Hello to all my lovely Bloggers, book reviewers and travellers. Today, I am writing a small travelogue of my recent visit to the state of Gujarat. I had a lot of fun for 4 days in the cities of Vadodara and Ahmedabad. I visited many places of interest there and also got to learn a lot about the history of the places.
So, in this blog, I will be telling you all the tourist spots that I visited in both Vadodara and Ahmedabad. So, let's get this blog on the road.
Places to Visit in Vadodara and Ahmedabad
1. Statue of Unity
Where is it: Kevadiya, Gujarat
How to Reach: You can take your private vehicle to the entrance and parking of the Statue of Unity. After that, you will have to either get an autorickshaw or avail of the government bus service that takes you straight to the statue.
Time Required to Finish the spot: Usually, it takes around 3 days to fully complete the Statue of Unity. You can stay in the tents constructed around the SoU campus if you wish to fully explore. Otherwise, you can complete SoU within 4-5 hours in one day.
Must-Visit Spots: Unity Glow Garden, Valley of Flowers, Statue of Unity museum, Viewing Gallery, Ekta River Cruise, Narmada Aarti and Laser and Light Show.
So, as you can read above, the Statue of Unity is a full entertainment-packed place that families and tourists can enjoy. When you enter the campus, you will first have to buy a ticket. It now depends upon you as to which ticket suits you the best.
After that, you must straight away go to the viewing gallery which is situated inside the Statue of Unity. From there, you can get a glimpse of the Sardar Sarovar Dam that has been built on the Narmada river. To go to the statue, you need to walk through the travelators.
Once you complete the viewing gallery, go and visit the museum located at the bottom of the statue to see how the statue was constructed.
You can then visit the Valley of Flowers where there are varieties of flowers to enjoy. You can also get a full view of the dam if you hire a rickshaw to take you there.
You must definitely avail the Ekta Day Cruise that sails on the Narmada river. It will give you an excellent glimpse of the Statue of Unity. During the day cruise, you will be getting to see 3 folk dances from different states. You can then go on the upper deck of the cruise to enjoy a wide view of the Narmada River. You can also enjoy a Dj during the day cruise as well.
Lastly, if you wish, you can go in for the Laser and Light Show that starts at around 8 pm due to the increased day length in Gujarat.
Similarly, the Unity Glow Garden also opens its doors after sunset.
For your religious soul, you should definitely attend the Narmada Aarti that takes place at 7:15 pm.
It is a very beautiful tourist spot to visit and must be on every traveller's list when they visit Gujarat. The Ekta Dinner Cruise takes you around the Statue of Unity at night where you can enjoy folk dances, dinner and a DJ.
I certainly loved the place and the surroundings were so beautiful to gaze upon and enjoy. Everything is very systematic and you can find your way around the whole campus.
2. BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Vadodara
Where is it: Ataldara, Vadodara
How to Reach: Your taxi driver can take you there comfortably; with no problems at all.
Time Required to Finish the Spot- It will take you hardly 15-20 minutes to finish the spot.
The Swaminarayan Temple at Vadodara is run by BAPS, whose full form is Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.
It is a very peaceful place where you can sit and relax under the huge trees planted around the small campus. The idols of the Gods and Goddesses are very beautiful and have excellent features as well.
The temple structure is also very beautiful with excellent carvings on the walls and on the outside are the spiritual gurus who helped establish BAPS.
Do visit the temple and experience the peacefulness and serenity of the Swaminarayan Temple at Ataldara.
Where is it: Vadodara
How to Reach: Your private vehicle or taxi can take you there or you can avail of the city bus service that runs in Vadodara.
Time Required to Finish the Spot- It will take you around 1 hour to finish the whole tour of the palace.
For all history freaks out there, the Laxmi Vilas Palace will give you just the right dose of it. The symmetry of the palace is uneven on the outside, but the various halls and rooms are certainly worth a visit.
Cameras are not allowed inside the palace premises and you will have to capture each moment with your natural camera, that is, your eyes.
The Gaddi Room and Hathi Room are the most opulent places to visit along with the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum.
This palace is four times the size of the UK's Buckingham Palace and its main architect was Major Charles Mant.
The palace was tastefully made by the Gaekwads in the 1800s and has not lost its splendour even after so many years.
You can buy a single ticket if you wish to visit only the palace or you can buy 2 tickets to visit the museum and palace together.
The palace has a host of paintings by the celebrated Indian artist Raja Ravi Verma that displays the mythological scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
The palace also houses 170 rooms but was built just for 2 people, the Maharaja and Maharani.
You must avail of the audio guide before the start of the tour to get deep insight into the palace life.
The armoury room is huge with a collection of swords, spears and pistols on display.
There is also a huge hall attached to the Hathi Hall which is very beautiful to look at and was the place where the Maharaja entertained himself and his guests.
The palace is not to be missed at all. Do visit and enjoy the luxurious lives of the Gaekwads.
4. Sursagar Lake
Where is it: Vadodara
How to Reach: Via taxi or autorickshaw
Time Required to Finish the Spot- You only require 10-15 minutes to complete the spot.
