Destinations Covered:- Ahamdabad – Palitana – Gondal – Junagadh – Gondal – Dasadamodhera – Patan – Balaram Taranga – Vadnagar – Ahamdabad – Champaner – Jambugodha – Udaipur Via Shamlaji

Duration:- 9 Nights – 10 Days

Gujarat has been a hub of civilization for more than four millennia. From 2700-1600 BC, the Harappan or Indus Valley Civilization thrived at sites like Lothal and Dholavira. The Harappan cities were known for their sophisticated town planning.  From the 3rd century BC to the 7th century BC, Gujarat was a flourishing centre of Buddhism. The golden period of Gujarat’s architecture was during the reign of the Solanki Rajputs in the 11th and 12th centuries when superb Hindu and Jain temples were built. A noteworthy feature of the Solanki period was the creation of water-retaining structures like the stepwells, stepped tanks and artificial lakes which were decorated like subterranean palaces with really fine carvings. Another unique feature of Gujarat is its Jain temple complexes sited on summits like those of Shatrunjaya Hill near Palitana and Mt Girnar near Junagadh.
The 15th century saw the development of a provincial Indo-Saracenic style of architecture during the reign of Sultan Ahmed Shah, the founder of Ahmedabad, with mosques and mausoleum complexes which blended Hindu and Islamic architectural elements.
The 17th to 19th century period saw much trade out of Gujarat’s ports and the state’s merchants commissioned remarkable havelis with exquisite woodcarvings.
This itinerary has been designed to include a cross-section of these remarkable architectural styles characteristic of the state. The itinerary can also be modified to include impressive European works like the huge Portuguese fort of Diu, the exquisite churches of Daman, and the Dutch and British mausoleum complexes of Surat.

 

Day-1: AHMEDABAD Arrive at Ahmedabad. Afternoon tour of the Sarkhej mausoleum complex and the Vishala Village complex with its superb utensils museum.
Stay at House of Mangaldas Girdhardas, a heritage hotel owned by a former textile industrialist family. Visit the nearby mosques.

 Day-2: AHMEDABAD Visit the Calico Museum of Textiles, one of India’s leading specialized museums. The collections include textile swatches of Indian origin found at archaeological sites of Egypt, silk sarees from across India, double-ikat silk sarongs made in Patan for the Indonesian market, chintz and curtains made from Dutch, British and Portuguese colonial powers in Gujarat, floral embroidery from Punjab, shawls from Kashmir, 18th century tie-and-dye, richly embroidered Mughal tent of Shah Jahan whose palace is nearby, royal wardrobes of Rajasthan, cloth paintings and manuscripts, religious narrative cloth paintings like Pichwais and Kalamkaris, etc.
Afternoon visit to the exquisitely carved 15th century Adalaj stepwell. Stay as on day-1.

 Day-3: AHMEDABAD – PALITANA (240km) Morning heritage walk in Ahmedabad. This walking tour offers an opportunity to see the old quarters of Ahmedabad lined with the beautifully carved wooden facades of havelis.
Continue to Lothal to see the site museum and archaeological site offering an insight into the town planning of the Indus Valley Civlisation.
Proceed to Palitana/Bhavnagar. Stay at Vijay Vilas heritage hotel at Adpur village of Palitana or at Nilambag Palace Hotel in Bhavnagar.

Day-4: PALITANA – GONDAL (170km) Ascend the Shatrunjaya Hill near Palitana town to see the huge complex of about 863 temples crowning two ridges of the summit.
Descend and drive to Gondal. See the magnificent carvings and collections of the 1740s Naulakha Palace at Gondal. Stay at the Riverside Palace/Orchard Palace heritage hotel.

Day-5: GONDAL – JUNAGADH – GONDAL Day excursion to Junagadh to see the ancient Uparkot Fort, splendid Gothic palaces of the Nawabs and the flamboyant 19th century mausoleum complex. Return to Gondal, calling in en route to see the 4th century Buddhist caves of Khambalida.

Day-6: GONDAL – DASADA Drive from Gondal to Dasada via the museum at Rajkot. Stay at Rann Riders resort in Dasada.

 Day-7: DASADA – MODHERA – PATAN – BALARAM (180km) Drive to the 11th century Sun Temple of Modhera, one of the finest examples of Hindu temple architecture in western India. After seeing the temple, continue to Patan to see the magnificently carved 11th century stepwell. Proceed to Balaram via Sidhapur known for its mansions and princely Palanpur. Stay at Balaram Palace Resort.

Day-8: BALARAM – TARANGA – VADNAGAR – AHMEDABAD (250km) Drive to see the 12th century Taranga Jain Temples and to historic Vadnagar with many historic buildings. Continue to Ahmedabad.

Day-9: AHMEDABAD – CHAMPANER (60km) Drive from Ahmedabad to Champaner – Pavagadh archaeological park, which has magnificent works of Indo-Saracenic architecture. En route, see the palaces of Vadodara. Stay at the heritage home in Jambugodha.

Day-10: CHAMPANER/JAMBUGODHA – UDAIPUR VIA SHAMLAJI or return to Ahmedabad/Vadodara for flight.