Tourist Attractions of Gujarat

The Indian state of Gujarat is dotted with several places to visit and see. Amongst the popular tourist destinations of Gujarat are Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Patan, Vadodara, Pavagadh, Champaner, Surat, Saputara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Uperkot, Porbandar, Kutch and Bhuj.

Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, the city of Ahmed Shah (the medieval ruler of Gujarat), is known for its rich past and its association with Mahatma Gandhi. Ahmedabad city of Gujarat offers the traveler a unique style of architecture, which is a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles (Indo-Saracenic style of architecture). Amongst the must visit places of Ahmedabad are the monuments that date back to the 15th century. Ahmedabad has been known for its industry since medieval times. The textile mills in Ahmedabad - 'Manchester of the East' are worth visiting.

Gandhinagar
Gandhinagar, situated about 25 kilometers north of Ahmedabad, is the newly built capital of Gujarat. The 'Green Capital' of Gujarat named after Mahatma Gandhi, has been built on a grid pattern. This place in Gujarat is must visit for its abundant foliage.

Jamnagar
Another place worth visiting in Gujarat is Jamnagar. Jamnagar is situated in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat around 302 km from Ahmedabad. The Lakhota Fort, Kotha Bastion, Willington Crescent, Solarium, Jamsaheb's Palace, and Rozi and Bedi ports are amongst the places to be seen at Jamnagar city of Gujarat.

Patan
The Patan city of Gujarat was founded in the 9th century. Originally known as Anhilwad Patan, the city of Gujarat is famous for its architectural wonders built during the rule of the Solanki dynasty. The places to be seen here are the Rani Udayamati vav (step well) and the Sahastralinga Lake.

Vadodara
Another place to visit in Gujarat is Vadodara, its cultural capital. The place is worth visiting for its long tradition of music, fine arts and education.

Pavagadh
Pavagadh is the favorite hill resort for the people of Vadodara. This tourist place of Gujarat is believed by many to be the chunk of the Himalayas that was to be carried by Hanuman to Lanka.

Champaner
Lying at the base of the Pavagadh hill in Gujarat is Champaner. Champaner is the ancient capital of Sultan Mahmud Beghara. The place has the must visit Jama Masjid, which is considered to be one of the finest in the entire state of Gujarat.

Surat
Another important trading center and port of ancient India in Gujarat is Surat. Today, Gujarat's Surat is an important center for textiles, zari (gold and silver threadwork) and diamond cutting and polishing.

Saputara
Saputara, literally meaning 'the Abode of Serpents' is Gujarat's most popular hill resort, situated atop the second highest plateau in the Sahyadri range and in the midst of thick forests.

Rajkot
A Rajput chief founded the Rajkot city of Gujarat in the 16th century. Gujarat's Rajkot had been the scene of many a clash between the Mughals and the British. Located in the center of the peninsula further northwest of Surat, Rajkot city is mainly known for the handicrafts. While visiting Rajkot tourists check out its famous bead and mirror work, tie and dye (bandhani), silk embroidery and appliqué work.

Bhavnagar
To the southeast of Rajkot in Gujarat is the city of Bhavnagar. Bhavnagar was originally the capital of a state of the same name and ruled by the Suryavanshi Rajputs from Marwar. The main place to visit in the city of Bhavnagar is the Mahadev Temple.

Junagadh
To the west of Bhavnagar, situated at the base of the Girnar Hills of Gujarat is Junagadh. The place to be seen in Junagadh is the rock edict of Emperor Ashoka, dating back to 250 BC.

Uperkot
One of the biggest tourist attractions in Gujarat about five kilometers from Junagadh is Uperkot. The fort atop the Uperkot hill, originally constructed by the Rajputs, has an ornamented triple gateway. The Buddhist caves and stupa all dating back to 100-700 AD are the other places to visit in Uperkot.

Porbandar
Further west of Junagadh, situated along the coast of Gujarat is Porbandar. Porbandar in Gujarat is famous for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.

Bhuj
Known popularly as the gateway to Kutch, Bhuj is one the most important towns of Gujarat. An old walled city, the gates of which (in olden times) were locked from dusk to dawn, here amongst the must visit place is the palace, bazaar and lake.

Sarnath
Situated in Junagadh, near the port town of Veraval, Somnath is probably one of the best-known pilgrimage centers of Gujarat.

Dwarka
Yet another pilgrimage, for which Gujarat is known, is the holy town of Dwarka lying on the northern tip of the Saurashtra peninsula, at the confluence of the Gomti River and the Arabian Sea.

Girnar
One of the most sacred pilgrimage centers for the Jain community, situated in Junagadh district of Gujarat, are the 16 marble temples atop the 1,118-meter high Mount Girnar.

Palitana
The architectural grandeur of many of the 863 Jain temples at Palitana of Gujarat has few parallels. Located on the 600-meter high Shatrujaya Hill, this cluster of temples, dedicated to various Jain saints and deities, is yet another important place of pilgrimage on the Jain circuit in Gujarat.

Events And Festivals
Fringed by the Arabian Sea, with a hint of the desert, prosperous and very, very beautiful, Gujarat is inhabited by a people who find the slightest excuse to celebrate. And what celebrations! Color and spectacle merge together in a delightful kaleidoscope.

Navratri
Navratri, literally nine nights, is celebrated in Gujarat for the 10 days preceding the festival of Dussehra-usually in October. The most eagerly awaited festival of the year, which celebrates harvest time, Navratri is an occasion when both rural and urban people of Gujarat worship the nine incarnations of the Mother Goddess, Shakti, denoting cosmic energy.

Diwali
Closely following Dussehra Gujarat celebrates the famous festival of lights, Diwali, which also has its genesis from the same epic-Ramayana. Gujarat is a place to visit during this only Hindu celebration which falls on Amavasya, a moon-less night in the lunar calendar.

Makar Sankranti
Celebrated on January 14 in Gujarat, the festival of Makar Sankranti heralds the kite-flying season and the International Kite Festival is held in Ahmedabad on that day every year.

Janmashtami
Celebrated as the birthday of Lord Krishna, Janmashtami usually falls in the months of July/August and is celebrated with great fervor in Gujarat. Tableaux showing scenes from Lord Krishna's life are modeled and displayed in homes and temples of Gujarat. The most common of these depicts Krishna as a babe in the cradle.

Tarnetar
The small hamlet of Tarnetar, about 75 kilometers from Rajkot, is the site for one of Gujarat's most well known annual fairs, held here during the first week of Bhadrapad (September-October). This three day long fair is primarily a 'marriage mart', called swayamwar, where gaily attired young men, in their traditional attire, come to be chosen by village belles dressed in colorful finery.

Other Fairs & Festivals
Other festivals of Gujarat include the Bhavnath fair, Dang Darbar, Saputara Summer Festival, Madhavrai fair, and Desert Festival.