Trip members: Karthik and family
Trip date: 13, 14 and 15 Jan 2018
Trip Plan : Chennai - Ahmedabad - Modhera - Gandhinagar - Ahmedabad - Bhuj - Dhordo - Rann - Bhuj - Chennai
Day-1
We started from Chennai on 13th Jan to Ahmedabad. As expected the Bhogi festival shutdown the airport until 8 AM. Our scheduled flight around 7 AM could only take off at 11 AM. This 4-hour delay sort of screwed up the Day-1 itinerary. We had planned to visit Champaner and booked cab for the same. However, we landed at 13:30 and by no way, we could make the trip eventful if we visit Champaner for half a day.
We then spoke with the driver and planned to visit Modhera Sun temple; if time permits, also do Rani Ki Vav. By 2 PM, we reached outskirts of Ahmedabad and stopped for lunch at hotel Maharaja. The authentic Gujarati Thali for Rs.150 – unlimited papads, kheer, sabhjis, dal, kadi, ghee rotis, rice and chaas were an awesome refresher as we were dead tired since early morning wake-up to flight delays. We thoroughly enjoyed the Thali.
We reached Modhera around 4:15 PM. Modhera is around 100 kms from Ahmedabad. It took almost 2:30 hours to reach the road had traffic and unlimited speadbreakers.
Modhera Sun temple complex hosts mainly four things: a beautiful step well, a national museum, an artistic hall and the Sun Temple. The step well was a nice place for photographs and for children to play like a puzzle. The artistic steps were a great display of skill, talent and creativity. The Modhera Sun temple dedicated for Sun God (Suriyan) is a gem with amazing rock carving. Each of the pillars and the surroundings are so ornamental and carries lot of details. No wonder it was aimed to be destroyed. Scientifically, the temple lies on tropic of cancer and the Sunrise falls directly on the main deity (when it was present) on March 21st and September 23rd. The guides tell that the deity had a big diamond on it and the sun rays would fall on it and make the temple glow. Allaudin Khilji had made a great impact on this history and the richness (art and wealth) on this temple. The temple had been built during the Chalukya dynasty. The pillars and arches and domes have amazing sculpting work. The entry fee is Rs.15 for Indian adult; Rs.200 for foreigners and no fee for children and cameras.
We spent around 45 minutes here and then started to Rani Ki Vav. The driver said, it would be of no use as the close entry by 5 PM. He suggested instead to visit Akshardham temple at Gandhinagar. We obliged as the best local guide is the driver.
Gandhinagar is an excellent city – well spaced and laid roads, very clean and admirable. The Akshardham temple has very stringent rules to enter the temple, with no mobiles/camera allowed; no bags allowed and a physical frisking and x-ray check before one enters the temple. Unsure, why so much secure! As we entered the temple, we admired the cleanliness and the whole setup with restrooms, drinking water, games for kids and grown-ups, big lawns and yeah, a temple too!!! It was all along like an exhibition. The temple I visible from any place – quite a nice architecture. Being a first time to such a temple, was little shocked to see worshipping the guru – Swaminarayan. I always thought this was a Lord Vishnu temple. However, completing the temple visit was done, and did not really get the spiritual feel – big restaurants and some water fountain music show was also in store! Well, commercialization can be seen. It is a good picnic spot.
We then reached Ahmedabad around 8 PM and had dinner at Hotel Surabi. The food was served fresh and hot very quickly and they were tasty and yummy. We had our regulars – dal tadka, jeera rice, rotis and all sabji. Very satisfactory dinner as we were exhausted for the day. We had a train to catch to goto Bhuj at 23:40 and got dropped at the railway station by 9 PM.
Day-2
We reached Bhuj by 7 AM. We had booked our Rann package with Gujarat Tourism – Rann Utsav @ White Rann Resort. They provide luxurious tents and bungas (huts) with AC fitted and all required conveniences; and utmost cleanliness at Dhordo. White Rann Resort had put a big tent outside the railway station. They verified our booking and said the refreshing can be done in a nearby hotel – ClickHotels. We did so and there was a mini breakfast open for us at the tent – bread, butter, jam, poha, tea and biscuits. As we did so and enjoyed the morning chillness, by 9 AM, the bus for us was ready and boarded to Rann.
