on an eight-day trip to Gujarat. This was a road trip which included Vadodara-Champaner-Lothal-Ahmedabad-Bhuj-Rann of Kutch-Dholavira-Anand.
First and foremost, the roads in Gujarat are the reason we enjoyed the long-distance travel. Our driver, Ikbal, and his Toyota Innova were our trusted companions.
DAY 1 : Landed early morning in Vadodara. Our first visit was the Laxmi Vilas Palace. I am still questioning whether that was a good way to start this excursion. The opulence of the palace was beyond imagination and the bringing together of various kinds of architecture was a little skewed for me. I went through the area listening to the audio device, as in a museum. Hard to believe it was a home once. This is a huge palace surrounded by acres of land and the royal family still lives in another part of the palace. We paid a big amount for the tickets which probably goes into the upkeep of the place.
However, our next stop was quite riveting. An hour’s drive from Varodara lies the Champaner Pavagarh archaeological park, now a UNESCO heritage site. The town of Champaner is located amidst the Pavagarh hills which shows off a fortified wall running through the hills with bastions. Atop the hill stands the Kalika temple, a well-known pilgrimage spot. Within the once fortified area, we could see arches and wells, drainage system, huge entry gates (now in ruins), the Jami Masjid, Jain temples, palaces, the Lakulish temple. Outside this area lies the Kabutar Khana pavilion, (on Vada Talao, a beautiful lake), Khajuri masjid, Malik Sandal ki Vav, Hathi Khana and various maqbaras. The wonderful thing is, this area covers a history from the 8th century till the 16th century, seeing different rulers. We also got a bird’s eye view of it all from the ropeway.
We returned to Vadodara before 6pm and headed for the Modernist Café which I recommend for its coffee and ambience. Dinner was at the Brewery which is located at the Art District in Alembic City – this is a must visit.
DAY 2 : We started from Vadodara around 9 am and reached Lothal at 11 am. This visit has been on my list since my school days when I learnt about the Indus Valley Civilization. This is a relatively small archaeological site but what stands out is the dockyard where ships or rather large boats would come in for repairs. The structure is made of sundried bricks and the water from the river was scientifically regulated so as not to over flow. Lothal was strategically located next to river Bhogava. Close to this dockyard lies the warehouse which was being restored by workers. They were following the same method used by the Harappans while preparing sun dried bricks.
Other excavated structures include the bead making factory, kiln, the citadel and the lower town. The Citadel meant for the society’s upper class shows a drainage system, paved bathing platforms, a well and water storage facilities in the houses.
Unfortunately, the Lothal museum was closed and there are plans for a new museum building.
We drove down to Ahmedabad and headed for lunch at The Project Café – a cosy affair which you could miss because the entrance to this first floor café is hidden from public view! We also visited the Hazrat Bai Harir Vav located within a congested area of the city.
After a short rest we were back in the car, now heading towards the market. We visited the Law Garden where the street on either side is a market place for traditional Gujarat artefacts and apparels. Next on the list was the Gujrati Thali and what better place than Gordhan Thal. After the meal I had trouble walking because I was so full of the delicious fare! The day ended with a long walk along the Sabarmati riverfront with the city lights along the banks reflected on the waters.
DAY 3 : A one-hour drive in the morning took us to the simply exquisite Modhera Sun Temple. The other Sun temple I had seen was the Konark Sun temple in Odisha. This one was no less in grandeur, as the pictures will show. The main hall consists of the Garbhagriha. Two exquisitely carved pillars lead to the reservoir (Surya kund) in front of the main assembly hall ( Sabhagriha) of the temple. This kund has hundreds of steps leading to the bottom. You can see many shrines located at certain points along the sides.
Another hour’s drive from the Sun temple is the Rani ki Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell). This magnificent 11th century stepwell belonging to the Chalukya dynasty is a must visit. Each of the seven levels have beautifully sculpted panels and decorated pillars. One simply cannot get enough of the beauty. This area had been covered with silt from the river Saraswati for almost seven hundred years before it was excavated.
By the time we left these architectural marvels it was late afternoon. On the way towards Ahmedabad, we had lunch at Hotel Krishna and on reaching the city had delicious coffee at Kaffa Coffee Roasters.
