The travel bug in me is innate. My parents loved traveling and our annual holiday was always exploring our “matrubhoomi” by road. Travel was always about new learnings and stimulating the dormant nerves. Having explored the country far and wide, I take the liberty to present places that gave me some good memories and stimulating experiences.

I would like to start with Gujarat, as this state is a template in many ways for the rest of the country as the development here has been exemplary.

The first city worthy of attention is Surat. Located on the banks on Tapti river and just a few kilometers away from the sea. The city now has the best infrastructure and is one of the cleanest cities. The areas are beautifully developed as organized societies. They have built various over bridges that connect different ends of the city, smoothly.  

Sanathan Dharma propels to live in the consecrated space and hence the significance of the temples in our lives. I am highlighting a few lesser known places, where phenomenal work has been done.

Driving towards the north, from Surat, into the countryside, you would encounter the ashram of Rang Avdhoot Baba at Nareshwar. Following the flow of the Narmada, comes Garudeshwar, a wonderful place where his guru, Swami Vasudevanda Saraswati attained Samadhi. They were instrumental in spreading the teachings of Datta Guru in Gujarat. These quaint places on the banks of river Narmada, are now wonderfully beautified.

Nearby is Kayavarohan, the birthplace of Lakulish, founder of the Pashupath Cult. And where Maharishi Vishwamitra meditated and created the Gayatri Mantra. Now, the temple is well maintained.

Just fifteen minutes away is the Statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, called the Statue of Unity. As he united the princely states into this glorious democracy. This tribute to him was an idea of Shri Narendra Modi, our Prime Minister. This spot was sensitively chosen to nurture the nearby villages and profound spiritual abodes.  

Nearby is Chanod–Narnali, popular for the rituals. There is a confluence of the rivers, where we had taken a boat ride. Now, the waters are very low, and boatmen are losing their livelihood. This place needs revival.

Narmada parikrama is one of the major pilgrimages. Devotees circumambulate the river at least once in their lifetimes. And a visit to these places is a part of the parikrama.

The other significant temples are the Ranchhodrai Temple at Dakor and Vishnu Temple at Shamlaji and Ambaji, a Shakti Peeth. The organization here has drastically improved. Simple and clean accommodation, in the close proximity of the temples. And wheelchair facilities for seniors and differently abled. All these temples now make use of technology and have their own website.

A few years ago, on my way to Ambaji, I visited Bindu Sarovar at Siddhpur. Probably the only place in the country, for the special after-death rituals of the women. The approach was exceptionally well organized with well-marked alleys leading to the Sarovar. Absolutely clean and worthy of an applaud.

Towards the east is the Mahakali Mandir at Pavagadh, a Shakti Peeth. The most picturesque area with a lot of tribal settlements. On pilgrimage and tourism perspective, a lot needs to be done here.  

The road from Ahmedabad to Dwarika, is Becharaji, a Shakhi Peeth and revered Hanuman temple at Sarangpur, where basic facilities have improved along with the transformation of Dwarikadheesh, a very important temple for Krishna devotees.

Junagadh is the base to visit one place that surely needs a special mention. The most revered Girnar, the mountain that is older than the Himalayas. There are ten thousand steps leading to four crucial peaks of the mountain. There is a temple dedicated to Neminath, Gorakhnath, Dattatreya, Maa Anusaya and Maa Kalika. The climb up is very steep, and we are hopeful that someday there will be a ropeway and improvement in the basic provisions for the pilgrims.

The epic center to access Gujarat is the UNESCO World Heritage City of Ahmedabad. Connected internationally, Ahmedabad soon will be graced with a world’s largest cricket stadium. Around the city are the intricately carved stepwells at Adalaj and Patan and the Sun temple at Modhera. These are textbook examples of architecture, art, and science. My heart once bled at the conditions of these places, until I returned to see the amazing restoration work done here.

Gujarat has very few guides. We haven’t done much to provoke interest in people to take up this interesting profession.

My journey into the tourism spectrum started in the late nineties. I worked for a large professional set up and assisted with the ground operations of the luxury cruise liners. The luxury liners visiting India docked at Kochi, Mangaluru, Goa, Mumbai, Porbandar, and Kandla.  The most challenging was, Gujarat operations. The first port of call was Porbandar, where the popular shore excursion was to Somnath and Gir national park. The permits to enter Gir were limited those days and it was a challenge to procure them in advance. Now, they have increased the quota and are available online. And the poor upkeep of the Somnath Temple has also taken a drastic turn.  

The second port of call was Kandla. There were tours to the city of Bhuj, aimed for the textiles at Shrujan, they had beautiful things to show and sell and also facilitated refreshments for the tourists.

The white rann and Dholavira, were only known to anthropologists and archeologists!  Those days, the vehicles for these excursions came from Ahmedabad and Udaipur and the guides were flown from Mumbai.

After the earthquake in Bhuj in 2001, almost all the cruises kept Gujarat off their map, and they haven’t returned. I can only hope that they would start again soon.

Post the earthquake, Shri Narendra Modi, had taken over as a chief minister of Gujarat. He revived Kutch and he initiated Rann Utsav, just a few kilometers away from Bhuj. A tent city that comes alive giving job opportunities to many. This is very popular and mostly on the list of visitors from India and abroad. The new road is under construction to access the archeological site of Dholavira. This will cut the driving time drastically. From the excavations, it indicates that this was one of the grandest cities.

We only hope that the template created by Modi Ji is replicated wherever needed as there is immense potential for tourism. Unraveling this mystical land could be a life-changing experience, for one who soaks in her fervor.

Meanwhile enjoy this stunning kaleidoscope of Gujarat featured in A.R. Rehman’s song Jay Jay Garvi Gujarat…