The bus stopped around 10:30 at a village and we had the very popular mava – served fresh and hot. We also had some pani pooris. The bus then took us to the tents by 11:45. The white desert necessarily does not warranty someone to stay in Rann to see. One can even stay at Bhuj or enroute anywhere – there are lots of tents and cottages all around. One needs to provide ID proofs at army checkpost to enter the Rann area; the whole area is under army control. Being through the government package, all these were done earlier and taken care and we did not spend any time for these formalities. However, all other private vehicles must complete the formalities.
The tents were ready and greeted us with souvenirs’ cap. The tent was very spacious and comfortable. The restroom was also well equivalent to cozy rooms. We refreshed and had a great buffet of lunch – all food is by Courtyard Marriot at White Rann Resort; this defines how good the food would be – rotis, many sabhjis, starters, salad, pappad, chaas, desserts, rice and much more!
There are lot of shops around and some activities in the resort. We played a maze, dressed in local attire and posed for photos, did some cycling and then took some rest. The temperature in the day time is quite hot and not very encouraging, however, as the sun goes down, it becomes cold and colder. By 4:30, we had hi-tea and started to the Great White Rann Desert!
We boarded the open double-decker bus and it was about 2 kms to reach the entry. From distance, one can see the white line of the desert. There were thousands of cars and lakhs of people all around wandering in the white desert. There are areas were people don’t venture as they are very slippery and sludgy. We got down at 5:30 and were asked to be back by 7 PM.
From parking, the Grand and wide spread White desert is only 10 mins walk. Though the whole area is a desert, the salt whiteness starts with a 10-min walk. There is a watchtower about couple of kms, a thin road leading everyone by foot or camel or horse. We looked for a place with lesser background of people and more whiteness than covering distance. Sunset was also just 20 minutes away and we do not want to go lot deeper and either get lost for the sunset with the crowd behind us or miss the whiteness in daylight. As we walked in the salt desert, the whole ground is moisty and swampy. One cannot really want to lie down or sit down and take/give great poses!
After enjoying the sunset, in a moment it became dark. We walked towards the bus and headed back to Resort – enjoyed a great multi-course dinner – soups and desserts @ desert! There were locally popular Kutch musicians and dancers doing some performances and we were audience for some time before hitting the bed on a day of tiredness!
Day-3
We woke up to a chilly morning and great breakfast – dhoklas, idlies, poori bhaji, Meti ka tepla, breads, juices, yogurt, flakes and much more! We checked out and proceeded to catch our return flight from Bhuj to Chennai via Mumbai. Enroute, we visited the village where artisans make the popular Rogan art fabric painting. This is a unique painting and actively promoted by PM Narendra Modi when foreign delegates visit India. We saw a small demo of the painting and lot of paintings they had made and available for sale.
We got dropped at the Bhuj airport – one more airport in India visited! And back to Chennai via Mumbai by Jet Airways!!
Other prominent places to visit in Kutch are Kala Dungar – a hill up seeing the White Rann and hosting an important archaeological site – Dholavira; Lakhpat Fort, Gurudwara and Narayan Sarovar. Lakhpat fort is an old fort presently guarded by the BSF jawans. Beyond that there is a vast flat grey coloured land till the horizon. Beyond that Pakistan border starts and Mandvi beach.
Distances
Trip date: 13, 14 and 15 Jan 2018
Trip Plan : Chennai - Ahmedabad - Modhera - Gandhinagar - Ahmedabad - Bhuj - Dhordo - Rann - Bhuj - Chennai
Day-1
We started from Chennai on 13th Jan to Ahmedabad. As expected the Bhogi festival shutdown the airport until 8 AM. Our scheduled flight around 7 AM could only take off at 11 AM. This 4-hour delay sort of screwed up the Day-1 itinerary. We had planned to visit Champaner and booked cab for the same. However, we landed at 13:30 and by no way, we could make the trip eventful if we visit Champaner for half a day.
