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Geographic Regions:
The state comprises three geographical regions:
• The peninsula, traditionally known as Saurashtra. It has a few hills and ranges, with sparse population, but is home to restricted species of wild life.
• The wasteland of Kutch, to the north-east, is sandy, bushy and rocky. The famous deserts of Kutch (the Ranns) render the area uninhabitable.
• The landmass from the Ranns to the river Damanganga alluvial.
Climate: The climate of Gujarat is moist in the southern districts and dry in the northern region.
The Arabian sea and strong winds keep the temperature under control, making the climate more acceptable. The year can be divided into the winter season from November to February, the hot season from March to May, the humid and sweaty south-west monsoon season from June to September and the intervening hot month of October.
The average rainfall in Gujarat varies from 30 to 150 cm. The southern region of the state
gets much more rain than the northern districts. Parts of Saurashtra have less than 60 cm of rain. The semi-desert area of Kutch has very low average rainfall. Certain areas in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Panchmahals, Surendranagar, Jamnagar and Kutch districts face chronic scarcity conditions for want of adequate rain. |
How to Get There:
By Air: Gujarat has only one International airport, at Ahmedabad. Domestic airports that can accept commercial airliners are Bhuj, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Vadodara. Other airports that can accept small aircraft are Bhavnagar, Kandla (Gandhidham), Keshod (Junagadh), Porbandar, Surat and Mehsana. Zalawad Airport is planned for Surendranagar in the future. There are a few other military airfields as well.
By Rail and Road:
It boasts of the first high-speed road link in the country and has an extensive and fully utilised road and rail set up. The Kutch area is still remote as roads and railways have not really taken off in the region. Transportation is very cheap in this state also.
By Sea:
Gujarat has a number of ports along its coastline, but the shelf is very low, so only fishing trawlers and small sized boats can ply freely. Jamnagar and Kandla have medium depth so they have slightly more traffic, mainly cargo.
Demographics:
About 87% of the population of Gujarat is Hindu. Muslims account for 10%, Christians 1%, Jain 1% and the remaining 1% of the population is a vast mix. Most Hindus in Gujarat speak Gujarati and Hindi, while about 22% speak English. 90% of the Muslims speak Gujarati while the other 10% speak Urdu. 16% use English also. All Jains speak Gujarati (a few speak Marwari as well). Parsis (Zoroastrians) speak Gujarati as their native language. Marathi is spoken by a large number of people in areas bordering Maharashtra. English is gaining prominence day by day as Gujarat becomes more and more industrialised bringing in outsiders from various parts of India and overseas. Religious Places: Gujarat abounds with religious sites and there are more than 5,000 documented places visited or lived in by Gods and saints-in temples, towns and villages alike. Ahmedabad has over fifty sites itself for Muslims, including the various mosques and Darwajas (Gates). Religious spots include Dwaraka, Somnath, Pawagadh, Ambaji, Bhadreswar, Shamlaji, the Jain temples at Taranga, Girnar and Palitana with 823 temples spread on the sacred Shetrunjaya hill and the oldest fire temple of the Parsees at Udwada. The places of memorable monuments of architectural and archeological splendour include the Sun temple at Modhera and the 108 small temples for each of the Sun God's 108 names; the 5,000 year old architectural finds at Lothal, and the monuments at Ahmedabad, Patan, Siddhpur Ghumli, Dabhoi, etc., the list goes on.
Cities to Visit:
The cities that can be accommodated in your schedule are Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara,Bhavnagar, Kandla (Gandhidham), Junagadh, Porbandar, Gandhinagar, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Porbander, Saputara, Sanjan and Mehsana.
Beaches:
Gujarat has long stretches of virgin beaches, rarely visited by tourists due to their ignorance of such high value stretches. These include Ahmadpur- Mandvi, Chorwad, Ubharat, Tithal, Nargol, Umargam, Daman, Diu, Bhachau, Jamnagar, Okha and Surat, among others.
Festivals:
Gujarat celebrates thousands of fairs based on the lunar calendar; small, medium, big and huge, every year. The cultural and religious diversity is reflected in the differing traditions of the Gujarati people during the festivities: their largest festival, Navaratri, over nine nights; the International Kite Festival, Uttrayan; the Modhera Dance Festival; Diwali and Holi; Muslims celebrate Moharrum, Prophet's day and the Ids; Parsis celebrate Navroze and Pateti. Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter.
Fairs:
The major fairs are Bhavnath Mahadev Mela (February), Dangs Darbar (March), Chitra — Vichitra Mela (March), Sanskruti Kunj Fair, Rann Mahotsav (February-March), and more.
Arts & Craft:
The Patola of Patan and bandhini are unique fabrics of Gujarat; gold and silver filigree work on fabric, called zari; embroidery such as the Chalak, the Salama, the Kangari and the Tiki; Mat-no-Chandarvo,Chundadi, Patola Plain Gala, Lehria, Pomcha, Nagaria and so on; the Rasa, Hallisaka, Dangi Nrita, Garba Dances, among others.
Monuments:
The Tomb of Ahmed Shah, Ahmedabad; Uperkot Fort, Junagardh (319 BCE), Old Fort, Surat; Prag Mahal, Bhuj; Lakhota Palace, Jamnagar; Hriday Kunj and Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad and the Kanthkot, Roha Fort and Tera Fort at Bhuj are just a few of the 5,000 + monuments in that land of mystique known as Gujarat.
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