Travel + Leisure - India & South Asia
FROM THE ANNALS OF HISTORY
Sheathed in legends and rife with historical anecdotes, a visit to Junagadh in Gujarat is akin to turning the pages of time.
PALACE OR MOSQUE?
A cryptic board in Gujarati reads: ‘Ranakdevi Palace – Jumma Masjid’, with an arrow pointing towards a square structure with slim pillars in each corner. A series of steps leads to its entrance, where a woman sits and sells Ayurvedic oils.
With a dramatic flourish, our guide explains that the structure was once a two-storeyed palace with 16 rooms. It was named after a legendary queen named Ranakdevi, who married the Chudasama king Ra Khengar in the hall where we were standing. This union
of Gujarat. However, the Turks tasted defeat and the cannons were later brought to Uparkot Fort. Interestingly, they have names: Neelam and Manek.
THE BUDDHIST CAVES
A pigeon sits in contemplation on what looks like a flat rock surface interspersed with strange-looking clefts. A series of winding steps leads you down into caverns. This is the site for a group of second-century rock-cut Buddhist caves, built during the time of Emperor Ashoka.
The caves are actually chambers that were made by scooping out rock. They are in three tiers. As you descend into the interiors of these mystical quarters, which were once the resting
place of Buddhist monks, you are overcome with a sense of timelessness. The first storey housed spartan living quarters and meditation cells. The bottom storey housed the assembly hall. Though time has stripped the place of its artistic ornamentations, there are pillars that remind you of Athens. An ancient example of Graeco-Scythian architecture, they have spiral ridges across their shafts and octagonal plinth bases with ornamented capitals.
An intricate system of vertically-cut cisterns and drains channelled rainwater into a pond, ensuring water supply as well as acting as a natural cooling system down below. With the chambers being open to the sky, natural light flowed into the subterranean quarters.
THE STEPWELLS OF UPARKOT
Water is indeed the elixir of life, and battles have been waged over the resource through the centuries. Wells, and in particular stepwells, were part of the landscape across western India in ancient times. While the stepwells of Uparkot were devoid of artistic elements, they were quite useful in their time.
The Adi-Kadi Vav is associated with a tragic legend— that of two sisters who sacrificed their lives for the welfare of the kingdom. According to local myth, water could not be struck despite digging deep into the rock face. A worried king sought the advice of an astrologer, who told him that water would flow from the well only upon the voluntary sacrifice of two sisters.
GETTING THERE
Rajkot Airport, at a distance of 103 kilometres, is the nearest. The better connected city of Ahmedabad is located around 316 kilometres away from Junagadh. One can travel by road from either of these two cities.
STAY
Bellevue Sarovar Portico, Junagadh is an upscale contemporary hotel located in the heart of the city (doubles from `3,500; sarovarhotels.com).
Click Junagadh offers elegantly furnished rooms (doubles from `2,500; subahotels.com). and are devoid of any decorative trappings. Though there is not much to see, the historical and archaeological importance of these caves is immense. They are believed to have been built sometime between the third and fourth century AD, or even earlier, to serve as a place for rest and meditation for wandering Buddhist mendicants.
The best way to wrap up a visit to Junagadh is to dig into a mammoth Gujarati thali, with an intricate and colourful spread of flavours and aromas—a sensory feast not very different from the city’s fascinating and colourful history.