gandhi nagar
Location: 145 Kms from Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Significance: Capital City Of Gujarat.
Main Attraction: Akshar Dham.
Main Languages: Gujarati, Hindi, and English.
Gandhinagar, Gujarat new Capital City is located on the west bank of the Sabarmati, about 32 Kms north east of Ahmedabad, the commercial and cultural heart of Gujarat. Gandhinagar presents the spacious, well-organized look of an architecturally integrated city. Around the Central Government Complex, stretch 30 sectors into which the city has been divided. Each sector has its own shopping and community centre, primary school, health centre and government and private housing. Apart from this, there is a generous provision for wide-open green parks, extensive planting and a large recreational area along the river giving the city a lush green garden-city atmosphere.
In 1960, when the Old Bombay State was bifurcated into the present states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Bombay (Mumbai) city fell to the share of Maharashtra. It was then decided to build an entirely new capital for Gujarat.
PRIME ATTRACTIONS
Shamlaji: This famous Vaishnava Shrine is situated at 126 km from Ahmedabad.
Akshardham: It is the most famous temple of "Swaminarayan Sect" - the richest sect in the world. The splendid temple of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is built from Rajasthan pink marbles. The temple, 108 feet high, 240 feet in length and 131 feet in breadth took six years to complete. Lush green gardens and admirable fountains surround it.
Koba: At a distance of 10 Kms from Gandhinagar on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Highway is the village Koba, which has shot into eminence because of its Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra, a Jain Temple Institute that carries out research in philosophy and religion. The temple itself is of high aesthetic and artictural value set in lush green environs.
Vaijanth Mahadev at Vasan: At a distance of 13 Kms from Gandhinagar is the village of Vasan, which is famous for its Shiva Temple believed to be 2000 years old. The temple has seven storeys. The Shiv-Ling is of 'Yoni-ling' type. There are 24 Shiv-Lingas in the ambulatory path of the temple.
From the site, bricks and silver coins of Maitrak period were obtained, which supports the antiquity of this temple. There are some coloured pictures drawn on the ceiling of the 'sabha-mandap' dome depicting Ras-Lila. These paintings are 150 years old according to the scholars.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Air: Indian Airlines connect Gandhinagar with Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mumbai. The city is also connected to Kuwait, Muscat and Sharjah by international flights of Indian Airlines. Ghandhinagar's airport is 15 Kms from city centre. Taxis and buses are available for city sightseeing.
Rail: Railway Station is on the western side and trains from Mumbai, Delhi and other parts of the country are connected with Ghandhinagar.
Road: Two state highways skirt the capital, Ahmedabad - Mt. Abu State Highway and the Mumbai Delhi National Highway. |
