Amazing Somnath and Kutch ka Rann Utsav....

Day 3 - 1st Feb, 2016: Somnath, Dhordo

The plan for the day was to visit Somnath and then stay at Dhordo, white rann. Somnath has an interesting history. It has been rebuilt by Hindu kings and destroyed by Mughal rulers many times. It is also the first among the 12 jyotirlings. It is also believed to be the place where Shri Krishna ended his lila and left for heavenly abode. There is a pillar on the wall at the sea shore which has an arrow indicating that between the Somnath temple and the South Pole there is no land area only the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Somnath aarti is very famous and there are 3 aarti timings - 7 am, 12 in the noon and 7 pm. Since we were to reach Dhordo by evening, we thought of catching up with the first aarti. Somnath is approximately 70 kms from Gir and takes around 1 hour. We started by 5:30 am and were there at Somnath by 6:35 am. Parking is available near the temple.

Somnath temple

The aarti at Somnath is simply amazing. You feel blessed and realize that God is almighty. The devotion of the devotees, the aarti, the sound of the musical instruments and just everything about the place makes you feel want more. The temple looks very beautiful just as the sun sets in and the rays fall on the temple. There is the vastness of ocean wherever you see around. We left for Dhordo by 8 am. Dhordo is approximately 525 kms from Somnath. The resort had got theplas packed for us and that was our breakfast. There are only dhabas on route to Dhordo. The route passes through Morbi which produces around 70% of India's gross ceramic production.

The colorful Chakdo

Salt pans on route to Dhordo

The roads are in excellent condition. The next stopover was at Bhujodi which is must visit for shopping enthusiasts! It comes just before Bhuj and there is a sign board to your left if travelling towards Bhuj from Morbi. Bhujodi is a major textile center in Kutch with most of its inhabitants involved in handicrafts and textile industry. There are shops offering Kurtis, salwars, shawls, jackets with beautiful hand embroidery and batik work. The rates were also reasonable. In short, Bhujodi is a wonderful handicrafts village.

One of the famous shops at Bhujodi

All of the Kutch is famous for its villages with some offering handicrafts, textile embroidery, some others famous for metal work and some more famous for wood carvings and mirror work. In fact after visiting Kutch, I would suggest to keep an entire week just for Greater Rann of Kutch.

The next stop after Bhujodi was Bhirandiyara. On the way to Bhirandiyara, we passed through a signboard that read Tropic of Cancer passes here! Bhirandiyara has a check-post where permit to visit White Rann and Kalo Dungar is taken since Dhordo is very close to the Pakistan border. The check-post closes at 6 pm so make sure you reach there before 6 pm. From the check-post, take the road that goes left to reach Dhordo. Dhordo is the place where the Rann Utsav is held and its the village closest to the White Rann. There are sign boards everywhere which makes navigation quite easy.

We had booked Gateway to Rann resort which was right next to the Tent City. There is Toran resort which is near the White Rann check-post. The specialty of the Kutch region are the Bhungas. They are single cylindrical structures put close to each other to form a house. The interiors of a Bhunga are adorned with beautiful mirror work and furniture carvings. The resorts in the area offer stays in these Bhungas which is one of a kind experience.

We reached Dhordo around 5:45 pm just before sunset and drove right to the White Rann since sunsets and sunrises are spectacular in the White Rann. We reached just as the sun was about to set and what an amazing view it was! I am out of words to describe the beauty of White Rann. One can only see white stretch of salt for as far as the eye can see. The place makes you feel one with nature and you feel at peace.

Sunset at White Rann

By the time we reached the resort and checked in it was around 7 pm. The resorts in the area also arrange for folk music by local artists. The folk songs were good and the instruments used were local to Kutch like a tabla made of an earthen pot covered with goat skin, another instrument called the morchink and many others. It was time for dinner after the folk performances. Dinner was the Gujarati thali with the Kahthiawadi touch to it.

Things to remember while visiting Somnath:
Bags, belts, Cameras are not allowed inside the temple. Also, if travelling by your own vehicle, vehicle keys having remote as well are not allowed inside. The entrance to the temple is from the left side of the road. There is also a cloak room available to keep belongings just before the entrance. Since we had just belts to keep, not sure of the safety of the cloak room.

Route:
The route was NH8 passing through Junagadh, Gondal, Rajkot, Morbi, Bhachau, Bhujodi, Bhuj, Bhirandiyara and Dhordo.

