By Sukanya
Lured by the television advertisements, where Mr Amitabh Bachchan
invites travellers to spend some time in Gujarat to enjoy its
culture, music, temples and the forests, we decided to make a trip to
the state as a family vacation.
We did a lot of research and jointly decided on Gir, Somnath,
Porbandar and Dwaraka route as it will fulfill my mom’s religious
quotient and also take care of the adventurer in us with a bit of
history thrown in between.
We were advised to book online the jungle safari in Gir, a must for
all, as the queue at the booking counter at the forest reserve
stretches for miles and begins one night before the safari.
We began our journey from Mumbai to Rajkot, from there we booked a
taxi for the entire journey.
The taxi driver, as most in Rajkot, doubled up as our tourist guide as
well. He entertained us with local stories, public woes, political
situation and took us to places which we even didn’t know about. He
stopped at a local hotel serving local snack “gathia”, a very popular
snack made of gram flour, consumed with fried green chillies. It was
very hot literally and very yum too.
Constructed on the banks of the Arabian Sea, Somnath temple was very
serene and beautiful. After the darshan we lingered on there enjoying the
amazing view and the cool soothing sea breeze. There is also a museum
in the premises that tell the story of Somnath, one of the Jyotirlings.
The Museum is very informative and a must for all visitors.
The light and sound show on Somnath temple was simply amazing and also
a must for all.
Just outside the main temple premises there is Old Somnath temple
(Ahilyabai Holkar Mandir), which was reconstructed by the warrior
queen of Indore, in keeping with the region's tradition of worshipping Lord
Shiva.
After an early night, next day we started towards Gir forest
reserve, the only sanctuary in India for Asiatic lions.
As we had booked an afternoon safari and had a lot of time in hand as it
takes one hour from Somnath to the reserve forest, our driver took us
to a nearby crocodile zoo and a museum. After a leisurely lunch we
were charged up to face the king of the forests.
Luck was in our favour as there was a killing the night before and a
lion with his two lionesses was lazing in our route. It was an
unbelievable experience I cannot describe in words. When our jeep went
near, the curious lion got up and walked a few feet towards us and
flopped down again, suddenly losing interest on his visitors.
Everyone in the jeep held their breathe, admiring the royal mane and
gait, as if trying to freeze in that moment. It was the highlight of
our trip. On the forest we had spotted spotted deer, peacocks,
sambhar deer and many birds.
After the wonderful beginning, we started towards Dwaraka, the scenic
coastal road was a treat to our eyes. We took a break to just enjoy
the sea view and had green coconut water.
Then we reached Porbandar, the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi. His home
has been turned into a museum where books, family photographs, letters,
some clothes and furniture are well preserved. You will feel the positive
energy and a sense of calm in the house. There is also Sudama temple
in the city, if you are religious.
After Porbandar, we finally reached Dwaraka, one of the char dhams
mentioned in the Hindu religion. After an hour of rest, we headed
towards Bhet Dwaraka, an island mainly inhabited with fishermen
community. On the way there is a temple dedicated to Rukmini, Lord Krishna’s
first wife.
We went to Bhet Dwaraka on a boat, the journey was very scenic with
seagulls following every boat begging for food. People threw chips and
other dry snacks which the birds caught mid air. However, the island
was a bit disappointing with just a temple of Lord Krishna. The temple
was not beautiful or architecturally significant. Besides, there
was nothing in the island except the temple.
While coming back from Bhet Dwaraka our driver took a different route
and stopped at Nageshwar temple, the second Jyotirling in the state.
When we went inside the temple the evening it was time for aarti. We
saw the rituals of the aarti, it was an amazing experience in itself.
After that we came back to Dwaraka and went to the Dwaraka temple and
went for darshan. The black idol of Lord Krishna was looking beautiful
glittering with jewels made of gold and diamond.
Tired, we returned to our hotel and called it a day.
Next day we again visited the Dwaraka temple and witnessed the pandas
dressing the beautiful idol with yellow cloth and jewellery, a
beautiful sight.
After collecting dry prasad, we headed for Rajkot and our return
journey to Mumbai. On the way there were many more temples that one
can visit or give a miss depending on the mood.
While coming back I thought the Gujarat tourism was not exaggerating
anything in their promotional advertisement, we had a wonderful
experience and came to the conclusion that the state was really worth
a visit.
