Gujarat travel | Travel Thru History

A Tryst With Royal Gujarat

Gondal, India

by Subhasish Chakraborty

I have always been a regular at the annual Navaratri Festival that is celebrated with great pomp and grandeur at the Bhawanipore neighborhood of Kolkata which is where most of the affluent Gujarati community of Kolkata live. Last year was particularly an eventful one for me and my family as we had an opportunity to dine with the present Maharaja of Gondal – His Excellency Jyotendrasinhji Vikramsinhji Sahib.

Having introduced myself as a travel writer, I inquired about the state of affairs of the royal palaces of Gondal. The Maharaja was indeed very eloquent in his praise of the royal palaces, which even now has been able to preserve the Old World charm and the royal ambience of yesteryear.

According to the Maharaja Jyotendrasinhji – “Gondal may be a quaint little town of Gujarat and most tourists to Gujarat may not even be aware of its existence, but once they set foot on this charming town and savor the famed Gondal hospitality, a majority of the visitors and guests turn out to be repeat visitors who develop some sort of a love affair with the palaces of Gondal. Of course, they may not be as opulent as the palaces of Rajasthan, there is no mistaking the fact that in terms of traditional Gujarati royal ambience, Gondal offers the most authentic royal treatment to each of its discerning guests.”

Midway through the dinner, the Maharaja extended his royal invitation to me and my family to be honored guests of his palace. I was absolutely delighted with the offer. A fortnight after the Navaratri festivities, I booked a flight to Ahmedabad and travelled onwards to Gondal by road. By the time we reached Gondal’s magnificent Orchard Palace, it was late evening and dusk had already descended here. I was informed by the palace’s caretaker that the Maharaja was out of town and would be back in a day’s time.

This was my first brush with Gujarat’s royalty. Although I had earlier visited smaller palaces in places like Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in the desert state of Rajasthan, they were not quite of the same magnitude as the one in Gondal.

It would perhaps be apt to delve back into Gondal’s rich historical past with particular reference to Maharaja Bhagvatsingh Sahib who ruled Gondal from 1888 to 1944 and it was during this period that Gondal rose to the peak of its prosperity.

Maharaja Bhagvatsingh Sahib was a progressive free thinking ruler and to his credit, he held a Medical degree. Having received much of his education in England, the Maharaja was exposed to the latest scientific developments in Europe and upon his return to India and his subsequent coronation as the Maharaja of Gondal, he took extensive reform works to uplift the standard of life of the ordinary people of Gondal and its peripheral areas. Be it administration, education, means of transportation and other aspects of urban town planning, the Maharaja showed his prowess in all the spheres of development.

During his rule, the residents of Gondal were exempt from paying taxes as he evolved an innovative land revenue system. To make Gondal self-sufficient in livestock, he introduced animal husbandry while to improve the agricultural sector, extensive irrigation network was developed, which brought even the wastelands surrounding Gondal under the ambit of modern agriculture. The Maharaja’s visionary outlook ensured that even those with very little academic background too were also offered meaningful employment with the setting up of technical schools that imparted training on domains like carpentry, mechanics, surveyors, painters and engineers.

Within four years of his accession, the British East India Company bestowed the status of a “First Class State” to Gondal with the corresponding 11 gun salute, which was one of the most prestigious political honor during the British era. The moment of glory for the Maharaja however came in the year 1887 when the British government conferred him with the status of knighthood and he was addressed as Sir Bhagavatsingh from then onward.

I took a leisurely walk through the sprawling royal estate accompanied with my knowledgable guide who showed me all the major attractions of the palace. The royal family still lives in one exclusive wing of the estate, popularly referred to as the Huzoor Palace. From the regal splendors of the Huzoor Palace, we moved on to the surrounding Orchard garden and the immaculately maintained lawns. After a stimulating cup of tea and crisp biscuits, I was shown the splendid “Room of Miniatures”. The regal drawing room was conspicuous by some high quality miniature paintings, brass works as well as antique furniture.

However, the best was yet to come viz-a-viz the Royal Garages about which I had heard so much from my Gujarati friends at Kolkata. As I was ushered in to the garage compound by my guide, I was downright stupefied by the huge collection of vintage cars which were stationed in individual sheds. This was easily one of the greatest collection of vintage cars in the whole of Asia. The collection ranged from the 1910 New Engine to the more elegant 1940-50s Cadillacs as well as a few truly impressive American cars of the 50s. The best part of the Royal Garages was the remarkable collection of horse drawn carriages, which was inclusive of the Victorian and Shetland carriages.

