Introduction to stepwells

• The Adalaj step well or 'Vav', as it is called in Gujarati, is intricately carved and is five stories deep. It was built in 1498. The history of the Adalaj step-well is established by an inscription in Sanskrit found on a marble slab positioned in a recess on the first floor, from the eastern entry to the well. Its construction was started by Rana Veer Singh of the Vaghela dynasty of Dandai Desh. But he was killed in a war, wherefater the Muslim king Mahmud Begada of a neighbouring state built it in Indo-Islamic architectural style, in 1499.
  
• The Sanskrit inscription in the stepwell describes,
• "Samvat 1555 (1498 AD), month of Magha, Mahmud Padshah being king.
• "Salutation to Vinayaka (Ganesha) to whose race belonged King Mokala, chief of the country of Dandahi. From him was born Karna, whose son was Mularaja. Mahipa was Mularaja's son, and Virsinh and Naisha were the sons of Mahipa. Virsinh's queen, whose name is Rooda, has constructed this well.
• "It is dedicated at this time — when the sun is in the north, the month is Magha, the bright half (Shukla Paksha), the 5th day, the day of the week, Wednesday, the lunar mansion — Uttara, Karana-Bava, the yoga — Siddhi."
• Then follows a glowing description of the well, after which the queen, or rather lady of the chief, is praised in a few verses; the expense is stated at 5,00,111 tankas, or over five lakhs, and the whole ends with a repetition of the date as given above.
• The cultural and architectural depiction in the deep wells at various levels are a tribute to the history of step wells, built initially by Hindus and subsequently ornamented and blended with Islamic architecture during the Muslim rule.

History

Historical places of Gondal

Orchard Palace was converted into a seven-room heritage hotel decorated with 1930s–1940s art deco furniture, antiques and handicrafts. The garden contains many types of birds, including a large population of peacocks. The Room of Miniatures is a sitting room with a collection of miniature paintings, brass, and furniture. One of the highlights of the palace is the Rail Saloon of the royal family of Gondal which has been converted into a suite with a drawing room, dining room and bedroom. The royal garages have an extensive collection of vintage and classic cars.

• Gandhidham is a city in the Kutch District of Gujarat state of India. The town was created in the early 1950s for the resettlement of the refugees from Sindh (now in Pakistan) in the aftermath of the partition of India. It was named after Mahatma Gandhi, the father of Indian nation. Gandhidham is an economic capital of Kutch and it is a fast developing city in Gujarat state. A growing retirement and family city, Gandhidham is the 8th most populous city in the state of Gujarat. The city is a popular destinations for conventions, business, and meetings.

History

• Soon after the Partition of India in 1947, a large group of Sindhi Hindus refugees from Sindh of Pakistan migrated to India. The Maharaja of Kutch His Highness Maharao Shri Vijayrajji Khengarji Jadeja, on the advice of Gandhiji gave 15,000 acres (61 km²) of land to Bhai Pratap, who founded the Sindhu Resettlement Corporation Ltd (SRC) to rehabilitate Sindhi Hindus that migrated
  
  from Sindh in Pakistan
• The Sindhu Resettlement Corporation Ltd was formed with Acharaya Kriplani as chairman and Bhai Pratap Dialdas as managing director. The main objective of the corporation was to assist in the rehousing of displaced persons by the construction of a new township. The original plan was prepared by a team of planners headed by Dr. O. H. Koenigsberger, director of the division of housing in the Government of India. Later, the plan was revised by Adams Howard and Greeley Company in 1952.
•  The foundation stone of the town was laid with the blessings of Gandhi in 1947. Hence, the town was named Gandhidham. To clean the desert where it was built, Bhai Pratap gave incentive of 25 paise to kill scorpions and 50 paise to kill snakes.The original plan envisaged 400,000 as the ultimate population of the town, expecting half of it to be reached in the mid-seventies. A revised plan envisaged three stages of town development with the mid stage lasting longer with a population around 150,000.

Geography and climate

• Gandhidham is located at latitude 23.08° N longitude 70.13° E. The main city is constructed in accordance with the principles of Vastu-Shastra (Hindu belief of construction), i.e., the main city has its face directed to the East. Summers are hot and dry and frequently the temperature touches 45 °C (113 °F). In winters, it falls to 3 °C (37 °F) accompanied by cold waves. The climate here is "desert." there is virtually no rainfall in a year in Gandhidham. This climate is considered to be BWh according to the Koppen-Geiger classification of climates. The average annual temperature is 26.8c. The average rainfall is 375mm.

