[darklord]

Ever since I became a member of Team-BHP, Travelogues was (and is) my favorite subforum. One of the places that hooked me most was Kutch and ipso facto, Gujarat. Come 2012, my sister got married and her sister-in-law who is settled in Navsari kept inviting us to visit Gujarat. We had a humble Santro Xing at that time, and it was not an inviting idea to do a Gujarat road trip from Trivandrum in it. We did think about doing a train/plane trip, but it did not sound appealing enough for us.

One travelogue that influenced me the most was SDP's Gujarat travelogue:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ravelogue.html (The Mumbai cheetah goes to greet the Sasan Gir Lion (A Gujarat travelogue))

Ramkya1's travelogue:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ghlight=kutch& (Run To Raan Of Katch)

Vittal's travelogue:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ous-kutch.html (Rann-dezvous at Kutch)

There were several others of course before and after these that kept the desire burning.

In 2019, we purchased a used Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 that had 1.2 L km on the odo. Then COVID stuck and we realized that we had kept our travel desires on the back burner for a long time. We did multiple small trips after COVID waves had eased. A couple of months ago, we felt the stars had aligned themselves to allow us to put in motion the long pending Gujarat road trip.

The Safari had clocked 1.5 odd lakh km by now and was nearing the 15-year mark, but yet there were no doubt as to our vehicle of choice and/or the mode of transportation. There were some things to attend to, like a front suspension overhaul and changing a couple of tires and some other bits and pieces. We decided to attend to those first because trip or no trip, those needed attention.

At an FNG in Attingal:


After taking care of most of the issues, next stop was the tire store. All 5 of the Safari's tires were Bridgestone Dueler H/T and two of them were new and two needed to be changed, so I decided to stick to Bridgestone itself, came at 9100 apiece. Got the alignment fixed as well after the suspension overhaul.


Just to be on the safe side, even though we still had a month left, we renewed our tax payment for 5 more years. Insurance and PUC were current and valid for months to come.

With the vehicle and paperwork in order, we set about planning our trip. We are not big on planning and we had many variables to tackle before the onset of the trip anyway, but we made a rough list of places to visit. In retrospect, we spent more time driving than visiting and turned out to be a hectic trip, though as travelers, this was a plus in our book. We ended up not booking any hotels in advance, except one. But, as events unfolded, this decision worked for us.

I love to drive, my entire family loves traveling in the car I drive, and so we had no issues on that front. My dad will travel to Bangalore a few days before the commencement of our trip and stay at my sister's place to attend to some things there. Me, my mom, wife, and toddler will drive to Bangalore, pick my dad up and drive till Navsari. My sister, her kid, and her toddler will fly to Surat a day before we reach and stay at her SIL's place in Navsari. From Navsari onwards, we will travel together.

In between, the FNG had delayed return of the car, which ultimately cost us 2 precious days in a 12-day trip.

Also in the days leading up to the first day of the trip, reports of uncontrollable COVID spread in China began appearing regularly and consequently, GoI and state governments began sounding precautionary with the media lapping it all up. This made us anxious with respect to the travel plans, but in the end, our own assessment - another national lockdown is simply not on the table - won out.

The day before the trip, got the Safari a good water service and greasing:


I did not pack anything out of the ordinary for the Safari. The toolkit, 1 L engine oil, and 1 L coolant are a permanent fixture in the car.

With the plans made, which is to mostly ad lib it, we anxiously awaited the day.

[darklord]

Day 1:
Attingal to Bangalore via Thenmala-Rajapalayam-Madurai-Salem.
0 km to 672 km.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was the easiest part as we have done this drive dozens of times. My night shift the previous day and loading of luggage meant a noon start time. Visited the local temples and sought blessings.

Start odo:


Filled diesel:


Approaching Thenmala:


Stopped for a tea break at Kottavasal:




Plains of Shengottah:


Since this was a familiar route, did not stop to take much pictures. Had dinner from Sivagiri:






This restaurant was an accidental find, but has remained a favorite, good food, reasonable prices, and clean restrooms.

Stopped for tea after Rajapalayam:


Took a quick break near Dindigul for fuel:


Next took a break at Rasampalayam toll plaza:




One more fuel break near Krishnagiri:


After an uneventful drive, we were home in Bangalore in the middle of the night.

The trip meter read 672 km.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 2:
Rest day at Bangalore.

We had initially planned to drive on, but after a late wake up, it was decided to take rest for the day, also to reset my biological clock.

