Sourastra Region, Gujarat (Travelogue)

The quench for logging places in Gujarat made us pack our bag and our 3 year old son for a road trip in our loyal Maruti, to few places of interest in the region of Sourastra, the south western part of Gujarat. 

After a long drive and a night halt at Jamnagar from Naliya, we set off to Dwarka the next morn.

Dwarka - Dwarka is considered as one of seven most holy places for Hindus. The present temple was built in 16th century, while the original temple was believed to have been built by Lord Krishna's great grandson, King Vajra. The 5-storied temple is said to be made of limestone and sand. A flag is hoisted in the temple tower five times every day. There are two gateways - Swarga Dwar, where pilgrims enter, and Moksha Dwar, where pilgrims exit. From the temple one can get the view the Sangam of River Gomati flowing towards the sea.

Porbandar- Despite being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Porbandar lacks any significant tourism infrastructure, although the area around Mahatma Gandhi's home has been renovated to become a temple of peace. Apart from this and a beach there is nothing much for tourists here.

Junagadh- Junagadh is an interesting and unspoiled town which has some exotic old buildings, mostly in a state of despair and is a place to explore.

The so-called “Buddhist Caves” around Uparkot are not actually caves, but three separate sites of rooms carved out of stone which were used by monks’ as their quarters. These caves are said to be over 2000 years. These caves are carved into rocks and the entry to the chambers lead downwards.It is believed that after many years of use, they were abandoned because of the cracks which had developed in the top most structure, that allowed the water to seep into the living quarters, making them unusable. Many say that due to this, the monks left for Maharashtra, where they went on to carve many similar and more elaborate structures. 

Zoo – Though it was a place we logged for 

the sake of my son, a trip to Junagadh would have remain incomplete without a visit to the Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden. The Junagadh Zoo was built in 1863 by the then Nawab. Incidentally, the zoo is the oldest one in Gujarat. He had set up this zoo in order to save the Asiatic Lion from extinction. Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden is located at around 3.5 km from the centre of the city. It is home to 71 species of animals. According to recent reports, there are around 850 animals in this zoo.

Somnath - Somnath means "The Protector of (the) Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed six times and rebuilt six times. The  present temple was rebuilt in November 1947, under the initiation of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.It is a place worth seeing.

The other places of interest in this region are the Gir Forest and Diu and Daman which we did not visit.