• The Great Rann of Kutch, along with the Little Rann of Kutch and the Banni grasslands on its southern edge, is situated in the district of Kutch and comprises some 30,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus River in southern Pakistan. The marsh can be accessed from the village of Kharaghoda in Surendranagar District. The Great Rann of Kutch together with the Little Rann of Kutch is called Rann of Kutch.
• In India's summer monsoon, the flat desert of salty clay and mudflats, which average 15 meters above sea level, fills with standing water. In very wet years, the wetland extends from the Gulf of Kutch on the west through to the Gulf of Cambay on the east.

• The area was a vast shallow of the Arabian Sea until continuing geological uplift closed off the connection with the sea, creating a vast lake that was still navigable during the time of Alexander the Great. The Ghaggar River, which presently empties into the desert of northern Rajasthan, formerly emptied into the Rann of Kutch, but the lower reaches of the river dried up as its upstream tributaries were captured by the Indus and Ganges thousands of years ago. Traces of the delta and its distributary channels on the northern boundary of the Rann of Kutch were documented by the Geological Survey of India in 2000.
• The Luni River, which originates in Rajasthan, drains into the desert in the northeast corner of the Rann. Other rivers feeding into the marsh include the Rupen from the east and the West Banas River from the northeast.^[7] Nara Canal or Puran river which is a delta channel of Indus River empties during floods into Kori Creek located in the Great Rann of Kutch.
• There are sandy islets of thorny scrub, forming a wildlife sanctuary^[7] and a breeding ground for some of the largest flocks of greater and lesser flamingos. Wildlife, including the Indian wild ass, shelter on islands of higher ground, called bets, during the flooding.

 History of Palanpur and Palanpur State

• The Jain texts mentions that Prahladana, brother of Paramara Dharavarsha of Abu, founded Prahladanapur in 1218 and built Prahladana-vihara dedicated to Pallaviya Parshwanatha.
• The town was re-peopled ruled by Chauhans around thirteenth century. At the start of the seventeenth century, the Palanpur State was taken over by Jhalori dynasty of Pashtun Lohani tribe which was founded in 1373 and ruled from Jhalor. 
• The dynasty came into historical prominence during the period of instability that followed the demise of Mughal Emperor Aurangzebin the early 18th century. It was overrun soon afterwards by the Marathas; the Lohanis followed the trend of seeking recourse in the British East India Company against them and finally entered the subsidiary alliancesystem in 1817, along with all other neighbouring states, becoming a British protectorate.
  
• After independence of India in 1947, Palanpur State was dissolved in 1949 and merged with Union of India as a part of Bombay State. Subsequently Palanpur became the capital of Banaskantha district of Gujarat.

Economy

• Dairy, textile, diamond polishing and marble are major industries of Palanpur. Banas Dairy is one of the largest dairy in the state. The diamond polishing and evaluation industry across India and abroad is dominated by Palanpuri Jain diaspora. Palanpuri Ittars are popular for their fragrance and earned the nickname 'city of flowers' to the town.
• Surmandir, the first Multiplex of Gujarat is in Palanpur and is now operated by Carnival Cinemas.

Education and culture

• Palanpur is an educational hub of Banaskantha.
• During rule of Jhalori Nawabs, Palanpur became well known for Gujarati Ghazals and poetry. Samosas are popular snack in the town.
• The schools include Vidyamandir Highschool, NIB School, Aadarsh Vidhyasankool, M B Karnavat School, K K Gothi Highschool. G D Modi College of Arts, C. L. Parikh College of Commerce and R. R. Mehta College of Science are colleges of higher education in Science, Commerce and Arts.

• Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, consisting primarily of a 120.82-square-kilometre (46.65 sq mi) lake and ambient marshes, is situated about 64 km to the west of Ahmedabad near Sanand Village, in the Gujarat state of India. Mainly inhabited by migratory birds in winter and spring, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat, and one of the largest in India. It was declared a bird sanctuary in April 1969.
• The lake attracts over 210 species of birds in the winter, and harbors a variety of plants and animals. Besides a few mammalian species including the endangered wild ass and the black buck, its migratory bird population includes rosy pelicans, flamingoes, white storks, brahminy ducks and herons. Thousands of migratory waterfowl flock to this sanctuary just after the Indian monsoon season. The shallow area and ponds on the outer fringes of the lake attract the wading birds that feed in the shallow waters. Millions of birds visit the bird sanctuary in winter and spring. It harbors over 250 species of wetland birds.
•  Winter migrants from the north including purple moorhen, pelicans, lesser flamingos and greater flamingos, white storks, four species
  
