Fondly nicknamed as Jewel of the West, Gujarat is an important state, located in the Western region of India. Surrounded by the Arabian Sea as and province of Sindh on the west, the phrase Gujarat has been derived from the Sanskrit term Gurjar-Rashtra or the Gurjar nation. If we turn the pages of history, the state of Gujarat was one of the main centres of the Indus Valley Civilization. It is home to major ancient cities like Lothal, Dholavira, and GolaDhoro. In fact, the first port of India was established at the ancient city of Lothal. The capital city of Gujarat is Gandhinagar.
Languages Spoken: Gujarati is the language spoken here, although Hindi is widely understood.
Climate
The climate of Gujarat is highly varying. The summers are usually extremely hot and dry with daytime temperatures hovering around 49 °C in the peak summer months. Relief comes when the monsoon season starts around in mid June. Though the day temperatures reduce, the humidity shoots up. The winters are mild, pleasant, and dry with average daytime temperatures around 29 °C (84 °F) and nights around 12 °C (54 °F.
How To Reach
As far as accessing the various cities in Gujarat is concerned, Ahmedabad is the only city which has an International Airport in Gujarat with regular flights. So tourists have the option of taking a flight to Ahmedabad. However, there are also flights into smaller airports like Baroda, Bhavnagar Bhuj, Diu, Jamnagar, Porbandar etc., which will connect through Mumbai.
Places To See In Gujarat
- Laxmi Vilas Palace: Four times larger than Buckingham Palace of England, Laxmi Vilas Palace happens to be one of the finest royal palaces in the world. Currently, Maharaja of Baroda and his family members reside in the palace.
- Somnath Temple: A widely popular tourist destination in Gujarat, visiting the temple is an important part of the “ChharDhamYatra”.
- Dwarakadheesh Temple: Situated in the city of Dwarka, it is considered to beone of the most sacred places for Hindus around the world. Visiting Dwarakadheesh Temple is also an important part of the “ChharDhamYatra”. Lord Krishna is worshipped in the city as “Dwarkadhish” or the King of Dwarka.
- Haji Pir: Situated on the border of India-Pakistan, the Dargah was originally named after Ali Akbar who was one of the soldiers of Shahabuddin Ghori. It attracts numerous visitors from all over the country.
- Lothal: Excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India around the 1960s, Lothal was one of the most modern cities during the time of Indus Valley Civilization. It is located in the Bhalregion. One of the most ancient cities in the world, Lothal dates back from 2400 BCE.
- Saputara: The most popular hill station of Gujarat, Satapura is situated in the Dang district. The climate stays pleasant here throughout the year.
The diversity and vibrancy which Gujarat provides, as a tourist destination is unmatched. Do plan a vacation to Gujarat soon!
