A visit to Ahmedabad and Somnath

Amazing India with its glorious past, innumerable folklores, passionate religious beliefs would continue to elude travel enthusiastic Indians and curious foreigners with its enchanting mysteries. Our trip to the western part of the India was one such marvellous journey. Being one of the oldest civilisations of the World nearly every nook and corner of the country has some interesting story to reveal.   Sadly the lethargic book keeping and incongruous evidences of the past times have resulted in nearly wiping out several of the monumental places. In spite of poor upkeep and maintenance even now the curious enthusiasts revel in the remnants of history. After travelling almost 1400km in the state of Gujarat and in other places of India, I realised that almost every tourist attraction cries of deprivation of funds and poor patronage. Further, the lax working of the government and the vested communities has almost failed in proper up keep of the places. Most of the places we visited have been in their zenith in history but unfortunately, lack of proper information about exact historical significance has been the major handicap in truly appreciating and understanding their contribution to the vast Indian history.

Interestingly, as the affordability and the spending capacity of people has increased there has been a giant leap in the tourism. Be it for religious purposes or for pleasure, mobility of people has increased. This is a welcome trend but it would have gained greater momentum if the main benefactors of this tourism- be it the hoteliers, restaurateurs or the taxi associations realised their collective responsibility of contributing towards the upkeep and maintenance of the place in the Indian scenario to be able to generate uninterrupted revenues through tourism. Perhaps, they need to develop new strategies to invigorate interest among youth by popularising the places of cultural/historical/religious significance of their respective regions through attractive souvenirs, brochures and laminated pictures.

Having decided to explore the western part of India, Saurasthra, we reached Ahmedabad by train from Delhi. It is still the third week of March, but the severity of the heat scared us of the thought of travelling in summer. Ahmedabad station is located in the old city which is ensconced by 12 dilapidated gates of the massive fort constructed by its ruler Ahmed Shah in the early 15^th century. The remnants of the fort speak volumes about the transitions the city has undergone.  This region was popular for its textile mills during the British regime and was referred to as Manchester of the East.  Most of the textile mills have disappeared and this region now houses one of the biggest wholesale cloth markets.

Ahmedabad is 30 kms away from the capital city Gandhinagar and located on the banks of the river Sabarmati. The place immediately reminds of the Satyagraha Ashram (now Sabarmati Ashram) that has changed the destiny of India’s Independence movement by sowing the seeds of non-cooperation and non-violence in the citizens of the country. As we entered the city, we were greeted by the huge Sabarmati river front project stretching over 13 km in the city. This project has meted severe criticism from activists as it involved displacing several slum dwellers thus earning the dubious distinction of being the largest slum displacement project. It now offers a 10 km stretch for public use and amusement water rides. We wanted to first visit the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar which received International attention for armed terrorist incursions in 2002. The attacks claimed lives of 30 innocent civilians and left more than 80 people severely injured. Ever since the terrorist attacks security was beefed up around the temple and entry of the tourists is thoroughly monitored. As we moved towards Gandhinagar, we noticed a parallel stretch of the greenery running on either sides of the road offering much needed protection from the scorching heat. The temple is spread in the vast expanse of 23 acres and stands as the towering landmark of exquisite artisanship. It displayed a unique blend of devotion, architecture, education, research and cultural regalia. It has a well maintained garden and a children park too. The pink sandstone temple amidst the sprawling gardens is dedicated to Swami. The 7 foot tall gold leafed statue of the Lord is the central attraction of the temple. Tourists can spend almost a day in the temple premises as it has permanent exhibitions-Shajanand: a journey through India and three sound-n-light shows, Sat-Chit- Anand: a film of Mystic India on I-Max screen, Nityanand: a walk through Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata and a Sat-Chit-Anand water show.

Sabarmati River Front

On the way back to Ahmedabad we stopped at a place called Adalaj step well built by the king Mohammed Begda for Queen Roopba, wife the Veer Singh, Vaghela Chieftain. The octagonal five storied step well is built in sandstone and has intricately carved large pillars spacious enough to accommodate huge congregations during festivities. The architecture of the well was Muslim style, mostly depicting women performing various chores. It stands as marvellous example of the engineering skills of those times.These kinds of step-wells are more common in the semi-arid regions like Gujarat as they meet the basic water requirements of the people. These wells acted as venues for various festivals and other religious ceremonies.  Since the temperature inside the well is five degrees lower than outside, as we descended into the well, we experienced an inexplicable comfort.

Adalaj Step Well

Our next stop was Satyagraha ashram situated in suburbs of Ahmedabad adjoining the Sabarmati water front. We were very eager to visit the chambers of Mahatma Gandhi popularly referred to as “the Hridaya Kunj” the place where Gandhiji used to meet various people during the struggle for independence. Gandhi spent 12 years in the ashram. The ashram played pivotal role in shaping up India’s freedom struggle and brought about sweeping changes in perceptions of people towards untouchability by restoring honour on the so called Harijans. Hence this place was also called the Harijan ashram. The ashram presents a serene atmosphere with chirping birds settling on the trees. A small stretch of area within the ashram "Upasana Mandir" which was hallowed by the inspiring speeches of the father of nation is still held in reverential respect and discourses are conducted in that dedicated space. It was from this ashram, Gandhi along with his 78 companions marched to Dandi 240 km away to launch the salt satyagraha movement.  This was followed by civil disobedience movement wherein several thousands of freedom fighters were arrested. Britishers then seized the ashram and refused to hand over the ashram to Gandhiji and hence it was disbanded in 1933.

