Travelogue

My Short Trip to Gujarat and Rajasthan

- Abhishek Das

During the fall, being a Bengali, I always prefer to stay in Kolkata, the epicentre of the world-famous massive cultural fiesta called Durga Puja. However, as cotton wool shaped clouds flooded the blue sky in the fall of 2018, my parents proposed to spend the pujas this year in the western part of our country, and in lieu of having a new experience, I readily agreed. With the ease of “Tatkal Ticket Reservation” at the IRCTC website, we boarded the Howrah Ahmedabad Express at 1 am in the morning (after the train being considerably late).

The two days long journey was quite uneventful, except for the regular nuances of travelling through Indian Railways. We reached the Ahmedabad junction, in the late afternoon, and went straight to the hotel, weary from the long journey, longing some sleep in bed, which was not shaking constantly.

After a well-deserved sleep, well into the evening, we decided to visit the iconic Kankaria Lake. Away from the bustling toy-train rides and tourist crowds, we had a quiet evening. On the way home, we booked a private car, which was to be along with us for the rest of our tour.

The next morning, we set out towards the iconic Somnath Temple. The Civil Engineer inside me was excited to see the magnificent architecture of the temple, although the atheist in me could not be less interested. The sprawling hills on both sides of the road, made the journey free boredom.

So close, yet so far

The Western Ghats- Omnipresent Travel Companion

Later that evening, we reached the Somnath Temple grounds, after a quick visit to the Laxminarayan Temple, the architectural intricacy of which amazed be greatly, we enjoyed the sunset on the beach nearby before retreating for the night. The guesthouse we retreated was nice; almost all the amenities were available for a reasonable price.

Laxminarayan Temple with intricate designs adorning the entrance

The Somnath Temple

Sunset at Somnath Beach

Early next morning, after attending the mandatory puja, we set for Daman & Diu, especially, Diu beach. Being a Bengali, with Digha & Puri being second homes, the small crowd and the calm sea of the Diu beach mesmerized me. We completed our lunch at a roadside dhaba, and we were all set for Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.

Diu Beach

The journey to Porbandar was uneventful. The whole journey I was highly excited to visit the birthplace of the father of the nation. The only remarkable part of the journey was seeing these magnificent windmills along the side of the roads, which were a reassuring sign of India’s growing commitment towards renewable sources of energy.

Windmills like these dotted the sides of the road

On finally reaching Porbandar, and visiting the memorial to honour the father of the nation, I felt a reassuring sense of calmness. The humble nature of his abode, the signs of his simple life, all helped me align myself more with his ideology of non-violence.

Memorial at the Mahatma’s Birthplace

Porbandar, Gujarat.

After, spending some time at seaside, we continued our journey to Dwarka, the birthplace of Lord Krishna. On arriving there late-evening, we hurriedly booking a hotel, and ordering room service, we went to bed early, to prepare for the next day.

We woke up early in the morning, to attend the Morning prayers at the Dwarkadhish Temple. From there, we spent the morning visiting local places of interest, with the Sudama Setu, a large suspension bridge being the most memorable.

Sudama Setu

Dwarka, Gujarat

From Dwarka, we visited Bet Dwarka, another holy shrine. The journey by boat, by crossing the river was more appealing to me, than the temple itself. Though the boat was full of passengers to the brim, the beautiful green-blue water of the sea was a remarkable sight.

The Majestic Arabian Sea

The Busy Sea-Lane

Before returning to Ahmedabad, the majestic statue of Lord Shiva at the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga temple had a lasting impression on my mind.

Majestic statue of Lord Shiva at the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga Temple

The next morning, before setting out for Mount Abu, in Rajasthan, we decided to have a quick but important stop at Sabarmati Ashram. It was early in the morning, and many a people were having their morning walks in the serene environment. Various moments of the Mahatma’s Life were beautifully recreated here with the help of models and illustrations.

The famous Salt March or Salt Satyagraha beautifully recreated

After an insightful morning at the Sabarmati Ashram, we continued our journey towards Mount Abu. As we took the long, winding highways, I could notice how the roadside geographical characteristics were changing as we entered Rajasthan. The soils were losing their lustre, and a general dryness were prevailing in the surroundings. It was mainly evident from the fact, which the green hills, our omnipresent travel companion, were slowly transforming from rich green hills to dry yellow ones.

The hills started getting more arid as we entered Rajasthan

As we slowly ascended, the Mountain, I could notice the air getting thinner, and the temperature dropping at a steady pace. After reaching the residential area of Mount Abu, I had the most surreal experience. The weather was quite sunny, but the ambience was chilly, with cold air breezes flowing intermittently. Having visited quite a few hill stations, this felt unique to me. After freshening up, we visited the Nakki Lake, a fresh water lake, popular for boating. Spending some quality time at the lakeside, we retreated at our hotel, to prepare for the journey to sunset point, later in the afternoon, to watch the magnificent sunset, the main attraction of Mount Abu.

