Aavo Padharo! Gujarat tourism beckons visitors to taste its rich culture and history. The lip-smacking food, famous garba dance, and the Statue of Unity is not the only reason to visit this state. UNESCO world heritage sites in the ‘Jewel of western India’ reflect past in its best form and fascinate history buffs across the world.

Learn more about the recently added Dholavira and 3 other heritage sites here.  

Fall In Love With History At UNESCO World Heritage Sites Of Gujarat

1. Dholavira

India has over 1400 ancient sites dated back to the era of the Indus Valley Civilization. And the first to get global recognition is Dholavira. This site is situated in the small village Khadirbet of Kutch district.

Locally known as Kotadatimba, Dholavira was a prominent city with a vast rising and declinINg history from 2650 BCE to 1800 BCE. It captured the attention of archeologists in 1968 when J.P.Joshi discovered it first.

Since then it has been considered the newest and most important site in the history of Indus Valley civilization. Below are the distinct features of Dholavira that describe its uniqueness for historians:

• It is one of the largest metropolis cities of Indus civilization
• Largest excavated Harrapansite in the country
• It has funerary architecture and two big grounds for public use
• The site was a popular jewelry manufacturing area during Harappan civilization
• A unique feature of Dholavira is that it does not have any mortal remaining of human

On 27th July 2021, the global organization for building peace and culture UNESCO enlisted this unique site in world heritage sites.

Besides this spectacular IVC site, the village has lush green surroundings, wildlife, and religious temples that make it the best tourist place.

Places to Visit in Dholavira

• Kutch Fossil Park is famous for the rare fossils of Sea-cow, dinosaurs, and more than ten thousand specimens
• Purneshwar Temple situated on the banks of Mutha is a 13th century-old temple. Pune is named after this famous temple of Lord Shiva.
• Must-visit the Indian wild ass sanctuary as it is among the few last places where Khur is found.
• The highest point of Kutch, Kala Dungar, is a spectacular gravity-defying place. Watching the entire place from the height of 1516 will be a magical experience.
• Kutch Desert Wildlife sanctuary is special for being the largest in India in terms of area. Wild birds and mammals are the attraction here.

How To Go Dholavira?

Taxi, buses, flights; all are convenient traveling options but we recommended exploring this archaeological site via roads. They are in better condition even now. So, take either bus services or cab or drive in your own car from Rapar district to Dholavira.

Where To Stay?

Resorts and homestays in this village are well maintained with simple designs. No-rooftops resorts with single-spacing stays are affordable and have every facility. Here are the top 3:

• Dholavira Homestay
• Dholavira Tourism Resort
• Toran Tourist Complex

Other than Dholavira, Gujarat has 3 more UNESCO world heritage sites that will fascinate you with its past and architecture.

2. Rani Ki Vav

Popularly known as the Queen’s Stepwell, Rani Ki Vav is the cleanest iconic place in the country. The underground water storage facility was constructed on the banks of the Saraswati River in the 11th century.

It is the deepest stepwell designed in 7 levels for the queen of the Solanki Dynasty, Udayamati who was also the wife of Bhima I. This Maru-Gujara architecture style stepwell is considered the most beautiful of all architectures.

These highlights are the reason:

• Meticulous 500 religious and mythological sculptures on the walls and pillars
• More than 212 pillars of the stepwell are in pristine condition
• Rani ki vav has 7 levels with different depths and heights, the fourth level is the deepest among all
• Sculptures from Rama and Vaman incarnations are the major highlights
• The original image of queen Udayamati lies inside the stepwell

In 2014, Rani ki Vav got listed in UNESCO world heritage sites.

Also Read: Forgotten By Time: 8 Legendary Lost Cities of India To Visit In 2021

Directions To Reach Rani Ki Vav

Take a bus from Ahmadabad to the Patan area or take a rented vehicle from the Mehsana rail station to this historical site.

Nearest Attractions-

• Patan City museum
• Shri panchasara parshwananth mandir
• Modhera sun temple
• SahastralingaTalav
• Patan Patola Heritage Museum

Patan has several pilgrimage and heritage sites that will make your one-day trip interesting. All are closer to each other so if you have some more hours to spend, must-see these places as well.  

3. Champaner

Only Islamic pre-Mughal city that did not go under any changes and remain in its original form is one of the most-visited UNESCO world heritage sites in Gujarat. This place holds immense importance as it blends the cultural, religious, and history at one place.

Champaner is spread in more than 3000 acres of land with impressive religious Hindu temples, typical muslim-style mosques, fortress, and water-retaining installations. There are around 114 famous monuments and 11 different building types here.

Remarkable Monuments And Architectures Of Champaner

1. Kevada mosque
2. Lakulisa temple
3. Sakar Khan’s Dargah
4. Jami Masjid
5. Nagina Masjid
6. Bawaman Mosque
7. BulandDarwaza
8. Kalika Mata Temple
9. Makai Kothar

How To Reach?

This offbeat place in Gujarat is well connected with roads and rails. Vadodara is the closest city from where you can reach this heritage site within few hours via bus or taxi. You can also take rail services from the city.

4. Ahmadabad

Gujarat has an entire city listed under the UNESCO world heritage sites and it is none other than the famous Ahmadabad. It was the first and one of the best sites with traces of past in every nook and corner.

Right from the city’s houses, walls, to religious places everything tells a unique story. However, to get in-depth insights into Ahmadabad one must take a trip to these historical and monumental places:

10 Historical Places In Ahmadabad

1. Ahmed Shah’s Mosque
2. Mata bhawani’s well
3. Tomb of bibi
4. SiddiSaiyed mosque
5. Dada Harikivav
6. The Adalaj stepwell
7. Jhultaminar
8. Lalbhaidalpatbhaimusem
9. Tomb of Ahmed shah
10. Rani Rupavati Mosque

After traveling and exploring the history of Gujarat via these world heritage sites, shop from the Law Garden’s night market. That’s the ultimate hub to get all the authentic outfits and handicrafts.

Ahmadabad is also famous for lip-smacking snacks, so satiate your hunger with khakhra, dhokla, and maska bun.

Also Read: Best Streets of Jaipur | 10 Famous Places to do Shopping in Jaipur

Places To Stay In Ahmadabad

The city is very affordable and you would easily find hotels with nice views at the backdrop. Some of those worthy places are:

1. Hyatt Ahmedabad, vastrapaur
2. Novotel, SG Highway
3. Radisson blu, Ellis bridge

These four world heritage sites in Gujarat are a treat for any history bluff where the past comes alive in a very extraordinary way.