Resting for the long road ahead:


A beautiful sunset:

[darklord]

Day 3:
Bangalore to Kolhapur
672 km to 1325 km.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The day started off on a bizarre note as one of the bedrooms had its door locked from the inside; the room that held most of our luggage. Finding a carpenter and then reloading and rearranging the luggage took most of the morning and we were only able to start by 12 noon. We had an open-ended day and we had hoped to reach Pune or Satara originally. Thankfully, we had made no prior hotel bookings, though we had shortlisted a few in Pune, Satara, and as an afterthought, Kolhapur.

Loading of luggage done, we began our drive; me, dad, mom, wife, and son. Sister, niece, and nephew had already taken a taxi to BLR for their flight to STV.

We drove 6 km before pulling into a fuel bunk and filling up diesel to the brim:


From our personal experience, with a 65 litre tank, we knew this would translate into a relaxed 800 km highway range for the Safari up to an anxious 900 km range, not that we intended to let the fuel fall below the quarter tank mark.

We soon entered NICE ring road:


There was concrete resurfacing happening at a few stretches, and this slowed our progress. We stopped after Nelamangala to have lunch:






Resting in the shade:


We hit the road again after lunch:


Road surface was not that great, but improved as kilometers passed by:


Stopped for tea at Guilalu Toll Plaza:




We resumed our journey. The road was good and traffic was light:


Made a quick stop to capture this, somewhere near Chitradurga:






Saw another windmill farm down the road:


Sun had begun to set:


Got this beautiful sunset from Harihar Bypass:


We did not stop anywhere else till we reached the other end of Hubli Bypass. Traveling through Hubli Bypass was a nightmare as the road was a single lane road with heavy truck traffic both ways and I had to wait for kilometers on end to have an opportunity to pass. Read somewhere that NHAI is gearing up for widening of the stretch, and it is something that had to be done years ago.

Dinner break was after we had put the Hubli Bypass behind us:


After this, when we resumed our drive, we began to encounter trucks and tractors with trailers carrying sugarcane. After a close shave where a single sugar cane stalk was jutting way out from a trailer, I began to give a wide berth to them.

Stopped to click the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum:


Before we crossed into Maharashtra, to avail the lower fuel price of Karnataka, filled up yet again to the brim:


The trip meter read 1226.

Maharashtra welcomed us soon after:


It was already past 12 and we decided to stay at Kolhapur. Upon inquiring at the first shortlisted hotel, Hotel Rasika, we got our rooms for the night.

The trip meter at the end of the day read 1324.

[darklord]

Day 4:
Kolhapur to Navsari
1325 km to 1933 km.
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Good morning Kolhapur:


We had a pleasant stay at Hotel Rasika. After breakfast, went to their covered and gated parking to find the Safari waiting for us:


There was some morning traffic getting out of Kolhapur and carried over to this queue at Kini Toll Plaza:


We have two big cities to cross today:


Traffic eased up a bit after some time:


There was sugarcane cultivation for kilometers on end and we stopped to click a few photos:




We resumed our journey, and though traffic had eased, it was still busy:


The road widened as we approached Satara:


We saw a lot of peda shops and stopped at one to purchase:




We hit the road again:


Khambatki tunnel:


It was 1:30, lunch time and we stopped at a Vithal Kamat to have lunch:






The food did not live up to our expectations, though the facilities and surroundings were clean.

After lunch, drove on towards Pune:


New Katraj Tunnel:




We were worried about getting stuck in Pune traffic, but we crossed it without much of a hassle.

We soon entered Mumbai-Pune Expressway:

[darklord]

Day 4 cont.:

The expressway needs no introduction, and we drove nonstop for an hour more till we reached a food plaza:








We took a well deserved break at the food plaza, drinking tea and enjoying some snacks:






We resumed our journey and drove on towards Mumbai:




As we approached Navi Mumbai, sun had begun to set for the day:


GMaps routed us through Thane, and as we waited at a signal, saw the lifeline of Mumbai passing overhead:


We were stuck at this traffic jam for a long time, and I had never experienced such a chaotic scenario before. Majiwada is the place, I think:


We lost time further before we were able to cross the Vasai bridge and finally, we were able to put Mumbai behind us. We did not stop until it was dinner time. We pulled over into a decent-looking place for food at Haloli:






It was 540 km since we last filled fuel and we had lost a lot of fuel just idling at traffic jams, so just to be on the safe side, filled fuel worth 2000 right after we exited the restaurant:


We drove nonstop, crossed into Gujarat and reached SIL's house at Navsari by 12:30.