Hridaya Kunj

 

The ashram now houses a museum, Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalay which has life-size paintings and more than 200 photo enlargements, an exhibition containing quotations of Gandhiji and Kasturba Gandhi, a library with more than 35,000 books, several manuscripts and letters written and received by Gandhi. It has cottages of VinobaBhave/Mira Bhai, Magan Lal and a guest house Nandini. The spinning wheel or the charkha and his writing tables and other personal belongings are displayed in the Hriday Kunj but in stark contrast Kasturba’s room is empty.  It is appalling that while the father of nation has been bestowed with all the honour his better half is denied of the slightest recognition. People might categorically refer to this as a feministic tendency to make a mountain out of mole when it comes to acknowledging a woman. But it is indeed utterly important to bequeath honour upon the lady who has been the consort of the father of nation. Else the ashram is well maintained and some of the rare artefacts were preserved with great care.  A visit to the ashram instilled patriotic fervour and thoughts of the sacrifices rendered by the proud sons of the soil reminded us of the duties of a citizen towards nation. With reverential respects to the all the freedom fighters who displayed unparalleled commitment and heroism towards India’s struggle for Independence, we left the ashram.

 

 Upasana Mandir

From Ahmedabad we took a train to Veraval, the district headquarters of the Gir Somanth to reach our next destination Somanth one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. It is 10 km from Veraval, the nearest Railway station. Somanth temple epitomises the power of reconstruction which is always greater than the power of destruction. Apart from having great religious significance, the place is associated with several historical battles. These battles have most of the times resulted in bulldozing of this sacred structure. Though it has been demolished several times, every time with a rejuvenated vigour, enthusiasm and devotion the temple has been reconstructed and the rituals have been carried out. The temple has been the symbol of prosperity of our country. Mythologically, epics say that the first temple was constructed by the Moon God as a mark of gratitude towards Lord Siva. Somanth means the protector of Moon God. Old inscriptions reveal that Yadavas have constructed a second temple replacing the original one in 6^th Century BC. Though there are several legends associated with the temple, lack of proper coherence between the dates has created some confusion about the exact dates.  But records pronounce that around 11^th century Mohammad Ghazni plundered the temple, looted all the valuables and ran away with all the wealth escaping the attacks of Hindu rulers. Then it was built by Solanki raja’s. Later the temple was attacked and demolished subsequently by Allauddin Khilji’s army, Muzaffar Shah I, Mahmud Bagda and by Aurangazeb. Thus, this temple has been under attack by various Muslim rulers who destroyed the temples several times. Finally in 1783 Queen Ahilya Bhai Holkar of Indore and Peshwas with collaborated effort built a temple next to the temple ruins. Even now, rituals are performed in this temple. After Independence, due to consistent efforts of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, present temple has been reconstructed. Due to sudden demise of Patel in 1948, Dr. K. M. Munshi took over the construction responsibility and finally it was dedicated to nation in 1951.

Somanth Temple

The new temple was built in Chalukya Style of architecture and currently efforts are on to restore the glory of temple by gold plating the inner walls of the sanctum sanctorum and the inner temple complex. Built on the shores of the Arabian Sea, the spacious temple premises offer peace of mind and serenity. It has a Arrow-Pillar or Baan Stamb erected on the temple wall denoting that temple is situated on the land mass, which happens to be the first point on land in the north to south pole on that particular longitude. This pillar stands as tribute to the engineering skills and meticulous knowledge of geography of our forefathers. Needless to say, the darshan of the Sivalinga and the harathi would elicit mental harmony which connects us to the Divine. A visit to this temple invigorates not only  religious fervour but also takes us back to the times when temples have been targeted and destroyed to terrorise and shatter the religious beliefs of the common man. The temple is heavily guarded as it is still prone to significant communal attacks. It is under strict vigilance due to its proximity to the Western coast. Incidentally, the entry of any person can be denied to any place within a perimeter of 2 km from temple without valid documents.

Triveni Sangam

Somanth has other tourist attractions which include Geeta Mandir, a huge complex with several small temples dedicated to Lord Krishna and others, Triveni Sangam, a confluence of three rivers Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati, Ban Ganga- a place on the sea shore where Sivaling’s are bathed by the sea water. It is also the place where Jara,  a poacher had struck his bow towards a deer. Legends say that Jara mistook the feet of Lord Krishna resting under a pipal tree for a deer and released the arrow. The arrow pierced Lord Krishna’s feet marking the end of the mortal life of Lord Sri Krishna. This scared place where he rested is immortalised by a temple, now popular as Balka Tirth. It is 5 km from Somnath temple on the way to Veraval.

Balka Tirth

There are other places like the Sun temple constructed by Pandavas and Hingalaj Mata Cave, the deity of Pandavas. As we moved away from Somnath, we passed through the port of Veraval where huge fishing boats are built. The port earns significant revenues through exporting fish to various countries and the region has several cold storage units to cater to massive exports.

Fishing Boats under construction at Veraval Port

With a blissful feeling we left for Diu, 86 km from Somnath by car. We were really excited at the prospect of visiting Diu as the place is less frequented and also it has been our first visit to a Union Territory. Further a road trip in the state of Gujarat would help us to acquaint ourselves with the lives of people in country side.

 

Veraval Port

Pictures courtesy: Dr. Bhaskar Teegela and Samanvit Teegela

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