Permit fees:
The permit for White Rann charges INR 100/person and INR 50 for the vehicle.

A date with the Asiatic Lions of Gir....

Day 2 - 31st January, 2016: Gir

The second day of the trip started early morning at 4:30 getting ready to meet the King of the Jungle. We had booked for the morning 6 am safari. Make sure you book the safari atleast a month in advance. And doing so is quite easy. Go to the official site for booking and register. While booking you need to provide the id details of the people in the safari with you since you need to provide the same ids at the counter to get the permit. Hence, it is advisible to go atleast an hour before the safari so that you get ample time to show the ids and get the permit. Also, a jeep can acomodate 6 people and route is randomly decided. Route numbers 2,5,7 are considered to be good routes. The charge of permit while booking online is INR 1000 which excludes guide and jeep charges. The guide and jeep charges need o be paid directly to the guide at the counter after the route gets decided. The guide and jeep charges were INR 250. Also carry a printout of the e-permit to get the ticket. So the total charge of one safari is INR 1250.

The safari started at 6 am and was for 3 hours approximately. We spotted many birds but the lifers were Collared Scops Owl and Vultures. The guide spotted them really well since the owl was camouflaged in a bark of the tree. Deers, peacocks were also spotted.

Vulture seen during safari

A group of Deers

We were eagerly waiting to meet the Lion King but unfortunately we couldn't see him. We heard some Lion roars quite a few times and at least that made us happy. It's preferable to go for 3-4 safaris considering the fact that Gir is a huge forest and the Lions are scattered all over and also Lions have their territories. we got to know many interesting facts from the guide like Gir is a huge area which covers around 4 districts. Also, Gir is the last home for the Asiatic Lions which are found no where else. The safari ended at 9 am and we were back at the resort by 9:15 am.

Collared Scops Owl

We had theplas, bread and poha for breakfast. And after freshening up, we had a walk along the Hiran river where we spotted many birds. Among all the birds, there was a large population of the Red Naped Ibis and Black Ibis. The other birds were Snake Darter, Common Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Cormorant and Heron. If birding is your hobby, you would love to watch a kingfisher fishing! We were more than happy to see it. By the time we returned back it was lunch time. The delicious Gujarati thali was waiting for us. The thali consisted of a new item called as Kathiawadi dhokli nu shaak. It was very spicy and tasty and must be tasted when in Gujarat. We also observed that irrespective of where you have thali, raw vegetables and cabbage salad are served along with the main dishes.

Red Naped Ibis

Red Wattled Lapwing

Snake Darter

Pied Kingfisher

After lunch, we headed out to Devalia Interpretation Zone which is kind of a zoo with enclosures for different animals. Once you book a ticket for a slot, the bus number is given and you need to go to the bus number specified for the zone tour. There are some lions, leopard, deers, black bucks kept in the zone. We did not enjoy seeing the animals caged. The real beauty of the animals is seen when they are free to roam in the jungles.

Lioness at Devalia Interpretation Zone

We were back at the resort by 5 pm. Later in the evening, we were taken for a ride in the colorful chakdo by the resort. It was a fun ride and I must admit that when in Gujarat, do try the chakdo. Dinner was again the Gujarati thali and we enjoyed it. A guide at the hotel informed us of the Siddi tribe that stays in the Gir forests. They are of African origin but have settled in Gujarat from a long time. They are of Indian nationality and speak fluent Gujarati. They do normal jobs during the day and by evening entertain guests at various resorts by their African tribal dance. The guide took us to a nearby resort where the Siddi tribal dance was going on. The dance was good and was very different. In a way its good to see the dance since it helps the tribals to earn some extra money which helps them and in a way it feels bad to see them getting exploited.

And we were at the end of day 2 in Gujarat.

Gir Jungle Trail details:
Online e-permit fee: INR 1000 for 6 people together accomodated in a jeep
Guide and jeep charges: INR 250
Devalia Interpretation Zone entrance fee: INR 190/person on weekend and INR 150/person on weekday

Must try dishes of the day:
Kathiawadi dhokli nu shaak, cabbage salad

Kem Cho Gujarat.....!!

