12 Nights / 13 Days
Please Note: – We have mentioned few places which you may pick and choose. As per your liking we will take you these places depending upon the time available.
Day 01: Porbandar Arrival
On arrival in Mumbai International Airport you have to board a flight for Porbandar from Mumbai Domestic Airport (Flight Details: SpiceJet – Departure: 09:30am from Mumbai; Arrival: 10:50 am at Porbandar).
Porbandar was the seat of the eponymous princely state in British India. In ancient times Porbandar was known to be Pao Bandar, due to its bread factories that used to export Pao ruti to Arab nations across Arabian Sea. Colloquial changes in language results in name change to Pore Bandar.
As the birthplace of one of the most famous leaders of the world, Porbandar has a significant tourism-led infrastructure and economy. The area around Mahatma Gandhi’s home has been renovated to become a temple of peace.
On arrival at Porbandar Airport our representative will receive you and will drive straight towards Hotel. Check in to the hotel.
After freshening up and Lunch you may rest for the day. Later on visit:
Visit Sudama Temple and Local Market of Porbandar
Overnight stay at Porbandar
Day 02: Porbandar
After breakfast we will visit the following places:
- Kirti Mandir: Kirti Mandir is built near the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. He was born here in the year 1869 AD. The place is visited by thousands of tourists every year. One can see the residence of Mahatma and his wife Kasturba here. Kirti Mandir also houses a Gandhian library and a prayer hall.
- One can also witness the mid 19thC Haveli of the Gandhi family where Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was borne on 2nd October 1869. It is a 3- Storey Blue Haveli in the city of Porbandar where Mahatma Gandhi’s Father, Uncle and Grandfather had all been Prime Ministers to the Jethwa Rajput rulers of the princely state.
After Lunch we will visit the following places as per your interest:
- Darbargadh: Darbargadh is the fortified palace of the city. It was built by Rana Sartanji and has a huge stone entrance, with high turrets and massive wooden doors. The splendid palace is one of its kinds in the whole state. The nearby edifices on the left of the entrance resemble large mansions with courtyards and intricately carved wooden elements.
- Sartanji Choro: It is a three storey summer pavilion built by Rana Sartanji, constructed in Rajput architectural style amidst sprawling gardens. There are pillars adorned with the images of musicians, profusely carved foliated arches and a single dome at the top. It reminds the bygone days, when Rana Sartanji used to sit under this pavilion and compose poems in Braj language.
- Huzoor Palace: Huzoor Palace is a mammoth palace situated at the edge of Marine Drive. It is a European structure overlooking the sea, adorned with sloping roofs, huge windows, sprawling gardens and carved fountains.
Overnight stay at Porbandar
Day 03: Porbandar – Gondal – Rajkot
After breakfast we will drive towards Rajkot (200 km – 4 hrs drive). Enroute we will stop at Gondal and will visit the following places:
- Naulakha Palace: The palace is built in various styles, beautifully lies in the riverside. The palace has striking ornamentations. A museum is reside inside the palace that houses rare artifacts of royal era. The best one are the scales that used to weigh the maharajah in 1934 and his weight in silver was distributed to the poor.
- Car Museum: The car museum is located inside the Orchard Palace and open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. The museum preserves some of the rarest vintage cars. It has around 50 impressive vehicles including a car from 1907. A must see place for car lovers.
Afterwards we will continue to drive to Rajkot.
Overnight stay at Rajkot
Day 04: Rajkot
After breakfast we will visit the following places:
- Kaba Gandhi’s Gate: Gandhiji’s ancestral home (1880) which now houses the ‘Gandhi Smriti’- a memorial museum containing photographs and personal effects.
- Mahatma Gandhi High School: Established in 1853, it was earlier known as Alfred High School. Gandhiji had his secondary education from this school. The school with its Gothic Norman structure was one of the most sought after schools for its standard of education.
- Rashtriya Shala: During the Period of Non-Violent Movement to liberate the Nation From the clutches of the British Rule, Mahatma Gandhi, in the year 1920, gave the Nation a novel idea of Non-Cooperation with the Government. He directed the Nation to boycott the government machinery, including Judiciary and educational institutions. Side by side Mahatmaji started Gujarat Vidyapith at Ahmedabad to impart education on new National Concepts. Similar national educational institutions, on identical concepts were started in different parts of the country. Rastriya Shala is one of such institutions. On February 21, 1921 Rashtriya Shala made its modest beginning and formally started functioning in a rental premises in Rajkot. Shri Lakhajiraj, the Ruler of the state of Rajkot, who was a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi gave 66 thousand sq. yards land at a nominal cost to Rashtriya Shala. It is on this land that the main building of the institution was first constructed, and since 1924 Rashtriya Shala started its various activities in this building.
Overnight stay at Rajkot
Day 05: Rajkot – Bhavnagar
After breakfast we will drive towards Bhavnagar (190 km – 4 hrs. 30 mts drive).
