GANDHINAGAR For that breath of fresh air and refreshing new experiences
Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat, settled on the banks of Sabarmati river, is one of the must-visit places in India. A beautiful contrast to Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar is a scenic and peaceful city and gets tourist attention with its interesting sights, places to explore, and a plethora of exciting experiences.
Due to the division of the old Maharashtra and Gujarat, the new State of Gujarat was formed in May 1960. After the formation of the state of Gujarat, the capital of the state was kept at Ahmedabad. Then, to reduce the population density of Ahmedabad city, Gandhinagar, the new capital of Gujarat, was established. The government had found this large land scarcely habituated, so they utilised it to make it the capital of the state. The city was established in 1965. The new capital was named Gandhinagar to maintain a lasting memory of the Father of the NationMahatma Gandhi.
The planning of the entire city of Gandhinagar has been done by two planners from India, namely H.K. Mewada and Prakash M Apte, who had apprenticed with Le Corbusier in Chandigarh. To establish and maintain a separate identity for the new city, the surrounding area of about thirty-nine villages was brought under a Periphery Control Act (as in Chandigarh) that permitted the new development of farmhouses only.
Gandhinagar lies at a distance of 32 kilometres towards the northeast of
Ahmedabad. An expressway connects Gandhinagar with Ahmedabad. Soon, the state government offices were transferred to Gandhinagar in 1970, and the city subsequently became an administrative centre in Gujarat. Gandhinagar also serves as the cultural and commercial centre of Gujarat.
The capital complex and government offices, including the Assembly called the Vidhan Sabha, the Secretariat called Sachivalaya and government office buildings like Udhyog Bhavan, which houses the offices of the industries departments, are located in the centre. The main source of employment in the private sector is provided by two industrial estates dedicated to engineering, electronics, and nonpolluting light industries. There is also a software technology park called
Infocity.
Gandhinagar has been divided into thirty sectors that stretch across the central complex of the government of Gujarat. Every sector in Gandhinagar has its community centre, health centre, shopping centre, primary school, private housing and government housing as well. All the sectors also have the provision of extensive planting, recreational areas and parks beside River Sabarmati that offers the city an atmosphere of green cover.
With 32 lakh trees, the green and clean city, Gandhinagar is also considered as the “greenest” town in the world. The city has been planned with gardens, broad avenues dotted with trees, beautiful buildings, temples, markets, and many other facilities.
In recent years, Gandhinagar has grown into an educational hub with prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, the
National Institute of Design (Gandhinagar campus), Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gujarat National Law. Mahatma Mandir is a convention and exhibition centre and a memorial located at sector 13 is inspired by the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. It is one of the biggest convention centres of India, spread over 34 acres.
Gandhinagar has a plethora of good and decent places to eat, the ice-cream parlours are a hit with a variety of meltin-the-mouth treats. The city otherwise has a majority of staunch vegetarians, but now even non-vegetarians can find decent options. Also, since there are so many offices based here, a lot of people have homes here and hence a lot of eateries have mushroomed. Gandhinagar presents a wide range of grade hotels and accommodation for the visitors.
Gandhinagar represents the splendid cultural legacy of Gujarat through its significant artwork, craftsmanship and arts, including wood carvings. Fine examples of wood carvings can be found in temples and monuments. The craftwork of artisans on daily-use utensils and objects. The native tribes in Gandhinagar specialise in making exclusive ethnic jewellery and terracotta work.
Being the capital city, it attracts a large number of tourists every year. The tourist places include Akshardham Temple, Hanuman Temple, Swaminarayan Temple, Adalaj Step Well, Science City, Sabarmati Ashram, Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park, Sarita Udyan, Deer Park and Craftsmen Village Trimandir, Dandi Kutir and various multiplexes.
Dandi Kutir
This is India’s largest and only museum built on the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. It represents Mahatma Gandhi’s powerful idea of people across lines of class, gender, age and community asserting their common right to salt itself: a symbol to inspire a pluralistic society to march towards independence: Purna Swaraj. A glimpse of Mahatma Gandhi’s early life is beautifully portrayed along with traces of his marriage to Kasturba and his experiments with youth. This is the only museum depicting the biography of Father of the Nation, using sophisticated technology.
Akshardham Temple
Gandhinagar’s Akshardham Temple is the largest and most important temple in Gujarat. The complex is very popular among tourists visiting Gujarat. As a main attraction of the city, the temple complex combines devotions, art, architecture, education, exhibitions and research in one place, which is spread in an area of 23 acres. The monument enshrining the seven-foot-high, gold-leafed Murti of Lord Swaminarayan is the focal point of the complex. The majestic, intricately carved stone structure stands amid sprawling gardens. Six thousand tonnes of pink sandstone were used in building the monument, which is regarded as an architectural masterpiece. The temple came to international attention when two heavily armed terrorists attacked it in September 2002.
Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park
Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park is a precious treasure spread over an area of about 400 hectares on either bank of Sabarmati River in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat. It is considered to be the second-largest hatchery of dinosaur eggs in the world. Regarded as India’s Jurassic Park, it is run by the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation (GEER), and is the only dinosaur museum in the country. The park consists of a zoo, massive skeletons of sea mammals like the blue whale, as well as a vast botanical garden, amphitheatre, interpretation centre and camping facilities. It also has a Wilderness Park which is home to innumerable species of birds, reptiles, hundreds of nilgais, langurs and peafowls in its vast forest.
Sarita Udyan
Sarita Udyan is another popular spot along the Sabarmati River and an ideal destination for a delightful picnic. There are a number of recreational facilities available here for the entertainment of the visitors. Sarita Udyan is popular among the locals, and this is located adjacent to a deer park, which is another must-see location. It never fails to enthral both kids and adults.
Adalaj ni Vav
Adalaj ni Vav is a popular tourist attraction of the city and is situated 18 km south of Gandhinagar. The well was built in 1499 A.D. by Queen Rudabai. The stepwell or Vav, as it is called in Gujarati, is intricately carved and is several stories in depth. The designs on its walls and pillars include leaves, flowers, birds, fish and other breathtaking ornamental designs. In the past, these step wells were frequented by travellers and caravans as stopovers along trade routes. There is an opening in the ceilings above the landing, which allows the light and air to enter the octagonal well. However, direct sunlight does not touch the flight of steps or landings except for a brief period at noon. Hence, some researchers say that the atmosphere inside the well is six degrees cooler than the outside. Another remarkable feature of this stepwell is that out of the many stepwells in Gujarat, it is the only one with three entrance stairs.