We then spoke with the driver and planned to visit Modhera Sun temple; if time permits, also do Rani Ki Vav. By 2 PM, we reached outskirts of Ahmedabad and stopped for lunch at hotel Maharaja. The authentic Gujarati Thali for Rs.150 – unlimited papads, kheer, sabhjis, dal, kadi, ghee rotis, rice and chaas were an awesome refresher as we were dead tired since early morning wake-up to flight delays. We thoroughly enjoyed the Thali.
We reached Modhera around 4:15 PM. Modhera is around 100 kms from Ahmedabad. It took almost 2:30 hours to reach the road had traffic and unlimited speadbreakers.
Modhera Sun temple complex hosts mainly four things: a beautiful step well, a national museum, an artistic hall and the Sun Temple. The step well was a nice place for photographs and for children to play like a puzzle. The artistic steps were a great display of skill, talent and creativity. The Modhera Sun temple dedicated for Sun God (Suriyan) is a gem with amazing rock carving. Each of the pillars and the surroundings are so ornamental and carries lot of details. No wonder it was aimed to be destroyed. Scientifically, the temple lies on tropic of cancer and the Sunrise falls directly on the main deity (when it was present) on March 21st and September 23rd. The guides tell that the deity had a big diamond on it and the sun rays would fall on it and make the temple glow. Allaudin Khilji had made a great impact on this history and the richness (art and wealth) on this temple. The temple had been built during the Chalukya dynasty. The pillars and arches and domes have amazing sculpting work. The entry fee is Rs.15 for Indian adult; Rs.200 for foreigners and no fee for children and cameras.
We spent around 45 minutes here and then started to Rani Ki Vav. The driver said, it would be of no use as the close entry by 5 PM. He suggested instead to visit Akshardham temple at Gandhinagar. We obliged as the best local guide is the driver.
Gandhinagar is an excellent city – well spaced and laid roads, very clean and admirable. The Akshardham temple has very stringent rules to enter the temple, with no mobiles/camera allowed; no bags allowed and a physical frisking and x-ray check before one enters the temple. Unsure, why so much secure! As we entered the temple, we admired the cleanliness and the whole setup with restrooms, drinking water, games for kids and grown-ups, big lawns and yeah, a temple too!!! It was all along like an exhibition. The temple I visible from any place – quite a nice architecture. Being a first time to such a temple, was little shocked to see worshipping the guru – Swaminarayan. I always thought this was a Lord Vishnu temple. However, completing the temple visit was done, and did not really get the spiritual feel – big restaurants and some water fountain music show was also in store! Well, commercialization can be seen. It is a good picnic spot.
We then reached Ahmedabad around 8 PM and had dinner at Hotel Surabi. The food was served fresh and hot very quickly and they were tasty and yummy. We had our regulars – dal tadka, jeera rice, rotis and all sabji. Very satisfactory dinner as we were exhausted for the day. We had a train to catch to goto Bhuj at 23:40 and got dropped at the railway station by 9 PM.
Day-2
We reached Bhuj by 7 AM. We had booked our Rann package with Gujarat Tourism – Rann Utsav @ White Rann Resort. They provide luxurious tents and bungas (huts) with AC fitted and all required conveniences; and utmost cleanliness at Dhordo. White Rann Resort had put a big tent outside the railway station. They verified our booking and said the refreshing can be done in a nearby hotel – ClickHotels. We did so and there was a mini breakfast open for us at the tent – bread, butter, jam, poha, tea and biscuits. As we did so and enjoyed the morning chillness, by 9 AM, the bus for us was ready and boarded to Rann.
