Dasada Tourism

Patan is a very ancient town. It is located 130 kilometres away from Ahmedabad. It was built in 746 AD by Vanraj Chavda. It used to be the capital of Gujarat for around 600 years. The town consists of beautiful old houses with beautiful wooden curvatures. The beautiful and famous Patola sarees are woven here.

Rani ki Vav shows off the famous architecture of Gujarat. It was built by Bhimdev’s queen Udaymati. Sahastraling Talav was built by Sidhraj Jai Singh. It is an artificial tank. Patan is home to around 100 Jain temples.

Mandvi is located just one hour away from Bhuj. It used to be a private beach holiday destination for the Maharaos of Kutch. It is a beautiful town with picturesque old buildings. It used to be a port of great importance to the Jadeja Rajputs, who claimed about themselves that they were the direct descendants of Lord Krishna.

It sits on the banks of the River Rukmavati. The climate in this part of the state is soothing all year round. It has a 400-year-old ship-building yard. There is also an old monastery that is a chief tourist attraction. Mandvi also plays host to various migratory birds like godwits, flamingos, gulls and sandpipers. There are quite a few beaches to be found in Mandvi.

Bhuj is the capital of Kutch and a very important city of Gujarat. There is also a beautiful pool with a raised platform in the middle, the Pleasure Pool. This is where the Maharao wrote his poems and provided encouragement to the great court artists and entertainers.

There is the Prag Mahal, the new palace, built in second half of the nineteenth century close to the Aina Mahal.

A devastating earthquake rocked the place on 26th January, 2001 causing mass destructions, but the region has recovered from it well.

Dholavira is a major place of tourist attraction as it is one the few sites of Indus Valley Civilisation to have been found in India. It is among the largest of the Harappan civilization cities. The excavations have unveiled a modern city meticulously planned with monumental structures that were built with superlative aesthetics and with unparalleled water harvesting system. It is surrounded by two monsoon channels – the Mansar and the Manhar. The city was so built that it can be divided into 3 components – the citadel, the middle town and the lower town. It also has two stadia, an annexe, and a series of reservoirs. There is a castle which was built like a well-defended fort. To the south of the castle another area was built which runs like a warehouse or an annexe. The city had well-built toilets and an efficient drainage system.

Recently, in October of 2014, a 5000 years old stepwell has been discovered in Dholavira, which is thrice the size of the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro. It was unearthed by Archaeological Survey of India in collaboration with IIT-Gandhinagar. Further excavation is scheduled in December to see if similar wells can be found nearby.

The village of Samrasar Sheikh is located at a distance of 25 kilometres from Bhuj. It is inhabited by people who are famous around the world for their handiwork. There is a trust body named Kala Raksha Trust, which is working towards preservation of the Kutch arts, especially Suf, Rabari, and Garasia Jat embroideries. The trust was initially built in 1991 to help a group of artisans who migrated from Sindh in 1972. Presently, it works with around 600 artisans from seven different communities.

Munsar Tank was built in the twelfth century. It is situated just on the periphery of Viramgram and is surrounded by beautiful temples.

There are a few attractions around Bhuj. One can go on excursions to the nearby villages. The important ones are Bhujjodi famous for its weaving, Dhaneti and Padhar famous for Ahir embroidery, Dhamanka for block printing, Lilpur for embroidery, and lastly Anjar for block printing, traditional betel-nut crackers and tie-and-dye items.

One can also visit the Anjal Wild Ass Sanctuary and Gandhidam nearby.

Dasada boasts of perhaps India’s finest eco-friendly resort – Rann Riders. It has been built with locally available materials giving the resort a rustic look and feel. As far as the food goes, the USP is traditional Gujarati meals.

This place houses the relics of an old fort. The fort had been erected by the Solanki dynasty who ruled Jhinjhwada in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. This fort has some beautiful sandstone carvings.

Modhera is a favourite spot for excursions in this area. One is that houses the famous Sun Temple.

This temple was built in the thirteenth century and restored by the Mara. This holy place is believed to be the origin of the holy river Ganga in its original course. Eligible herdsmen visit this fair with brightly coloured-umbrellas, as do girls of marriageable age from pastoral tribes, who get to choose their husbands from these herdsmen in the ancient Swayamvara tradition. A dip in the tank of this shrine on this day is considered to be as holy as taking a bath in the holy river Ganges.

Ravechi Temple is where the Ravechi Mela is held. It is another famous fair in Dasada. It is organized by the Rabari community of Kutchh.

The Swaminarayan temple is in Bhuj. It was built in 1822.

Patan is a very ancient town. It is located 130 kilometres away from Ahmedabad. It was built in 746 AD by Vanraj Chavda. It used to be the capital of Gujarat for around 600 years. The town consists of beautiful old houses with beautiful wooden curvatures. The beautiful and famous Patola sarees are woven here.

Rani ki Vav shows off the famous architecture of Gujarat. It was built by Bhimdev’s queen Udaymati. Sahastraling Talav was built by Sidhraj Jai Singh. It is an artificial tank. Patan is home to around 100 Jain temples.