| Adalaj
Wav
Nineteen kilometers
north of Ahmedabad, Adalaj Wav is one of the finest of the Gujarati baolis
(step wells), with carvings depicting intricate motifs of flowers
and birds. The main corridor has four pavilions and the well
is five storeys deep, each decorated with exquisite stone
carvings. Built by Queen Rudabai in 1499 it provided a cool
and secluded retreat during the hot summer months. The
Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar bus will get you within walking distance (ask
the conductor where to get off).
Nal Sarovar Bird
Sanctuary
Between November
and February, this 116 sq km lake, 60 km south-west of Ahmedabad, is
home to flocks of indigenous and migratory birds with as many as 250
species of bird passing through the park. Ducks, geese,
pelicans and flamingos are best seen early in the morning and in the
evening.
The sanctuary is
most easily visited as a day excursion by taxi from Ahmedabad, as
buses are infrequent and there is no convenient accommodation.
Lothal
About 85 km
south-west of Ahmedabad, and towards Bhavnagar, this important
archaeological site was discovered in 1954. The city that
stood here 4500 years ago is clearly related to the Indus Valley
cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa, both in Pakistan. It has
the same neatly laid-out street pattern, the same carefully
assembled brickwork and the same scientific drainage system.
The name Lothal
actually means "mound of the dead" in Gujarati, as does
Mohenjodaro in Sindhi. Excavations have revealed a dockyard -
at its peak, this was probably one of the most important ports on
the subcontinent. Seals discovered at the site suggest that
trade may have been conducted with the civilizations of Mesopotamia,
Egypt and Persia.
The archaeological
museum at the site displays jewellery, pots and other finds (open 10
am to 5 pm Monday to Saturday).
Accommodation is a
problem in Lothal, though there is the expensive Utelia Palace, 7 kn
from the archaeological site, by the Bhugavo River.
Lothal is a long
day trip from Ahmedabad (at least three hours travel each
way). You can reach there by rail, disembarking at Bhurkhi on
Ahmedabad to Bhavnagar railway line, from where you can take a bus.
Modhera
The beautiful and
partially ruined Sun Temple of Mohera was built by King Bhimdev I
(1026-27) and bears some resemblance to the later and far better
known, Sun Temple of Konark in Orrisa, which it predates by 200
years. Like that temple, it was designed so that the dawn sun
shone on the image of Suraya, the sun god, during the
equinoxes. The main hall and shrine are reached through a
pillared porch and the temple exterior is intricately and delicately
carved. As with the Temple of Somnath, this fine temple was
ruined by Mahmud of Ghazni.
Nonetheless, what
remains is still impressive. This is hardly surprising given
that the building work was first completed by Silavat stonemasons,
renowned for their ability to turn the hardest stone into delicate
carvings.
Within the main
grounds, the Surya Kund is an extraordinary baoli containing over
100 shrines. Shrines to Ganesh, Vishnu and an incarnation of
Shiva surround the tank on three sides while the main temple
completes the ractangle and displays 52 intricately carved pillars
which depict scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The
interior of the temple contains a hall whose walls have 12 niches
representing the different manifestations of the Sun God in each
month. Elsewhere in the complex, there are extensive panels of
erotic sculpture.
The temple is open
from 8am to 6pm daily. Accommodation can pose a real problem
here. There are few cheap rest houses, but foreigners often
find it difficult to get a bed at them.
Modhera is 102 km
north-west of Ahmedabad. There are direct buses 9Rs. 30 3.5
hours), or you can take the train to Mahesana and then catch a bus
for the 26km trip to Modhera.
Patan About
130 km north-west of Ahmedabad, Patan was an ancient Hindu capital
before it was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024. Now a pale
shadow of its former self, it still has more than 100 jain temples
and is famous for its beautifully designed Patola silk saris. There
is also the renovated Rani-ki-vav, a baoli which boasts some of
Gujarat's finest carvings. Built in 1050, the baoli is the
oldest in Gujarat and it remarkably well preserved - a product of
the restoration work completed in the 1980s to redress centuries of
silting. The waters in the baoli once provided a natural
air-cooling system in its chambers for members of the royal family
who sought refuge here from the summer heat. It's very
impressive and certainly warrants a visit. Try
looking for cheap accommodation near the bus stand and train
station, although what's on offer is generally unappealing. Patan
is 25 km north-west of Mahesana. Buses from Ahemdabad take 3.5
hours and cost Rs. 40. Gandhinagar Although
Ahmedabad became the capital of Gujarat state when the old state of
Mumbai was split, a new capital was planned 32 km north-east on the
west bank of the Sabarmati River. Named Gandhinagar after the
Gujarat-born Mahatma Gandhi, it is India's second planned city,
after Chandigarh and, like that city, is laid out in rather dull,
numbered sectors. The secretariat was moved here in 1970. Gandhinagar's
sole tourist sight is the splendid Akshardham Temple of the Hindu
Swaminarayan sect, constructed out of 6000 tonnes of pink sandsstone.
It's on the Ja Road in Sector 20. Buses
to Gandhinagar (Rs. 10) depart every 15 minutes from the back
north-west corner of Lal Darwaja (the local bus stand) or one of the
numerous stops along Ashram Road. |