DAY 4 : Today was going to be long journey all the way to Bhuj. It was a six-and-a-half hour journey, but thanks to the good roads, we were quite comfortable enjoying the sights. A little short of a two-hour drive, we stopped at Viramgam for tea and went into the town to see the beautiful 11th century Munsar lake which is surrounded by temples and imposing entrance gates. Sadly, it has fallen into disrepair now.
We reached Bhuj at 2.30 pm and after a quick lunch we took off for the Rann of Kutch (or Kachchh) and reached there in 90 minutes. The white sands (white because of the salt) are close to Dhordo, a village known for the spectacular Rann festival. We had to walk quite a bit to reach the salt marsh where we soaked in the beautiful sunset with the white salt turning orange all around us. We hitched a ride in one of the camel carts while returning to Dhordo. During our time there, the Rann festival was in full swing and along with the lights, décor and eats, we could hear music all around us.
DAY 5 : I was going to visit another Harappan site that I have often dreamt of. We left for Dholavira at 8.20 am and the two-and-a-half-hour drive took us through one of the most scenic routes I have ever travelled on. For some distance we followed the route towards Dhordo, and then moved ahead. This picturesque road is called the Road to Heaven. During winters, as the sea recedes, this narrow road with salt and receding sea on either side becomes navigable. And this is no bridge but a natural path cutting through the sea. What a wonderful route to a 5000-year-old human settlement!
The archeological remains at Dholavira show a well-planned city emerging between two rivers, Mansar and Manhar, with an extensively designed water management system with filtration facilities, a citadel, middle and lower towns, market place, a stadium and cemetery. It gave me goose bumps just being there. One can make out the seven stages of habitation here and the gradual shrinking of the populated area. Our guide was excellent and took us on an extensive tour all around the place. The museum here houses the excavated material and tells the story of the region.
We left Dholavira around 2 pm, quite reluctantly, and were back in Bhuj by 5 pm. We then visited the Smritivan Earthquake Memorial museum. This is a beautiful building built on the hillside in Bhuj city as a mark of remembrance of those whom we lost on the fateful day on 26th January, 2001 when Gujarat was rocked by an earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale. Bhuj had the maximum number of casualties. This memorial is definitely worth visiting, but remember to have a couple of hours in hand to visit the seven galleries of the museum. The simulation of the earthquake in one of the galleries was quite a scary experience!
DAY 6 : We left Bhuj at 9.15 am and headed towards the sea and reached the beautiful Mandvi beach in 2 hours. After relaxing at the beach, we drove through the town of Mandvi where we saw several ships in various stages of being built. It took about 7 hours to reach Ahmedabad and we headed to Mocha for a sumptuous dinner before turning in for the night.
DAY 7 : Being in Ahmedabad and not visiting the Sabarmati Ashram was impossible. I had been there before but Tathagat was visiting for the first time, so I took on the job of the guide. We had delicious lunch at Kaffa Coffee Roasters once more and bought some very good coffee from them. This is a really good restaurant which coffee lovers would definitely enjoy. In the evening, we met old friends, Sujata and Indranil, who are now living in Ahmedabad. We had a wonderful dinner at Sarthi.
DAY 8 : We left for Anand at 9.30 am and reached in less than 2 hours. Here we stayed with our relatives, Shipra and Partha, who were wonderful hosts. Our day was choc-o-bloc with activities. After a sumptuous lunch, we left for the National Dairy Development Board Corporate office. In fact, Partha was the head of Corporate Communications for several years here. We learnt all about the NDDB activities in the country and this was an eye-opener for me. From there we drove to the Amul chocolate factory and this definitely reminded me of Willie Wonka’s Chocolate factory! Only, here we were not allowed too close to the chocolate churning machines. At the end of the visit, we got to pick some of the Amul products laid out on a tray for us. Our next visit was the Amul Dairy factory and we got a glimpse into the manufacturing of all the milk products. They also have health drinks (non-dairy) and cereals which I did not know about.
DAY 9 : And thus ended our wonderful holiday as we left for the airport in the morning. We are back home completely recharged, till the batteries start wearing off again!!
Thought-process 