AAVO PADHARO!

DO CHECK OUT THESE MARVELS ON YOUR TRIP TO THE JEWEL OF WESTERN INDIA, GUJARAT

- Namita Gupta

Gujarat is always welcoming to visitors and its sights and sounds entice one to keep coming back for something new every single time. The vibrant state is full of surprises and boasts of treasures of a glorious past, including some of the popular World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO. Gujarat is also a paradise for nature lovers. It is not just about heritage sites, white sands or wild life; it is much more than that. The artistic and ingenious beauty at every step makes this exotic state, its monuments and its rich culture equally vibrant. As their tag line goes, Kutch nahi dekha to kuch nahi dekha, one just has to immerse in the khushboo Gujarat ki to really enjoy its beauty at its best.

We landed in Ahmedabad from Bangalore and explored the heritage of this beautiful city. Gujarat Tourism has now started one-day city bus tours where one can get a glimpse of all the top sites in a day, as you plonk yourself on the top of the open to sky bus. We decided to take it slow and took a walking tour of India's first world heritage city. We walked around with our tour guide, as we marveled at the 200 year old buildings, reflecting the Sompura architecture. There's a Ram temple also. There are mosques and temples both co existing side by side.

On the ancient site of Ashaval and Karnavati, Ahmedabad was found on 1411. The City of Ahmedabad has some of the finest India, Islamic monuments and exquisite Hindu and Jain temples. Its carved wooden houses are another unique architectural tradition. Jains nuns and monks live in Upashreys.