In spite of all the wear and tear as also the age of the cars, most of them were in pretty good condition and a majority of them are still drivable. So fascinating is the vintage car collection that even the big time Bollywood Directors come calling at the Orchard Palace with special requests to Maharaja Jyotendrasinhji to make available his vintage cars for exclusive exposure in popular Bollywood blockbusters.

Apart from the Orchard Palace, there is also the Riverside Palace as well as the Naulakha Palace. I was much impressed with the regal drawing room of the Riverside Palace and couldn’t stop marvelling at the quintessential colonial architectural ambience replete with antique furniture and luxurious sofa sets. There was also an exclusive Indian wing at the Riverside Palace and I found the brasswares to be of a very high quality. So were the miniature paintings and the intricate beadworks.

In contrast, the Naulakha Palace dates back all the way to the 17th century and is perhaps the oldest palace in the whole of Gondal. The intricately designed stone carvings reflect a high degree of craftsmanship and the stunning “Jharokas”, the artistically designed carved arches and the unique one-of-its-kind coiled up stairway would mesmerize even the most jaded of visitors. Of special significance is the regal Durbar Hall, which is conspicuous by its sparkling chandeliers, antique wooden furniture and mirror works.

No visit to the Naulakha Palace is ever complete without a visit to the exclusive Palace museum which showcases the rare collection of silver caskets which I was told were used to carry messages and gifts for the erstwhile Maharaja of Gondal.

Going around the marketplace, I discovered Gondal’s small town charms. A vast majority of the town’s population engage themselves in small scale crafts business like jewelery and trading in timber. The town has two principal markets – the Nani Bazar and Moti Bazar. I found both the markets buzzing with trading activities. My guide escorted me to the Nani market and introduced me to one of Gondal’s prized possession – the Red Chilly for which Gondal is world famous. Apart from Red Chilly, Gondal is renowned for its Ground Nut Oil and I was told that as many as 400-500 oil mills are located in close proximity to Gondal. I bought a one-litre packet for my family as per the advise of my local guide.

Apart from royalty, Gondal is renowned for its indigenous Ayurvedic clinic – the famed Bhuvaneshwari Ayurvedic Pharmacy, which even today manufactures the age-old traditional herbal medicines. Inside the premises one will come across the Bhuvaneshwari Stud Farm, which has some of the best specimens of the famed Kathiawadi horses.

The Kathiawadi horses, it may be recalled has played a significant role in the history of ancient and medieval India. There was a stage when these rare breed of horses were close to extinction, which necessitated the setting up of an exclusive Horse Stud and through the visionary approach of Acahrayashri Ghanashyamji, this renowned horse stud – the Bhuvenaswari Horse Stud was launched. The Bhuvenaswari horse stud regularly participates in all the important equestrian events held in India and this one-of-its-kind horse stud has a membership base of approximately 2000 members who take active part in the running of the horse stud.

The British may have left long back but there is still a whiff of Britain at Gondal, courtesy the Sangram Sinhji High School, which has been built in the traditional Eton style of architecture. We visited the school during the afternoon recess and went around the immaculately maintained school and marveled at the predominantly Gothic architectural features of the school’s façade. The school has carefully preserved a majority of the laboratory equipment dating back to the colonial British era. The floors made of the finest specimen of Italian marble and the high wooden ceilings offered a truly colonial English ambience.

If You Go:

Gondal is easily accessible by air, rail and road networks. The nearest airport is located at Rajkot which is a mere 40 km away from Gondal and there are regular flights to Rajkot from Mumbai, which is India’s principal aviation hub. By rail, the nearest railway station is also at Rajkot and falls under the Western Railway network. By road, Gondal is well connected with cities like Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Mumbai.

In terms of accommodation, the royal palaces like the Riverside Palace and the Orchard Palace are the best options. A variety of accommodation options ranging from double and single occupancy are available. Luxurious royal suites too are available for the discerning guests.

For any further information on royal Gondal, please feel free to contact –
Gujarat Tourism
Block number 16, 4th floor, Udyog Bhavan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Tel: (+91-79) 23222523, 23222645
Fax: (+91-79) 23238908, 23222189

About the author:
Subhasish Chakraborty is a travel writer from India. He has been in this profession for the past decade and has traveled extensively all over India. He was associated with some of India’s leading newspapers as a travel columnist. He contributes his thought provoking articles on travel and tourism to many international travel magazines and offers consultancy services to government as well as private tourism organizations.

All photographs are by Dinesh Shukla.