On reaching at Bhavnagar we will visit the following places:
- Gandhi Smriti stands with pride right in the center of Bhavnagar city of Gujarat. It is a monument that signifies the life and service of Mahatma Gandhi. Built in 1955 and attached to a tower clock, it has become one of the most frequented tourist spots of Bhavnagar.
The ground floor of the Smriti houses the Barton museum. It exhibits a gamut of archeological remains of the surrounding areas. The first floor houses the Gandhi museum. It takes you to a vivid journey of the life of this invincible leader in the freedom movement of India. You can find rare photographs from the life of Gandhi here.
Visit Local market of Bhavnagar or you can visit Khodiyaar Mata Temple.
Overnight stay at Bhavnagar
Day 06: Bhavnagar – Ahmedabad
After breakfast we will drive straight towards Ahmedabad (190 km – 4 hrs. 30 mts drive).
On reaching at Ahmedabad check in to the hotel. After freshen up and Lunch we will visit the following places:
- Gujarat Vidyapith was founded by Mahatma Gandhi on 18th October, 1920. Gujarat Vidyapith is a deemed university since 1963. Gujarat Vidyapith is funded by the U. G. C. (University Grants Commission) for higher education programs. It was started as Rashtriya Vidyapith (National Institute of University Education) and was the wake of the Non-cooperative Movement. Mahatma Gandhi remained its life-long Kulpati (Chancellor). The Institute imparts higher education with an integrated system of education teaching from the Nursery to the Doctorate level. The main objective is to prepare workers of character, ability, culture and dedication for the conduct of movements connected with the regeneration of country in accordance with the ideals given by Mahatma Gandhi. The guiding principles on which the integrated system of education, from Nursery & Basic Schools to Higher Secondary and from Bachelors to Master, M. Phil. & Doctorate level degree in various disciplines, is evolved include:-
- Adherence to truth and non-violence
- Participation in productive work with a sense of dignity of labor
- Acceptance of equality of religions
- Priority for the need of villages dwellers in all curricula and
- Use of mother-tongue as a medium of instructions.
- M J Library – Inaugurated by Gandhi in 1933, this is it one of the largest public libraries in India. Gandhi donated 10,000 books to this library from his ashram collection before setting out on the Dandi march
Overnight stay at Ahmedabad
Day 07: Ahmedabad
After early breakfast we will leave for the Famous Heritage Walk an excellent walking tour of the Old City organized by the Heritage Cell. It includes examples of pols and havelis as well as some historical monuments. The best way to learn about a city is through friends who know the place, but here in Ahmedabad, you can get to know the city and its intricacies even as a stranger.
One conducted by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, with guides who volunteer their precious time for this preservation effort.
The tour begins at 8am at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Kalupur with a slideshow. It takes you through various pols, havelis, Hindu and Jain temples, various sites including the famous Manek Chowk, and ends at the soulful Jama Masjid at the center of the city at 10:30am.
Timings:
Starting Point: Swaminarayan Temple at 8:00am
Ending Point: Jama Masjid at 10:30am
Afterwards we will visit Kochrab Ashram
- Kochrab Ashram: In 1818, the British East India Company entered the scene and took over the city from the Marathas. However, the Indian Independence movement laid deep foundations in the city in 1915 when Mahatma Gandhi set up the Kochrab Ashram near Paldi
Afterwards we will drive to Gandhinagar (55 km – 1 hr 30 mts drive).
On reaching at Gandhinagar we will visit Dandi Kutir
- Dandi Kutir: Dandi Kutir – The experiential museum of Gandhiji at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat’s capital city. Looking like a big mound of salt from the exterior, visitors can step in to find an even more dramatic biographical narrative on the life of Gandhi Showcased through technologies such as 3D mapping, holography, 360’ projections and transparent LED screen. In the magical use of technology in four sprawling stories of the museum you can experience a never before proximity to the life and times of Gandhiji. It is a nearest thing to living with the Mahatma.
Afterwards we will drive back to Ahmedabad
Overnight stay at Ahmedabad
Day 08: Ahmedabad – Nadiad – Anand – Bharuch
After breakfast we will visit Gandhi Ashram
- Sabarmati/Gandhi Ashram: The ashram was the residence of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1920s till the Salt March to Dandi in 1930. A memorial to the Mahatma, the ashram complex has his cottage-house with his simple belongings. The museum and galleries depict tales of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. The ashram still supports activities like handloom weaving and handmade paper-making in keeping with Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of self-reliance. It is here that Mahatma Gandhi developed his ideas and ideals that played a pivotal role in the freedom movement in India.
After Lunch we will leave for Dandi Heritage Route.
It shot into worldwide prominence in 1930 when Mahatma Gandhi selected it to be the destination for the Salt March. He marched from Sabarmati (Ahmedabad) to Dandi with some of his followers to protest against the imposition of a tax on salt. Thousands of people participated, travelling on foot for 24 days from Ahmedabad to Dandi.
The Government of India initiated plans to develop the Sabarmati-Dandi stretch as a tourist hub. The government also proposed building a memorial to commemorate the Salt March of the Indian Independence Movement.