[darklord]

Day 5:
Stay at Navsari. Visit to Dandi.
1933 km to 1984 km
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I woke up late to find this delicious breakfast waiting:


The forenoon was spent catching up on things and discussing about the places we planned to visit. In the midst, a sugarcane juice vendor came by and we bought some freshly made. The cart itself was a novelty for me, the engine powering both the juicer and the wheels:


After a hearty lunch and resting for a while, we drove towards Dandi to visit the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial:




We parked at the Tourist Facilitation Center premises where there was ample space for dedicated parking for a nominal fee:






The facilitation center housed Satyagraha Exhibition, khadi products exhibition/sale, prayer room, a small restaurant, rest rooms, children's play area, parking area, and the ticket counter to National Salt Satyagraha Memorial (which I found out later).

We decided to visit the facilitation center first before proceeding to the memorial itself.

We were greeted with this:




We walked to the hall housing Satyagraha Exhibition:










The next hall had the khadi exhibition/sale and we browsed and purchased some souvenirs.

The prayer hall:


As the evening light had begun to fade, we walked to the memorial, but not before clicking the three monkeys:


It was a couple of minutes of walk to the memorial from the facilitation center. Right in front of the memorial was this open parking ground, and I shot this sunset:


We reached the entrance to the memorial:


Upon looking around for the ticket counter, we were informed that the counter was near the entrance of the facilitation center. I retraced my steps to the facilitation center and got the tickets.

The entrance to the memorial:




There was a hall where a film on salt satyagraha was running, and we went inside to view it. A few minutes into it, the toddlers became fussy and we left the hall to view the grounds of the memorial.

The monument:




From Wiki:

The monument is a 40-metre (130 ft) steel frame in "A" shape, symbolizing two hands. In order to protect it from sea coast weather, it is made up of a non-corroding material. At the apex of the monument, there is a 2.5-tonne (2,500 kg) glass cube representing the salt crystal. The cube is illuminated by laser lights at night which creates the illusion of a pyramid. Under the canopy of the cube, there is a 5-metre (16 ft) high statue of Gandhi projecting the forward march.

We have to circumnavigate the lake in order to complete the visit to the memorial, and when we paused to click a photo, a friendly guard thought we were hesitating to walk the distance and encouraged us by saying "Gandhiji walked all the way from Sabarmati Ashram and you have to walk less than a kilometer." We liked how the guard's comment put the events into perspective. We began our walk circumnavigating the lake.

[darklord]

Day 5 cont.:

The path to circumnavigate the lake is dotted with 22 narrative murals depicting the timeline of the Salt Satyagraha.

The first one:

2 March 1930, Gandhi writes to the Viceroy, informing him of the proposed march to break the Salt Law. On 7 March 1930 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is arrested at Ras Village while preparing for and campaigning about the march.

The second one:

12 March 1930, After early morning prayers, Kasturba applies Tilak to Gandhi as he sets out to Darma-yatra- Satyagraha.

We walked along the pathway, stopping in front of each mural.

Another angle of the monument:


On zooming in, the tree-shaped structures turned out to be solar trees:


To the left of the monument, there was a depiction of the march with life-sized statue of Gandhiji and 78 volunteers:


The mural depicting the breaking of salt law at Dandi:

6 April 1930, after a dip in the sea, Gandhi picks up a handful of salt and breaks the Salt Law, the other marchers do the same. And so begins the Salt Satyagraha, the civil disobedience movement that soon spreads across India

After the murals had finished, there were plaques mentioning names of the 80 marchers who accompanied Gandhiji in the march:


We had walked up to the monument by now:




The statue of Gandhiji in the monument:


We walked to the other side of the lake, past the solar trees. The monument as seen from the other side of the lake:


The pathway ends in front of a hall where demonstration of salt making is done, with solar-powered pans:






Next to it was an art gallery on the salt satyagraha theme, with participation by artists all across the globe. Some exhibits:






It was getting cold and dark once we finished seeing the memorial, but one more section remained to be viewed, Saifee Villa:


I had clicked this earlier, before entering the memorial:

"With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire."