The Sursagar Lake is huge in the city of Vadodara. The lake also has a tall statue of Lord Shiva in the middle and it looks heavenly when the lights fall upon the statue from the downside. The lake also has a huge walking area where locals and tourists can take a leisurely stroll in the evenings.,
So, these are some of the top places to visit when in Vadodara. Although the city has lots more to offer, one must not miss these 4 attractions and must include them in their lists.
5. EME Temple
Where is it: Vadodara
How to Reach: By taxi or private vehicle.
Time Required to Finish the Spot: It will take you only 10-15 minutes to finish the spot.
The EME Temple is a Shiva temple built and maintained by the Indian army posted in Vadodara. The unique thing about this structure is that it is fully made of aluminium and houses a very beautiful statue of Lord Shiva along with his sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. The lighting around the statue is also very beautiful. Apart from Lord Shiva, there are many other statues of God and Goddesses that have been erected around the temple campus. Photography is not allowed inside the premises as it is an army base. At the entrance, you will have to submit one photo ID to receive a card which allows entry inside the premises. Do visit this temple when you are in Baroda.
We will now be looking at some of the places that I visited in Ahmedabad.
1. Swaminarayan Temple
Where is it: Kalupur, Ahmedabad
How to Reach: Your taxi can drop you off at the auto stand and from there pick up an autorickshaw to visit the age-old temple.
Time Required to Finish the Spot- It will take you about 15-30 minutes to finish visiting the temple.
This is a very old temple in the Kalupur area of Ahmedabad. The temple is breathtaking with beautiful carvings on the entrance as well as inside and outside the temple.
The statues of the deities are beautiful with striking features and devotees can spend as much time as they want in the temple.
The evening prayers start at around 7:00 pm and the temple closes at 12:00 noon and opens at 5:00 pm.
This temple is a must-visit and tourists can take in the surroundings peacefully.
2. Kankaria Lake
Where is it: Ahmedabad
How to Reach: Your taxi or private vehicle along with autos
Time Required to Finish the Spot- Minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour
Must-visit spots- Kankaria Zoo, Speed Boating, Toy Train ride, Golf Cart Ride
This is the second-largest lake in Ahmedabad. Locals and tourists alike love visiting this lake as it has a lot to offer them. You can enjoy mouth-watering snacks, cold drinks and ice-creams while enjoying the serene view of the lake.
You can better enjoy the lake by taking a speedboat ride that takes tourists on a whole round trip to the lake. Or you can buy a ticket for the toy train that operates every day.
Right now, the toy train is not operational because of the renovation work going on the tracks. The other option is to use the golf cart service to get a whole tour of the lake.
3. Sabarmati Ashram
Where is it- Ahmedabad
How to Reach- By taxi or auto or private vehicle
Time to Finish the Spot- It can take around 1 hour to visit the full ashram
The world-famous Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi is on the banks of the Sabarmati river. It has a museum that showcases the life of Gandhiji from his childhood to death. Various photographs tell the full journey of Mahatma Gandhi. There are big and small charkhas on display that visitors can just see.
The most important place in the ashram is Hriday Kunj where Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba Gandhi lived. There were also guest quarters where eminent personalities of the independence movement lived when they came to meet Gandhiji and seek his counsel on different subjects.
There is also a souvenir shop where tourists can buy things related to the ashram and also small memorabilia to gift to their loved ones.
The ashram is very peaceful and has very excellently depicted the important events in the life of Gandhiji. The Salt March at Dandi has been brought to life by a model.
Overall, the ashram is very nice and must be visited when in Ahmedabad.
Where is it: Gandhinagar
How to Reach: A taxi or private vehicle is the best bet to reach the temple.
Time to Finish the Spot- It can take you around 30 minutes- an hour to finish the temple visit
Akshardham Temple is also run by BAPS where they have very beautiful idols of deities and of their gurus who established the order.
People can also enjoy a drama based on the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan who was present during the 18th and 19th centuries in India.
There is also a painting exhibition dedicated to the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan through which tourists and locals can get a feel of the life of the holy God.
Then there are opulent gardens as we enter and exit the temple where they have erected beautiful statues of Gods and Goddesses.
The temple was officially inaugurated 30 years back on the 30th of October 1992.
Make sure you visit this temple when touring Gandhinagar.
People are not allowed to carry their personal belongings inside the temple and must submit them to the Cloak Rooms outside the temple.
5. Ruda Bai Ni Vav
Where is it: Adalaj, Gandhinagar
How to Reach: By taxi or private vehicle
Time Required to Finish the Spot- You will require only 15-20 minutes to finish the entire spot.
Ruda Bai Ni Vav or the Adalaj Stepwells as they are famously known, are the ancient stepwells of the kings and queens gone by.
The step-wells were an important part of the lives of the royals as they went to bathe and relax in these Vavs.
This vav, in particular, has very intricate stonework jaalis that are very beautiful to look at.
There are, however, bats inside the premises of the vav and the place stinks a lot because of the droppings of these bats.
I would suggest that you wear a mask when entering the step-wells.
The construction is still intact and tourists can see water-filled inside the circular structures of the vav.
There is a big circle outside and then a smaller one on the inside.
The vav is very beautiful overall and must be visited.
So, this was my 4-day visit to the state of Gujarat and enjoying its various places of tourist interest. I hope that you enjoyed my small travelogue on Baroda and Ahmedabad. I hope to bring many more such travelogues for you all in the future.
Till then adios and au revoir from my side.