  of bitterns, crakes, grebes, brahminy ducks(Ruddy shelduck) and heronsvisit Nal Sarovar. Between November and February, the lake is home to vast flocks of indigenous and migratory birds. Ducks, geese, pelicans and flamingos are best seen early in the morning and in the evening and the sanctuary is best visited as a day excursion by personal vehicle, taxi, as buses are infrequent and there is no convenient accommodation. Vehicles are available from parking to the lake site which is approx 1 km.
• Hours for visiting the lake are 6 am to 5:30 pm. There is an entry fee per visitor and camera, however for boating one needs to negotiate with the local boatmen, though prescribed rates are mentioned at the gate. The best time to reach there is just before sunrise as the lake is calm and quiet and flock of birds waiting for their regular food. The water in the lake is about 4 feet deep. Visitors can take a horse ride with a number of horses at the lakeside.
• Migrating Aamin bhai shepherds populate the islands of the lake and on the banks are the Padhars, who are folk dancers, artisans and boatmen. One can hire country boats on the lake for bird viewing, and picnic at shacks the on the islands.

Modhera, Gujarat Overview

Etymology

The area near the village was earlier known by the name of Dharmaranya, village folklore says that Lord Rama came to Dharmarayana to purge himself from Bramha Hatya on the advice of Sage Vashishtha. Lord Rama settled in a village in Dharmarayana called Modherak and performed a Yagna there and later established and named it Sitapur. The village later came to be known by its present day name of Modhera.

Places to see 

• Sun Temple

• Modheshwari Mata Mandir
  

• Food

• Fairs and Festivals

Palitana, Bhavnagar Overview

• A small town located in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, Palitana is noted as a popular pilgrimage site among the Jains. Another famous thing about Palitana is that the town strictly follows vegetarianism which makes it the first city in the world to abide by the vegetarian diet legally. It is no surprise that the town has listed selling of animal products (Fish, meat and eggs) or activities that involve the killing of animals to be illegal.

Attractions In and Around Palitana

• Palitana is the world-renowned place which houses over 900 temples. Shatrunjaya Hill which translates to the victory ground receives Jain pilgrims in large numbers because this is considered to be the most pious for them. This Hill alone has more than 3000 temples. 

 

• The Jain temples in Palitana worship Jain Tirthankars, and the topmost temple is dedicated to the first Tirthankara Rishabhanatha, also known as Rishabhadeva. The temples on the Shatrunjaya Hills have been constructed by generation after generation for close to 900 years. The first temple is believed to have been built in the 11th century. Starting from the foot of the hill till the peak, the way to the temples have been carved out of more than 3800 stone steps. 

Rani ki Vav, Patan 

Rani Ka Vav or 'Queen's Stepwell' is a unique step well located in the small town of Gujarat called Patan. Located on the banks of River Saraswati, it is not only a distinctive form of water resource and storage system but also represents a unique craftsmanship. Believed to be the grandest step well in the state of Gujarat, Rani ka Vav was constructed during 1063 to 1068 AD by the widowed Queen Udaymati. Recently listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 22nd June 2014, this subterranean step well epitomises the peak of Maru-Gujarat architectural style.

In the olden days, the well was surrounded by a number of medicinal herbs which imparted a medicinal quality to is water which helped ward off diseases like viral diseases and fever. The well, apart from working as the water storage system, is also known for its intricately carved sculptures that numbers around five hundred surpassing all other such architecture. Numerous sculptures dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his various forms like Kalki, Rama, Krishna, Narsinh, Vaman, Varahi can be seen here. In addition to this, Rani Ka Vav was an important centre for socializing among the locals as well. Its size of this structure is so vast that a visitor appears to be a mere dot on the structure from far off. It's a good example of manmade marvels of ancient India attracting visitors from all around the world collecting applauds.

Bhavnagar Tourism

Splendid splashes of the passionate waves of the Gulf of Khambat, an ancient history of ocean trade, vibrant culture, warm locals, bazaars brimming with people and chitter chatter, the enchanting architecture makes Bhavnagar a happy developing town in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

Located at the southern tip of Gujarat peninsula, Bhavnagar is known as the cultural centre of the state of Gujarat. Literary achievers like Govardhan Tripathi, Kavi Kant, Narsihm Mehta and Ganga Sati have their roots in Bhavnagar. While on one side, you'd see the careless waves of Gulf of Khambat, on the other hand you can see the busiest port of ocean trading in India.