We walked towards Saifee Villa:


There was a statue of Gandhiji and exhibits related to Salt March:






It was nearing 7 when we finished our visit. Darkness had fallen by now and the temperature was dropping below our comfort level, but we decided to visit Dandi Beach too. Once we got there, it was just about 7 p.m. and yet, to our astonishment, except for a bus full of students preparing to leave, there were absolutely no one about and the beach was not even lit up. Even the shops were preparing to close for the day. We had a dekko of the beach with the flashlight we had in the Safari and quickly began our return drive to Navsari.

Our hosts took us to a neighborhood called Parsi Garden where we had a variety of dishes for dinner.

Veg manchurian:


French fries:


Tandoori chaap:


Paneer tikka:


Jini dosa (I particularly liked this one):


After a fulfilling dinner, we returned to our hosts' home and hit the bed for much needed rest.

[darklord]

Day 6:
Navsari to Ahmedabad via Vadodara.
1984 km to 2285 km
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have a relaxed day today with only about 300 km of travel. Our target was to visit Laxmi Vilas Palace en route and if the time permits, Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar. On the flip side though, we have no hotel bookings for Ahmedabad, just a list of shortlisted hotels.

By this time, it was more or less the norm that the earliest possible start time from any location was 10 a.m., mostly due to getting the toddlers up, feeding them, and getting them all set for the day ahead. It was something we had anticipated earlier, with which we had reconciled to by now.

Today is the first day in this trip where we are traveling with the full complement of passengers (5 adults, 1 child, 2 toddlers) and their luggage. We had rearranged our luggage the day before, keeping a portion in our hosts' house since we will be returning via Navsari itself with a night stay planned. This, along with judicious use of space, freed up a jump seat in the back for the child to use, although after 1 hour in the first day, it remained unused throughout the trip.

With the luggage loaded and people seated comfortably, we set out by 10 a.m. towards Ahmedabad. Traffic was heavy and there were traffic jams created by construction of underpasses/flyovers in the highway. Only after Bharuch did the traffic let up. This ate up a lot of our time.

Narmada Bridge, Bharuch bypass:


Our first fuel break since the day before:


We were cruising steadily now, on course to Vadodara:


Horn not ok please; clicked this at a toll plaza:


It was 1:30 by now and we were near Vadodara. We decided to stop for lunch before turning off the highway:


Roti and veg makhanwala:


The staff had noted the KL car and they were warm and curious thereafter.

We resumed our drive:


Not long after, we turned off the highway and into Vadodara city roads:


At the palace gates, the security staff noted down our details and directed us to the parking area.

The first glimpse of the palace:


Not hard to locate the Safari in a parking lot:


There was a small queue at the ticket counter. Cards and cash accepted, GPay is not.


We got our tickets and walked to the entrance to the palace:


Photography is prohibited inside. Audio guides are available for free for the ticket holders and I recommend getting it. The royal family still lives in the palace and hence only a portion of the palace is open to the general public.

After visiting the palace, we ended up at the front of the palace:






I walked around to the rear of the palace, where the parking lot is, clicking photos along the way:












The palace visit completed, we began our onward drive towards Ahmedabad, with the route chosen being Vadodara-Ahmedabad Expressway.

The Vadodara city roads were traffic-free:


We soon entered the expressway:




We cruised along, munching miles steadily:


We exited the expressway at Ahmedabad and went to one of our shortlisted hotels in the south side of the city. Unfortunately, they were booked out. We called a couple more, both had rooms available, we opted to stay at Ginger in north side of the city, considering we intended to cover Rani Ki Vav and Modhera Sun Temple the next day.

We drove through the city to the other side:


We reached the hotel and checked in. The hotel seemed a little old and could have maintained a bit better, but it did offer us a pleasant stay and good food. The only (albeit significant) drawback was that they had zero parking in their premises; one has to park by the road side. Their security cabin is positioned to keep a watch on the parked vehicles though.

Though we had planned to visit Akshardham Temple, by the time we had reached the hotel, we knew the opportunity had passed. We settled down into the rooms and went to the hotel itself for food.

Chilli chicken:


Veg Jaipuri:


Jeera rice:


The trip meter read 2285 km (the Safari's trip meter resets after 1999 km):

[darklord]

Day 7:
Ahmedabad > Modhera Sun Temple > Rani Ki Vav > Sahasralinga Talav > Ahmedabad
2285 km to 2554 km
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The plan for the day was to visit Modhera Sun Temple first, then Rani Ki Vav and Sahasralinga Talav. While returning, if time permits, we will again attempt visiting Akshardham Temple.

After a restful sleep, we had complimentary breakfast at the hotel and set out by 10. There was no luggage to load as we will be returning to the hotel for the night.

Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Highway:


After driving for a distance, we turned to SH-41:


Mehsana Bypass was a single lane road:


An interesting signboard caught our attention somewhere along Mehsana Bypass:

For us, who lived in the southern end of India all their lives, this was the moment that put the entire road trip into perspective. We were now within a couple of hours from an international border and that too, of Pakistan.

Stopped for fuel at a fuel bunk along the bypass:


We drove on after fueling, but stopped at a mustard field to take some photos:




At a traffic roundabout, we turned to Modhera road:


Modhera road appeared to be a newly constructed four-lane road:


More mustard fields:


At Modhera, we stopped for an interesting photo, a camel-drawn vegetable cart:


We soon reached the parking lot of the temple. Of interest, there is an EV charging station in the parking lot.

We got the ticket from the ticket counter:


At the entrance:




Beautifully maintained by ASI:


The compound also housed a museum:


The first view of the temple:




The ASI plaque says such:

It is built on a platform facing east, in the reign of Solanki ruler Bhimadeva-I (1022-1063 AD). The temple complex is an assimilation of three separate elements, i.e., sanctum (garbha griha) with an ambulatory (pradakshina path), a main hall (gudha mandapa), and a detached assembly hall (sabha mandapa or nritya mandapa) with a gateway (torana). In front of the torana is a large rectangular tank of 175 x 120 feet, decorated with numerous minature shrines, which is locally known as Ramakunda. The tank has about 108 small temples, which contain the relief of various deities like Ganesha, Sheshashayi Vishnu, Nataraja, and Sitala Mata.

A few of the small temples on the tank steps:


The front view of the sabha mandapa:


There were small temples on this side of the tank too:


There were broken pieces strewn around at multiple places, like this one near the tank:


A wide shot of the tank:


A ticketless visitor:


Looking from one side of the tank to the other:


One of the deities:


There were temples of various sizes all along the sides:






A close-up:

[darklord]

Day 7 cont.:

I finished clicking pictures of the tank and walked up to the temple itself.

What I was greeted with; a flock of pigeons flying over the sabha mandapa:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay8zFHSRcek

The gudha mandapa, the actual temple which contains the garbha griha or the sanctum:


I entered the sabha mandapa:


The pillars had detailed carvings:




The ceiling:


Next, I walked to the gudha mandapa, which is separate from the sabha mandapa:


Each base layer had a different set of carving:


I went inside:


There is no idol nor is there worship happening.

The ceiling of the gudha mandapa:


The pillars again had detailed carvings:




I walked around the sanctum. The corner had this:


The top of the pillars:


The carvings that adorn the doorway:


The walls adjoining the door:


I decided to walk around the complex. One side of the gudha mandapa:


A closer view of the right and left sides of the window:




There was a wooded area at the rear:


There was what appeared to be a functional small temple at one side:


Two pillars:


More ruins lying around:


I had reached the other side of the tank by now:


I once again walked to the front of the sabha mandapa where there was an information plaque, to click it:


Clicked both the mandapas once more:


One last before I bid goodbye:


I wanted to visit the museum as well, but it had become lunch time by now, and the toddlers were in no mood to relent. We decided to have lunch at the adjoining Toran Restaurant and walked out of the temple compound.

Tricolor flying high:


Thali meals from the restaurant:


There was a stall selling gotas and we bought a plate to try it out:


Lunch over, we began our drive to the next location on our list, Rani Ki Vav.

[darklord]

Day 7 cont.:

We began our drive to Rani Ki Vav. GMaps showed a distance of 36 km, less than an hour worth of drive. The roads were a mix of single lane and four-lane and there was resurfacing happening at many places, but otherwise good.

Shot this temple near Vadavli:


We found mustard fields doting both sides of the road and stopped to click a few photos (yet again):




We drove on:


Soon enough, we were at Patan, through this welcome arch:


We reached and found a parking spot in the parking lot itself:


From the parking lot itself, it was obvious that this was another well-maintained site:


We bought tickets from the adjoining ticket counter and walked into the compound:


The plaque that describes the history of the Vav:


The Vav was in the fenced area:


As we walked towards the Vav, a guide approached us and offered his services. He quoted 500 for our group. So we went first along with him and his little group (there were other tourists as well in his guided tour) and listened to his description and then I went down the Vav a second time at a leisurely pace for my photo shoot. My parents had a bit of a trouble going down and up the Vav as the steps were too steep, but they managed to complete the guided tour.