Saputara, Gujarat, India

Serene, Soothing, and Salubrious

by Subhasish Chakraborty

Hill stations have always fascinated me. My family and I have been fortunate to visit some of India’s best known hill stations ranging from Tawang in the Eastern Himalayas to Shimla, Nubra Valley and beyond. Having experienced first hand the joys of visiting the quintessential Himalayan hill stations of India, we decided to alter our hill sojourn a bit and gave the less commercialized Saputara a try.

We traveled in our 4×4 from Mumbai along National Highway 3 all the way to Nashik and thereafter took the state highway to Saputara via Masrul, Vani and Borgaon. Tired after the long, but scenic, drive, we checked in at the Hotel Anando, in the midst of meadows and a shimmering lake that provided the perfect backdrop. Our rooms had stunning views overlooking the lake. Although not very luxurious, the rooms had all the basic amenities that any modern day traveler would ask for including 24 hour room service.

After a relaxing night’s sleep we woke to the chirping of the birds and the bellboy offering us aromatic cups of freshly brewed Darjeeling tea. After a hearty Gujarati breakfast, we embarked on a leisurely trip to the heart of this quaint little mountain town perched on the undulating Sahyadri hills. The combination of picturesque lakes, gushing streams, woodlands and the hilly contours made for a truly ethereal setting.

Saputara is actually located on a densely wooded highland and is at an elevation, which is all of 1000 meters. It may not be a daunting hill station like, for instance, Darjeeling or Shimla, but has enough mountain charm to captivate the spirit of the most jaded traveler. The climate is salubrious throughout the year.

Like most other Indian hill stations, Saputara has its share of legends. One of the most popular of legends has it that Lord Rama had spent the first 11 years of his life in exile in the forests of Saputara. We were told that the very name Saputara literally means the “abode of serpents” and on closer scrutiny of the gleaming Sarapagana River, we did notice the image of a snake on the river’s winding shoreline. The locals revere this snake and there is a huge gathering of devotees especially during the Holi festival.

We spent a considerable amount of time at one of Saputara’s most enduring tourist landmarks – the lake and the sight of fiber boats moored at the jetty was too irresistible to resist. We hired two boats for a small fee and were granted the permission to sail for an hour. The sylvan natural surroundings and the frequent flights of avian species that dwell in the marshy areas of the lake looking for prey made for a truly kaleidoscopic vignette.

Having been on the lake waters for close to an hour paddling our way across the placid waters, our limbs were tiring and so we decided to anchor for the day. After some light snacks and a steaming cup of Cappuccino coffee at the lakeside restaurant, we were escorted to the Sunrise and Sunset points for sightseeing.

Not too far was the Pushpak ropeway, which is a rage with the floating tourist population. This one kilometer long ropeway offers the much-needed excitement to this charming hill station of Gujarat and in the evenings there is a surge of crowds who assemble at the starting point to experience the thrill of being suspended midway. Incidentally the Pushpak ropeway has the distinction of being India’s longest ropeway.

Unlike some of India’s other popular hill stations like Darjeeling, Shimla and Shillong, Saputara came to the forefront only after India’s independence. So it is not surprising that the ambience is very “Indian” or “desi” in complete contrast to the colonial hill stations of India.

Saputara is the bastion of the tribal Dang community and one of the best places to savor the fascinating culture and heritage of this tribal community is the Tribal Museum. The museum showcases the very best of the exotic Dang tribes, their way of dressing, tools they use, their skills as craftsmen, especially their intricate pottery designs, weapons and their colorful festivals are highlighted at this unique museum. The Dangs dwell in the outskirts of Saputara and live in peaceful coexistence with other lesser known tribes like the Bhils, Kunbis, Warlis and the Gamits, thereby rendering a truly fascinating cultural landscape which the inquisitive tourist finds truly remarkable in terms of tribal diversity.

We visited Ahwa, located at a distance of a mere 44 kilometers from Saputara where the Dang and other tribal communities have a sizeable presence. Here at Ahwa, technology and modernity is yet to penetrate and it is one of the most virgin of tourist locales in Gujarat’s tourism landscape. During the village fair, which usually takes place during the festival of Holi, Ahwa is a riot of colors with tribals engaged in celebrations with their colorful dance, drama, music and folklore. During the British rule, there was the practice of conferring Privy Purse to the Adivasi rulers from the local British agent.

The drive to Ahwa is beautiful, past gleaming mountain streams and every now and then the sight of picturesque Dang village hamlets. However, in terms of tourist amenities, in spite of being a district headquarter, in Ahwa there isn’t even a hotel where one can make a stopover.