Day 1 - 30th January, 2016: Bangalore - Ahmedabad - Lothal - Gir

It was again that time of the year when we head out for vacation. After seeing Big B inviting people to experience Gujarat in the Gujarat tourism ads, we thought why not give it a try! The flight tickets were booked and the travel itinerary was ready. The best time to visit Gujarat is from Dec-Mar since Kutch becomes alive by the beautiful and colorful Rann Utsav and Big B puts it rightly as 'Kuch din toh gujariye Gujarat mein'. Also, the weather though hot in the morning gets cool by evening.

Gujarat being the only place now where Asiatic lions can be found is a must visit place. The ancient ruins of Dholavira and Lothal transport you back in time to the Indus Valley Civilization. The salt pans and wild ass of the little Rann of Kutch are also worth a visit since wild ass are now an endangered species. Little Rann of Kutch also boasts of a colorful bird life with the flamingos migrating in winter to Gujarat. A visit to Somnath leaves you mesmerized by the devotion to Lord Shiva by his devotees. There is something in Gujarat for everyone.

Our trip started with us waking up early morning to catch the Indigo flight to Ahmedabad from Bengalooru at 6:30 am. Indigo is the only flight which is non-stop to Ahmedabad from Bengalooru and also the cheapest compared to others. The journey was of 2 hours 15 mins and we landed around 8:45 am. We had booked a swift diesel from Carzonrent and the total tariff for 10 days was INR. 15000 excluding fuel charges. The car was in a good condition but the only drawback was you could not drive beyond the speed of 100Kmph and doing so would result in fine which when reached a certain amount would result in cancelling of the booking.

So the journey to the first destination Gir via Lothal started. Lothal which means 'Mound of the Dead' is the oldest known port city in the world. It also enjoyed the status of the leading center for trade in its time famous for trade of beads, gems and other ornaments. Lothal is around 80 kms from Ahmedabad.

The Dockyard

The Acropolis

Drainage system

The archaeological excavations have revealed acropolis, bead factory, marketplace, cemetery and lower town along with the dockyard.The dockyard at Lothal was also the largest in the Indus valley civilization and one of the greatest architecture of the ancient world. The Indus valley civilization was also known for the perfectly designed drainage system. The site reveals paved paths, baths, structured houses, workshops, factories and what not. The site set a brilliant example of architecture with respect to drainage system and town planning. Worshiping fire and animal sacrifices were also practiced. A grave consisting of 2 skeletons together was also found which was also practiced. There is a museum as well where many artifacts like beads and other ornaments, toys, weapons used for hunting, storage and cooking utensils and many other things used by the Harappans at Lothal are kept. The museum is closed on Fridays and the entrance charge for Indians is INR 5. It's a site must visit for history buffs who would enjoy each and every place at the site.

A well at the site

Bead Maker's Kiln

The Lower Town

It was almost noon by the time we covered Lothal. On route to Gir, we stopped at a restaurant where we had first Thepla of the trip. The other dishes we tried were dal khichdi and dry fruit khichdi and we were more than happy to have this food for the next 8 days! The road from Lothal to Gir is in a good condition but since we were new to the place, we lost the route a few times. On route, we also saw the colorful part of Gujarat in the 'Chakdo' which is the old diesel version of the Royal Enfield whose pillion is modified to accommodate as many people as possible. All throughout the trip except for the cities, the chakdo was what the autos are for city dwellers. It was around 9 pm when we reached the resort at Gir. Being off-season, we were the only guests in the resort. The dinner was served a while later and it consisted of a typical Gujarati thali of rotlo, butter, jaggery, phulkas, brinjal curry, kadhi, rice, sev tamatar curry and buttermilk. A Gujarati thali is always incomplete without the buttermilk and it was a relief to have it as often as possible in the scorching temperature of 39 degrees.

After a long journey from Bangalore to Gir and a fulfilling meal, all that we wanted was a good night of sleep!

Route:
From Lothal we took the route to Visavadar. The forest gates at Visavadar close by 6 pm/ 7 pm. We did not know of this and reached the gate around 8 pm. Also, the road as you enter the forest around 10 kms before Visavadar gate is in a very bad condition and its preferrable to reach there before 5 pm. The other route to take in case the gate is closed is Mandavad -> Moniya -> Mendarda -> Sasan Gir. This route is longer compared to the route via Visavadar.

Must try dishes of the day:
Thepla, khichdi, sev tamatar curry, kadhi and buttermilk.