After the guided tour had ended, I climbed back up and went down once again, shooting my photos at my pace.

The Vav:


Of interest, the new 100 rupee note has the Vav featured in the reverse of the note.

I walked down, clicking pictures along the way:




One of the techniques used in the construction, interlocking stones:


The long years of neglect had taken its toll, before the rediscovery and restoration:


I had walked down a couple of levels by now:


The plan for a pillar found inscribed on the stone floor:


Another technique in construction, using wooden joiners:


Carvings on pillars:


At the top of the pillars:


The guide had talked about the last three levels having three different depictions of Mahavishnu, in heaven, earth, and paatal. I forgot which one this was:


Zoomed in:


At this point, I realized the stupidity of leaving my camera bag with the 55-250 lens with my parents. I did not want to climb up and down a third time, but I missed a lot of close-up shots.

The walls on either side:




Reached the second last level, entry to the lowest portion is prohibited:


The actual well is beyond the wall and cannot be viewed from here. The guide told us the well can now be viewed from the top only.

Clicked a few more pictures:








I climbed back up. The parting shot:


We decided to visit Sahasralinga Talav next. As I had SDP's experience in mind, I decided to take the car instead of walking.

[darklord]

Day 7 cont.:

We retrieved the car from the parking lot and drove to the Talav. Though it is only about half a kilometer distance, Rani Ki Vav and Sahasralinga Talav has a railway line running in between. Thankfully, it had an underpass.

We reached the Talav compound and parked where we thought was the parking lot (no sign boards, no fee, not paved) and walked to the Talav:


No ticket to purchase. The lone guard barely even glanced at us. This site was definitely getting way less attention than the Vav.

Monkeys were out in strength:


Walked up to the first portion of the Talav:






There was a plaque which had a brief history (slightly faded at places):

Sahasralinga Tank, Patan

To the great Jayasimha Siddharaja (1094 - 1144 AD) are ascribed the construction of various artificial lakes in Gujarat. One of the largest and the grandest in **** the Sahasralinga Tank. It must have been a reservoir of immense size and derived its name from the numerous little temples containing lingas placed on the banks which were dismantled during the late medieval period when a large octagonal rauza was raised on a part of its ruins. The great embankment surrounding it is of solid brick work and was faced with stone masonry forming a flight of steps to the water edge.

Near the middle of the eastern embankment are the remains of the old siva temple, comprising of the basement of the pavilions together with a colonnade of forty-eight pillars. It was in good condition till the 1*th century AD. **** Khan, Akbar's tutor while passing through Patan on his way to Mecca was said to have been murdered after he returned from boating in this tank.

Towards the western end, there is a Rudra Kupa in which water from the river Saraswati was collected and then allowed to pass into the inlet channel of the Sahasralinga Tank. This cistern is about forty meters in diameter.

After the physical exertion at Rani Ki Vav, nobody wanted another walk. So while others rested, I decided to the walk to the second portion of the Talav and did so clicking photos along the way.


What must be the ruins of the siva temple:




One of the several peacocks that were roaming around the area:


I had walked up to the second portion by now:






A parrot on what appeared to be a bird feeder:


What must be Rudra Kupa:


There were absolutely nobody around, except for my dad and sister who had followed me by now. There was a couple, college sweethearts I presume, but I suspect their priority for being in the Talav premises had more to do with the solitude it offered rather than its history.

We walked back to the entrance, but I went through the first portion of the Talav to click this photo:


The sun had begun to set by now:


The information plaque:


There was an open museum displaying artifacts, but the grill was locked. Took these photos through it:




Well maintained lawn:


We were outnumbered:


Sunset caught through what appeared to be a temple structure:


Looking up, it seems to be Shree Veer Maya Mandir nearby, which in itself appeared to be a site to visit, but the light was fading and we decided to return.

Our steed basking in the Sun God's final blessings for the day, a befitting farewell for a day enriched by our visit to Modhera Sun Temple, Rani Ki Vav, and Sahasralinga Talav:


We stopped for a tea break near the Vav. Post tea, we commenced our return drive to Ahmedabad.

We had noticed this board while going to the Vav and had decided to visit it while returning:


By the time we reached though, they had closed for the day.

After driving for some time, we stopped at a fuel bunk to use their facilities. Filled for 1000 as a courtesy:




The road was inviting:


We drove on. By dinner time, we had found a Honest Restaurant. Veg manchurian, hot and sour soup for the biting cold, onion utappam, rotis, and paneer butter masala made our dinner:


We reached our hotel in Ahmedabad tired, but satisfied. Sure, we had missed Akshardham Temple visit yet again, but we were not fretting over it.

