DESTINATION GUJARAT

It's not one of India's most visited regions, but Gujarat was good enough for Krishna and Gandhi to hang out there, and has long been an important centre for Jains. Today, Gujarat is one of India's wealthiest states, supporting modern industrial complexes as well as thriving village handicrafts. The last Asiatic lions are here, and the pleasant beaches are just perfect for plonking down with a scoop of wonderful Gujarati ice cream.

Gujarat has endured the longing gaze of many conquerors: Moghuls, Marathas, the Portuguese and the British have all rubbed their acquisitive hands while peering at the area's enticing perch on the Arabian Sea. Two hundred years of Muslim rule from the 13th century was initially marred by destructive impulses but later led to a fruitful amalgamation of Muslim, Jain and Hindu architecture, giving rise to the unique building styles still apparent in the area today. Surprisingly, the British were the least successful interlopers, the eastern portion of Gujarat surviving British rule as a collection of princely states right up to Independence. In 1960 the current borders of Gujarat were established, creating today's linguistically unified state.

Facts at a Glance

Area: 196,000 sq km
Population: 41 million
Capital city: Gandhinagar
Main languages: Gujarati

Tribal costume Reading the Koran outside the Ahmed Shah Mosque, Ahmedabad

Attractions

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Gujarat's principal city and the main transport hub for the state, is one of the major industrial cities in India. It's noisy and congested, incredibly polluted and unbearably dusty in summer. Nevertheless, this comparatively little-visited city has a number of attractions for travellers. Some of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in India are here, as well as the blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles known as the Indo-Sarcenic. The Sidi Bashir Mosque is famed for its shaking minarets which provide protection from earthquakes by employing a sympathetic rocking device. To test the efficacy of this device, simply stand and wait for the earth to vibrate (please let us know how you go).

Shoe seller, Ahmedabad

Also in Ahmedabad is one of the best examples of the step wells unique to northern India. Although neglected and in disrepair, the Dada Hari Wav is a fascinatingly eerie place with galleries above the well and a small portico at ground level. Come here or to one of the city's crowded and colourful bazaars to assuage mosque-fatigue. There are decent hotels near the river, west of the railway station. Trains run north to Delhi via the major towns in Rajasthan, and south to Mumbai (Bombay). There is an international airport in Ahmedabad.

Diu
One of India's undiscovered gems, Diu was a Portuguese colony until 1961 and the European influence is apparent in the wooden balconies, meandering and leafy lanes, and a couple of lonely churches. The tiny island of Diu is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. Its crowning glory is the huge fort, a sight which justifies the long trip here. The northern side of the island is tidal marsh and saltpans, while the southern coast alternates between limestone cliffs, rocky coves and swimmable beaches. The somewhat windswept and arid island is riddled with quarries from which the Portuguese removed vast quantities of limestone to construct their huge fort, city walls, monuments and buildings. Cheap and clean hotels are at a premium in Diu, but you might find a decent(ish) room around the town square. Buses run directly to the island from Veraval and Bhavnagar; otherwise, there are slow steam trains from Sasan Gir and Junagadh to Una, 10km from Diu, from where you can get a bus or auto-rickshaw.

Somnath
Along the coast to the west of Diu, Somnath is most famous for the long history and holiness of its temple, said to have been originally built out of gold by Somraj, the Moon God, later to be rebuilt by Rawana in silver, by Krishna in wood and then by Bhimdev in stone. None of this fazed Mahmud of Ghazni, an 11th-century Afghan king, drawn to this temple so wealthy that it had 300 musicians, 500 dancing girls and even 300 barbers to shave the heads of visiting pilgrims. Mahmud took the town, moved on to the temple, looted it, then destroyed it just to show he really meant business. So began a pattern of Muslim destruction and Hindu rebuilding which continued for centuries. The builders gave up for a couple of hundred years until 1950 when the current monstrosity spewed forth from the ruins. To the east of the town is the confluence of three rivers where Lord Krishna was mistaken for a deer (easy to do). There are plenty of buses running from Junagadh and Veraval and there is a vast guesthouse near the temple.

Sasan Gir Lion Sanctuary
The last home of the Asiatic lion is 100km north-west of Diu. The sanctuary, which covers 1400 sq km, has proved a haven for the growlers who are breeding keenly: there are now about 300 lions roaming around, up from under 200 in 1980. Apart from the lions there are also bears, hyenas, foxes, deer and antelope, including the graceful chinkara gazelle and the canine-oriented barking deer. Peacocks preening and monkeys doing the monkey thang can also be seen on safaris. The best time to visit the sanctuary is from December to April, and it is closed completely from mid-May to mid-October. There are a couple of lodges at Sasan Gir village (where you can pick up a safari permit and a guide), and buses travel frequently between the sanctuary and Junagadh, 50km to the north.