For those with a penchant of the haunting wilderness, a visit to the Vansda National Park can be a very rewarding experience. In the day’s of yore Vansda used to be the royal hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Vansada. To visit this sanctuary, you must obtain permission from either the Chief Wildlife Warden at Gandhinagar or the DFO Ahwa. Although Vansda is not all that big in terms of area covered, it still offers plenty of excitement.

We were interested in bird watching and had come with costly equipment (Nikon, Canon etc.) fitted with a powerful lens. Even though the visibility was poor, since the sky was cloudy and it was raining, we managed some very good shots. All the homework that we had done prior to each days wildlife outing like comprehensive information about the routes – both popular as well as the offbeat ones, the location of swamps etc. helped us tremendously in our Bird Watching activity. We were amazed by the sheer variety of avian species on offer at Vansda.

We were told that the national park harbors a few tigers, leopards as well as the four-horned antelope but unfortunately luck was not in our side and we had to be satisfied with the sight of a herd of spotted deer, pangolins and the rusty spotted cats.

Apart from the Vansda National Park, there is another equally captivating wildlife reserve – the Purna Sanctuary. The resident Forest Officer was kind enough to arrange accommodation for us by way of a “homestay” with a local Adivasi family, which not only offered a fabulous first hand experience of the lifestyle of the indigenous tribal people of this region, but also made our forays into the forests of Purna Sanctuary that much more thrilling as our host who knew the topography of the sanctuary, accompanied us on our trips inside the forest.

The picturesque town of Waghai located at a distance of 79 Kms. from Saputara, is renowned for its Unai Mata Temple. The presiding deity is believed to be very potent and most visitors to the temple take a dip at the hot spring located in close proximity to the temple before offering their prayers to the goddess. The main town is conspicuous by its bustling bazaars and the locally made sarees can be great souvenir items.

In terms of trekking, Saputara and its surroundings have numerous well-defined trekking trails. Most trekkers to Saputara love to soak in the utter seclusion that the thickly forested hills of Saputara provide. Trekking in Saputara is different from trekking in other hill stations, in that the elevation of 872.9 meters isn’t all that formidable and you will be surprised to find many cash rich and middle-aged Gujarati folks, embarking on soft treks in and around Saputara. Even Mumbaikers find Saputara to be more congenial then Igatpuri and Lonavala, which even a few years back used to be the favorite trekking destination. The prospect of the cool mountain air and the mist laden late evenings makes for a perfect rejuvenation and attracts both the amateur as well as the professional trekkers.

Amazing Gujarat

If You Go:

The nearest railway station is Nashik Road located at a distance of 79 kilometers. Cabs can be hired from Nashik Road Station all the way to Saputara. If you are traveling from Mumbai by road, take the National Highway 8 to Saputara via Chikhli. There is another alternative route driving on National Highway 3 all the way to Nashik and thereafter on the State Highway all the way to Saputara via Masrul, Talegaon, Dindori and Borgaon. This route is shorter by 100 Kms.

Accommodation:

Being a small and less commercialized hill station, Saputara doesn’t offer much variety in terms of accommodation. There is the government run Toran Hill Resort (Tel: +91-02631-237226), which is very popular.

There is the privately run Hotel Anando located ideally on the lakefront which offers 24 well furnished rooms with running hot and cold water, channel TV and 24 hours room service. The hotel offers facilities for indoor games and an exclusive playground for children.

Saputara’s only 3 Star hotel – the magnificent Shavshanti Lake Resort located strategically at the Nageshwar Mahadev Road, is quite a rage with the up market tourists.

Other fringe hotels like the Vaity Ropeway Resort (+91-02631-237226) and Hotel Chitrakoot (+91-02631-237221) are the other available options.

Travel Advice:

Carry sufficient cash, as there are no ATMs in Saputara and credit cards are not accepted.

For any further information on the hill station of Saputara, please feel free to contact –
Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd.
Block number 16, 4th floor, Udyog Bhavan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Tel: (+91-79) 23222523, 23222645
Fax: (+91-79) 23238908, 23222189

About the author:
Subhasish Chakraborty is a travel writer from India. He has been in this profession for the past decade and has travelled extensively all over India. He was associated with some of India’s leading newspapers as a Travel columnist. He contributes his thought provoking articles on Travel & Tourism to many International Travel magazines and offers consultancy services to government as well as private Tourism organizations.

Photo credits:
First Saputara waterfall photo by Raj Lad on Unsplash
All other photographs are by Subhasish Chakraborty.