--
Lured by the television advertisements, where Mr Amitabh Bachchan
invites travellers to spend some time in Gujarat to enjoy its
culture, music, temples and the forests, we decided to make a trip to
the state as a family vacation.
We did a lot of research and jointly decided on Gir, Somnath,
Porbandar and Dwaraka route as it will fulfill my mom’s religious
quotient and also take care of the adventurer in us with a bit of
history thrown in between.
We were advised to book online the jungle safari in Gir, a must for
all, as the queue at the booking counter at the forest reserve
stretches for miles and begins one night before the safari.
We began our journey from Mumbai to Rajkot, from there we booked a
taxi for the entire journey.
The taxi driver, as most in Rajkot, doubled up as our tourist guide as
well. He entertained us with local stories, public woes, political
situation and took us to places which we even didn’t know about. He
stopped at a local hotel serving local snack “gathia”, a very popular
snack made of gram flour, consumed with fried green chillies. It was
very hot literally and very yum too.
Constructed on the banks of the Arabian Sea, Somnath temple was very
serene and beautiful. After the darshan we lingered on there enjoying the
amazing view and the cool soothing sea breeze. There is also a museum
in the premises that tell the story of Somnath, one of the Jyotirlings.
The Museum is very informative and a must for all visitors.
The light and sound show on Somnath temple was simply amazing and also
a must for all.
Just outside the main temple premises there is Old Somnath temple
(Ahilyabai Holkar Mandir), which was reconstructed by the warrior
queen of Indore, in keeping with the region's tradition of worshipping Lord
Shiva.
After an early night, next day we started towards Gir forest
reserve, the only sanctuary in India for Asiatic lions.
 |
| Asiatic lions |
As we had booked an afternoon safari and had a lot of time in hand as it
takes one hour from Somnath to the reserve forest, our driver took us
to a nearby crocodile zoo and a museum. After a leisurely lunch we
were charged up to face the king of the forests.
Luck was in our favour as there was a killing the night before and a
lion with his two lionesses was lazing in our route. It was an
unbelievable experience I cannot describe in words. When our jeep went
near, the curious lion got up and walked a few feet towards us and
flopped down again, suddenly losing interest on his visitors.
Everyone in the jeep held their breathe, admiring the royal mane and
gait, as if trying to freeze in that moment. It was the highlight of
our trip. On the forest we had spotted spotted deer, peacocks,
sambhar deer and many birds.
After the wonderful beginning, we started towards Dwaraka, the scenic
coastal road was a treat to our eyes. We took a break to just enjoy
the sea view and had green coconut water.
Then we reached Porbandar, the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi. His home
has been turned into a museum where books, family photographs, letters,
some clothes and furniture are well preserved. You will feel the positive
energy and a sense of calm in the house. There is also Sudama temple
in the city, if you are religious.
After Porbandar, we finally reached Dwaraka, one of the char dhams
mentioned in the Hindu religion. After an hour of rest, we headed
towards Bhet Dwaraka, an island mainly inhabited with fishermen
community. On the way there is a temple dedicated to Rukmini, Lord Krishna’s
first wife.
We went to Bhet Dwaraka on a boat, the journey was very scenic with
seagulls following every boat begging for food. People threw chips and
other dry snacks which the birds caught mid air. However, the island
was a bit disappointing with just a temple of Lord Krishna. The temple
was not beautiful or architecturally significant. Besides, there
was nothing in the island except the temple.
 |
| sunset on our way back from Bhet Dwaraka to Dwaraka |
While coming back from Bhet Dwaraka our driver took a different route
and stopped at Nageshwar temple, the second Jyotirling in the state.
When we went inside the temple the evening it was time for aarti. We
saw the rituals of the aarti, it was an amazing experience in itself.
After that we came back to Dwaraka and went to the Dwaraka temple and
went for darshan. The black idol of Lord Krishna was looking beautiful
glittering with jewels made of gold and diamond.
Tired, we returned to our hotel and called it a day.
Next day we again visited the Dwaraka temple and witnessed the pandas
dressing the beautiful idol with yellow cloth and jewellery, a
beautiful sight.
After collecting dry prasad, we headed for Rajkot and our return
journey to Mumbai. On the way there were many more temples that one
can visit or give a miss depending on the mood.
While coming back I thought the Gujarat tourism was not exaggerating
anything in their promotional advertisement, we had a wonderful
experience and came to the conclusion that the state was really worth
a visit.
--
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