The trip meter read 2554 km:


Before hitting the bed, we had a discussion about the day tomorrow. We wanted to drive to Dwarka tomorrow, the pinnacle of our trip. Looking at the booking apps though, almost all hotels available online appeared to be booked out with a few remaining rooms commanding double or triple its value. So we fixed Jamnagar as our destination tomorrow and we got an excellent deal on Sayaji Hotel there. It did make the day after an extremely long and exhausting one, but we were prepared for it.

With the planning for the next day done, we hit our beds.

[darklord]

Day 8:
Ahmedabad to Jamnagar via Rajkot
2554 km to 2861 km
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a good night's rest, we presented to the restaurant for breakfast:


Getting luggage loaded, getting the kids road-ready, and we started off as usual around 10:


Since it was peak morning time and due to construction works in the highway, we lost a lot of time getting out of Ahmedabad.

We hit the superb (under construction, but near-complete) Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway:


Found these in a lot of places along the road:


There was construction happening at multiple places, I understand conversion from 4-lane to 6-lane, so there were diversions at a lot of places.

The completed sections though were a dream to drive on:


We have come all the way from the land of Parashurama:


We pulled into a highway restaurant for lunch:




Post lunch, we drove on.

We pulled into a fuel bunk and filled diesel to the brim:


The trip meter read 2711 km.

We were fast approaching Rajkot:


Windmill blades being transported (for me, a regular view along BLR-Nagercoil stretch):


Saw this large sign as we approached Rajkot:


Curious why Rajkot Police chose to place such a sign instead of the civic body.

An interesting roundabout:


Google rerouted us due to highway construction and we rejoined after a short detour:


We soon put Rajkot behind us and hit the road to Jamnagar:


We stopped for tea at Falla:




Cotton farming:


Sun was setting as we were in the outskirts of Jamnagar:


The check-in process at Sayaji was smooth and the welcome warm. Nitpicking, the only thing I disliked was the valet parking. Though I gave them the key, suffice to say if I can drive it half the way across the country, then I can park it in their basement as well.

Since it was only approaching 7 p.m., the ladies wanted to go for shopping, which they could not do to their satisfaction till now. We decided to walk since the Tibetan Market was nearby and we could get a dekko of a new town.

Gurudwara road:


Sametshikar Jinalay:


A horse drawn carriage passed us by:


Lal Bungalow Circle:


Jangleshwar Mahadev Temple:


Upon reaching the Tibetan market, it seemed they mostly have winter wear. So we resumed our walk. We reached Town Hall Circle, and there were lots of places to shop:


The ladies shopped to their heart's content, and once done, we had dinner from a nearby restaurant:


Post dinner, we walked back to our hotel. I went down to the basement parking to get some stuff from the Safari:


The odo at the end of the day:


Without a doubt, Sayaji was the best stay of our entire trip, I was sure as I went back to the room:

[darklord]

Day 9:
Jamnagar > Dwarka > Somnath > Junagadh
2861 km to 3352 km
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today is a big day with two important places to visit and a lot of running. We have to drive from Jamnagar to Dwarka, finish darshan there, then drive to Somnath, finish darshan, and drive some more to stay for the night. This is so that the day after, we planned to take a detour to visit Statue of Unity en route Navsari and we had to minimize the distance driven for that day as well. We have no bookings for the night, although our preference was to stay somewhere near Junagadh.

We had breakfast from the hotel itself, got the luggage loaded, and began our drive a bit early, around 9:30 a.m. We knew we were missing a lot of attractions in Jamnagar itself, but we had no choice.

We got out of Jamnagar without much trouble, though there was heavy traffic as we crossed Reliance's refinery complex.

Our priorities for the day:


We soon crossed Essar's refinery:


The road was a bliss to drive on:


Some slow-moving traffic:


A few sections of the road were untouched and remained single lane, wonder why. This was from around Datrana:


We drove nonstop, there was very little traffic:


At 11:20 a.m., we approached the intersection with Dwarka-Porbandar-Somnath Highway:


We turned towards Dwarka and soon came upon a toll plaza:


We were fast approaching Dwarka by now:


By 11:45 a.m., we had reached Dwarka arch, paid the parking fee and on inquiring there, we were told we could take the car further instead of parking at the lot there. We drove forward and found a spot in the parking lot nearer to the temple.