An Asian lion, Sasan Gir Lion Sanctuary

Bhuj
Bhuj is an old walled city in the Kutch region. Kutch, in western Gujarat, is virtually an island; indeed, during the monsoon period from May onwards, it really is an island. Bhuj resembles the state of much of India before the tourist invasion. People remain largely unaffected by what goes on outside the area, so you're much more likely to come across the disarming hospitality which was once the hallmark of rural India. Where else would someone offer you a lift on their bicycle? You can lose yourself for hours in the maze-like streets and alleyways of this town. There are walls within walls, crenellated gateways, old palaces with intricately carved wooden pavilions, Hindu temples decorated with the gaudy, gay abandon of which only tribal people seem capable, equally colourful tribespeople, and camels pulling huge cartfuls of produce into the various markets. The villages of the Kutch region are also worth exploring as each specialises in a different form of handicraft, from block-printing to nut-cutting. There are pleasant guesthouses in the heart of the bazaar. Trains connect daily to Ahmedabad and a quicker service runs overnight through Gandhidam.

The Durbar Hall, Prag Mahal, Bhuj

Off the Beaten Track

Palitana
Just over 50km south-west of Bhavnagar, Palitana is the gateway to one of Jainism's holiest pilgrimage places. Over a period of 900 years, 863 temples have been built on the hilltop overlooking the town, and even after large-scale Muslim campaigns of destruction in the 14th and 15th centuries, the crest looks like a giant, glistening marble wedding cake. The most notable of the temples is dedicated to Shri Adishwara, the first tirthankar (Jain prophet or `Finder of the Path'). Adjacent is the Muslim shrine of Angar Pir. Women who want to have children make offerings of miniature cradles at this shrine. Buses connect daily with Diu and Ahmedabad, and there are some good hostels in the centre of town.

Junagadh
Few travellers make the trip out to Junagadh, but it's an interesting town right at the base of the temple-studded Girnar Hill. The city dates from 250 BC and is full of exotic old buildings, most in a state of disrepair. As well as the gargantuan fort, the temples, mosques and the intricate mausoleum, the soft rock on which Junagadh is built encouraged the construction of caves and wells. Some ancient Buddhist caves cut in the hillside to the east of the city are thought to be at least 1500 years old.

Ascending the 10,000 steps of Girnar Hill, Junagadh

The 600m climb up 10,000 stone steps to the Jain temples on the summit of Girnar is best made at dawn. (That way you have the rest of the day to recover.) You'll see monkeys by the path and eagles soaring overhead, and you'll wonder why the monkeys are laughing at your red face and why the eagles got all the wings. If you really can't face the walk, doolies (rope chairs) carried by porters can be hired; for these you pay by weight, so you have to suffer being weighed on a huge beam scale, just like a sack of grain. However, given that taking your belly to India is now a recognised supermodel diet strategy the indignity may not be too great. There are regular bus and train connections to Ahmedabad and Mumbai (Bombay), as well as the Sasan Gir Lion Sanctuary, 50km south. There are a few good hotels near the bus station.

Shrine atop Girnar Hill, Junagadh

Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a sizeable city way off the tourist trail. It's best known today for the Bala Hanuman Temple where, since 1964, there's been 24-hour continuous chanting of the invocation `Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram'. At sunset the area around the temple becomes lively and animated when people come to promenade, and chai and kulfi stalls set up and ply their trade. There are heaps of cheap hotels in Jamnagar, with the dosshouses near the railway station winning our prize for most disgusting in India. The hotels in the centre of town are a better bet. There are direct trains from Jamnagar to Ahmedabad, Mumbai (Bombay) and Dwarka. Private buses run to Rajkot and Porbandar.
Getting There & Getting Around

Ahmedabad is the hub of Gujarat's transport network. There is an international airport here with direct flights to the UK and the USA, as well as frequent flights to Delhi, Goa, Madras and Mumbai (Bombay). Plenty of buses operate around Gujarat and to neighbouring states, ranging from standard-issue battered meat wagons to luxury air-con private fleets. Ahmedabad is not on the main broad-gauge railway line between Delhi and Mumbai, but there are frequent connections to both of these cities as well as to Palitana, Kutch and Jamnagar, and elsewhere within Gujarat.

Old Ford Plymouth taxi