Nakki Lake

The journey up to the sunset point was also highly interesting. There were rumours, that deviating from the prescribed path might risk an attack from bandits that is why, all the travellers went as a group. A peculiar form of transport was also present, a sledge with small wheels, for travellers who could not risk walking up. The viewing point were already packed, though it was a long time until sunset. Nevertheless, when the time did come, the sheer beauty mesmerized me. The different stages of the setting sun reminded me of another famous sunrise, at Tiger Hill, Darjeeling. As soon as the sun set, the ambient temperature decreased drastically, giving us a proper feeling of a hill station. We quickly descended the sunset point, along with the rapidly thinning crowd. On our way back to the hotel, we enjoyed the beautiful Dussera celebration, and retreated back to the hotel, after having authentic Rajasthani dinner consisting of Dal-bati-chorma, doused in sizzling ghee.

Time-lapse photos of the sunset visible from Mt. Abu

Early next morning, we started our journey to avoid the rush of tourists coming down from the mountain. The morning mist still encroached all of our surrounding, resulting in an out-of-the-world experience for us.

Misty Morning at Mount Abu

However, as we descended on plain grounds, we were excited about our visit to Udaipur. On arrival at Udaipur, after arranging for accommodations, we set out for Saheliyon-ki-bari Garden, made by Maharana Sangram Singh, for Queen and her subjects. The garden and intricate architecture of the fountains gave a clear idea about the prosperity of the bygone times.

Fountain at Sahelion-Ki-Bari

From the majestic garden, we continued our journey to the Udaipur City Palace. Unfortunately, my camera died out, causing one of my biggest regret in life until that date. The interior of the palace was simply majestic, from the chandeliers, to the bedrooms to the cushions, were mind-blowing. The premium marble floors, the intricate works of the walls and roofs are proof of India’s glorious past. However, spending the daytime being amazed, we decided to retreat earlier that that, to better prepare for our journey to Chittorgarh, the place of fabled Rani Padmini.

The next day, though starting early in the morning, it was almost noon as we reached Chittorgarh Fort. The high walls, with provisions of defence mechanisms, and patrols along the path, gave me a chance to have a first-hand experience of an important piece of India’s History.

Courtyard

The sandstone architecture, even after so many years has not been completely demolished, and gives a clear idea, about the vastness of the fort. There is light and sound arena in the middle of the courtyard, with the Meera Temple in the background. The light and sound shows, showed the historic significance of the place in a cinematic way.

Stage set for the Light-and-sound show in the evening

Remnants of a bygone Era

The balconies, the jail cells and all the other structures, seemed were struggling to speak aloud about the centuries of history. The abandoned structures, once bustling with life, now stand there with an aura of eeriness around them.

Balconies once used as observatories

Cells, now empty

A bird’s eye view of the city underneath can be obtained from the topmost point of the fort. While standing there, I tried to imagine, how the city underneath looked to the ruler, centuries ago. The ambience when the fort was lit up by the glow of lamps during the evening, the soldiers marched in preparation and the citizens hunkering down in case of a siege. Only the slightly dilapidated walls are witness of the happenings of this once bustling fort.

A bird’s eye view of the city

The Main Hall

From the Chittorgarh fort, we proceed to visit the Fateh Prakash Palace/Museum. This place had the largest collection of the contemporary weapons and utensils. The palace also had an exact replica of the courtroom of the rulers. The huge swords and the dangerous weapons used were a testament of a tumultuous time in history.

The Palace

The Main Courtyard

Re-creation of Historical events

Re-creation of the courtroom or darbaar

The next stop in our journey was The Vijay Stambh, the imposing victory monument built by Rana Kumbha. Though the path leading to the top felt a tad bit too claustrophobia inducing to me, the scenery was magnificent. However, this feeling must be pale compared to what Rana Kumbha felt after his victory.

The Vijay Stambh

The steepness walls of the fort along which boiling oil were thrown as a defensive measure

The last part of our journey took us to the Padmini Palace, the fabled queen who supposedly gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend her honour. The sheer beauty of the legendary queen’s palace and the majestic flowers in the famous garden, gave a feeling of tranquillity in the late afternoon. After spending quality time near the lake, we retreated towards our hotel, to begin preparation of going home tomorrow.

Entrance to Rani Padmini’s Palace

The Palace of the legendary Queen

The next day we boarded the train to start our journey back home. I was a tad bit sad, that due to work and educational constraints we could not extend the trip to explore more vividly. We only covered about 50% of the total tourist spots of the two states and vowed to return. Overall, the experience was fun, for a ten days trip, all things considering. Though all the sites are accessible throughout the year, places in Rajasthan are avoided, for the extreme temperatures during the summer and winter times. Considering food & lodging expenses, the diesel costs of refuelling the private car, which we took for the tour of the two states, Rs 11 /- per mile rent of the car itself, miscellaneous expenses including ticket costs, state and road taxes, and the entire cost of the trip for three adults, were around fifty thousand rupees. However, these costs were the results of on-spot hotel booking, calculating the routes of the car manually, to save on rent, among other things. If one wishes to complete the trip without extra headaches and spontaneous planning, the best course is to arrange touring companies; however, the cost would be around thirty thousand more. This trip helped a lot in my personal development, where not only the sceneries and the historic monuments helped, but also interacting with various people, helped me understand the way of life of the common person, in these tourist spots, who are ignored largely by the huge tourist groups. Our Driver was just a common employee of the car rental service, from the villages of Rajasthan, and in these ten days, I came to learn a lot about his customs, beliefs, struggles and prejudices, which would be otherwise impossible to know in the urban scenario of our mundane daily life. The human porter of Mount Abu, the server of the roadside dhaba, the priest of the Somnath Temple; all gave me valuable memories, to cherish forever.