I parked and asked a cop there about the timing and he told darshan was till 1 p.m. before the temple closes for the noon and told us that we cannot take mobiles or cameras inside the temple. We kept the mobiles in the glove box and locked it, though if one wished to take it till the temple entrace, there are lockers available near the temple itself, both private and temple's own cloakroom.

There was about a 400 m walk to the temple and we went to the temple clock room and kept our sandals there, underwent security check, and waited in line for the darshan, there were two separate queues for ladies and gents. We had to wait for a bit in the queue, but we had an excellent darshan and the temple closed for the noon soon after.

Right at the entrance, there were photographers offering to take photos of the pilgrims with the temple in the background and we had one clicked and got a few copies extra as well.

I walked back to the car and retrieved the mobile and camera to click a few photos while the ladies shopped for souvenirs.

Something unusual for a Keralite:


Dwarkadhish Temple and Sudama Setu (closed by the time we finished our darshan):


A chakda passing by:


The parking lot closest to the temple:


A zoom shot of the temple:


Kirti Stambh in the parking lot:


Dwarka seems to be popular for adventure tourism as well:


I walked all the way back to the temple to click this:


The flag flying high, indicating the Lord is present in the temple:


I have come from Thiruvananthapuram (a.k.a. Ananthapuri, the capital of erstwhile Travancore, which was ceded to Lord Sri Padmanabha by Maharaja Marthanda Varma in 1750) all the way to Dwarka, where Lord Krishna is the Dwarkadhish. There is a lot of road to cover from God's Own Country to the Kingdom of God, but spiritually, it felt right next door.

The pinnacle of our trip:


The trip meter read 2992 km.

We had lunch from a nearby restaurant:




We have seen the Lord, how can we return without seeing the Lady. So we decided to visit Rukmini Devi Temple. With that as our next destination, we began our drive back.

The Dwarka arch on the way back:


After a short drive, we reached the temple:


It faced a water body:


I could not make out the nature of it though, perhaps sea coming inland during high tide?

We parked right in front of the temple, though it was crowded with vehicles.

The temple:






Though it was noon time, darshan was allowed. After a brief wait in a moderate queue, we had a fulfilling darshan.

One last photo of the temple and we were off:


Clicked Dwarka arch once again on the way back:


We began our drive towards Somnath:


The time was 4:20 p.m. and the distance to Somnath was 240 km. We were hoping and praying that we reach Somnath and have darshan before the closing time of 10 p.m.

[darklord]

Day 9 cont.:

Before leaving Dwarka, we came across some sort of wetland where there was a large number of birds and I stopped to quickly take some photos:












We drove nonstop from then on and made good time. Traffic was sparse and the road was good.

Kucchadi Toll Plaza:


We stopped for much needed tea after we had bypassed Porbandar:




Another day drawing to its close, though we had miles to go:






We passed through Madhavpur Beach as the sunset was nearing complete and we took a quick breather to click a couple of on-record photos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b5GfWZ192c

We drove nonstop and reached the parking lot of Somnath before 8:30 p.m. As had been with Dwarka, we locked our mobiles in the glove box and walked to the temple. The security here was tighter and the cops were not allowing even car remotes. They were friendly and a cop physically came back with me and showed the temple's free cloak room, where I deposited the car remote. Probably because it was so late in the night, we had our darshan within 5 minutes of entering the temple.

We spent some time in the temple premises, bought prasad for distribution back home, and when we got outside, it was 9:30 p.m. There were a lot of photographers offering to take pictures with the temple in the background and we got one done. I then retrieved the remote, walked to the car, got the phone out, walked back to the temple to click a few photos of our own.

Nearing closing time and pilgrims were still arriving:


Statue of Veer Hamirji Gohil facing the temple:


The main entry point to the temple:


The best I could manage of the temple with the phone (Did not bring the DSLR):


I walked back to the parking lot. Note the beach entry next to Hamirji statue:


We began our drive to Junagadh and before leaving the town limits, we had dinner. It was a late dinner and we were so hungry that I barely managed to click one photo:


It had been a day and 542 km since the Safari had a full tank of diesel and we filled it yet again to the brim:


We drove on towards Junagadh:


It was 1 by the time we reached Junagadh, found a place to stay, Hotel Greenland, and settled in.

We had one hectic day, but we went to sleep in peace and with a smile on our faces. We had visited and prayed at two very important temples in India and had good darshans. We said our prayers and quickly fell asleep.