The bus stopped around 10:30 at a village and we had the very popular mava – served fresh and hot. We also had some pani pooris. The bus then took us to the tents by 11:45. The white desert necessarily does not warranty someone to stay in Rann to see. One can even stay at Bhuj or enroute anywhere – there are lots of tents and cottages all around. One needs to provide ID proofs at army checkpost to enter the Rann area; the whole area is under army control. Being through the government package, all these were done earlier and taken care and we did not spend any time for these formalities. However, all other private vehicles must complete the formalities.
The tents were ready and greeted us with souvenirs’ cap. The tent was very spacious and comfortable. The restroom was also well equivalent to cozy rooms. We refreshed and had a great buffet of lunch – all food is by Courtyard Marriot at White Rann Resort; this defines how good the food would be – rotis, many sabhjis, starters, salad, pappad, chaas, desserts, rice and much more!
There are lot of shops around and some activities in the resort. We played a maze, dressed in local attire and posed for photos, did some cycling and then took some rest. The temperature in the day time is quite hot and not very encouraging, however, as the sun goes down, it becomes cold and colder. By 4:30, we had hi-tea and started to the Great White Rann Desert!
We boarded the open double-decker bus and it was about 2 kms to reach the entry. From distance, one can see the white line of the desert. There were thousands of cars and lakhs of people all around wandering in the white desert. There are areas were people don’t venture as they are very slippery and sludgy. We got down at 5:30 and were asked to be back by 7 PM.
From parking, the Grand and wide spread White desert is only 10 mins walk. Though the whole area is a desert, the salt whiteness starts with a 10-min walk. There is a watchtower about couple of kms, a thin road leading everyone by foot or camel or horse. We looked for a place with lesser background of people and more whiteness than covering distance. Sunset was also just 20 minutes away and we do not want to go lot deeper and either get lost for the sunset with the crowd behind us or miss the whiteness in daylight. As we walked in the salt desert, the whole ground is moisty and swampy. One cannot really want to lie down or sit down and take/give great poses!
After enjoying the sunset, in a moment it became dark. We walked towards the bus and headed back to Resort – enjoyed a great multi-course dinner – soups and desserts @ desert! There were locally popular Kutch musicians and dancers doing some performances and we were audience for some time before hitting the bed on a day of tiredness!
Day-3
We woke up to a chilly morning and great breakfast – dhoklas, idlies, poori bhaji, Meti ka tepla, breads, juices, yogurt, flakes and much more! We checked out and proceeded to catch our return flight from Bhuj to Chennai via Mumbai. Enroute, we visited the village where artisans make the popular Rogan art fabric painting. This is a unique painting and actively promoted by PM Narendra Modi when foreign delegates visit India. We saw a small demo of the painting and lot of paintings they had made and available for sale.
We got dropped at the Bhuj airport – one more airport in India visited! And back to Chennai via Mumbai by Jet Airways!!
Other prominent places to visit in Kutch are Kala Dungar – a hill up seeing the White Rann and hosting an important archaeological site – Dholavira; Lakhpat Fort, Gurudwara and Narayan Sarovar. Lakhpat fort is an old fort presently guarded by the BSF jawans. Beyond that there is a vast flat grey coloured land till the horizon. Beyond that Pakistan border starts and Mandvi beach.
Distances
- Bhuj to Dhordo – 82 Km - 1 hour 45 minutes
- Bhuj to Mandvi (Beach) – 59 kms - 1 hr 10 mins
- Bhuj to Kalo Dungar – 90 kms – 2 hours
- Dhordo to Kala Dungar – 66 kms – 1 hour 45 minutes
- Bhuj to Dholavira – 220 kms – 4 hours 30 mins
Bhuj local sight seeing like Aina mahal (9.00 AM - 5.45 PM), Prag Mahal (9.00 AM - 6.00 PM), Kutch Musuem, Hamisar Lake, Chattardi, Hill Garden, Swaminarayan Temple, Trimandir Temple, Bhuj Haat Market etc. Check timings for Aina mahal and Prag mahal. Lot of cabs and auto are available at Bhuj railway station.