Enroute we will stop at Nadiad and Anand where Gandhiji continued to walk.
Overnight stay at Bharuch
Day 09: Bharuch – Dandi – Surat
After breakfast we will drive straight towards Dandi Village (4 hrs. drive).
On reaching at Dandi we will visit The National Salt Satyagraha Memorial
- The ‘National Salt Satyagraha Memorial’, Dandi, Gujarat, India is conceived as an experiential journey recreating the spirit and the energy of the 1930 Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi, and taking the visitors to the Monument step-by-step in order to visualise and understand the history of the iconic Dandi March and the methodology of Satyagraha, which finally led to India’s Independence from the British colonial rule
Afterwards we will drive straight towards Surat (2 hrs. drive).
Overnight stay at Surat
Day 10: Surat – Bardoli – Surat
After breakfast we will drive straight towards Bardoli (2 hrs. drive). On reaching at Bardoli we will visit the following places:
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Museum is a unique collection of historical accessories and evidences associated with Sardar Patel and his life. It is established to organize things that belong to or somehow relate to Sardar Patel. The Museum is beautifully constructed in the heart of a city praising the leadership of Iron Man of India.
- Swaraj Ashram: Gandhiji had launched a farmers Satyagraha in 1921-22 under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This place was chosen by Gandhiji for his experiment in a mass civil disobedience movement. Swaraj Ashram, Bardoli has become a place of pilgrimage in india. It was after the success of the Bardoli Satyagraha that Vallabhbhai Patel received the title of Sardar from Mahatma Gandhi.
Afterwards we will drive back to Surat
Overnight stay at Surat
Day 11: Surat – Delhi
After late breakfast we will drop you at Surat Airport to board a flight for Delhi.
Board a flight for Delhi (Flight Details: Indigo – Departure: 01:40 pm from Surat; Arrival: 03:25 pm at Delhi).
On arrival at Delhi check in to the hotel. Rest for the day or you can visit Local Market of Delhi.
Overnight stay at Delhi
Day 12: Delhi
After breakfast we will visit the following places:
- Gandhi Smriti: A museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, this is the site where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated on 30th January 1948. The 12-bedroom house was built in 1928 by Ghanshyamdas Birla. Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi were frequent guests of the Birla’s. They sold this house to the government and when the House was opened to the public, it was renamed as Gandhi Smriti. The museum in the building houses a number of articles associated with Gandhi’s life and death. Visitors can tour the building and grounds, viewing the preserved room where Gandhi lived and the place on the grounds where he was shot while holding his nightly public walk. Gandhi was shot during his prayers at the place where Martyr’s Column now stands. Outside the house stands a pillar that contains a swastika symbol. The prominence of the pillar means that it has been used as a visual example of the way the ethical meaning of the swastika symbol had changed in the West in the 20th century. A large collection of photographs with a few personal belongings and a series of small doll houses and terracotta dolls illustrating Gandhiji’s life are the attractions at this museum. The preserves include the room where Mahatma Gandhi lived and the prayer ground where he held a mass congregation every evening. It was here that the assassin’s bullets felled Gandhiji. The building and the landscape have been preserved as they had been in those days.
The Memorial consists of: (a) Visual aspects to perpetuate the memory of Mahatma Gandhi and the noble ideals he represented, (b) Educative aspects to focus concentrated attention on certain values of life that made Gandhi a Mahatma, and (c) Service aspects to introduce activities in order to sub serve certain felt needs.
On display in the Museum are photographs, sculptures, paintings, frescos, inscriptions on rocks and relics pertaining to the years Mahatma Gandhi spent here. The meagre personal effects of Gandhiji too are carefully preserved.
A larger than life statue of Mahatma Gandhi, with a boy and a girl holding a dove in their hands standing on either side, emerging out of the globe, symbolising his universal concern for the poor and the deprived, welcomes the visitor at the main entrance of the Gandhi Smriti. It is the work of the renowned sculptor Sri Ram Sutar. The legend at the base of the sculpture says, “My Life is My Message”.
- Rajghat: A memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, this place is an open air, black marbled platform, which is the cremation ground of Mahatma Gandhi. Located on the banks of river Yamuna, this place is the burial ground of many other people, like Jawaharlal Nehru, who has been dedicated a portion of Rajghat called the Shantivan. There are properly maintained gardens in the vicinity.
- National Gandhi Museum and Library: The National Gandhi Museum has a very rich collection of original relics, books, journals and documents, photographs, audio-visual materials, exhibitions, art pieces and other memorabilia closely connected with Mahatma Gandhi, Kasturba and Indian Freedom Struggle. It is developing into a Resource Centre for the Gandhian and allied Studies and Research. It also processes the information, data, audio-visual materials, etc., for the use of different categories.
Overnight stay at Delhi
Day 13: Delhi Drop
As per your schedule of flight today we will drop you at Delhi International Airport to board a flight for your hometown.