Postcard from GUJARAT

                  
Why Visit?

Travelling almost anywhere in India raises the most marvellous paradoxes and conundrums, no less so Gujarat, that has the vast salt marsh to the north bordering the Sindh desert, a long coastline and borders to Rajasthan and Maharashtra, but has roads less travelled by tourists, and many tribal communities who continue traditional lifestyles, despite the pressures of modernity and rapid change and population expansion.
For  a small slideshow go to>

Important to all travel in India is to remain open to the unexpected and the serendipitous. This recent trip was blessed by several instances of good fortune and surprises beyond that which can be planned for.

The food in Gujarat is almost universally outstanding and one of the most interesting of Indian regional cuisines, much dominated by the most inventive vegetarian dishes not found elsewhere. Throughout the trip, guests kept being delighted by the variety, the lightness and the subtle sweetness of dishes offered. No two thalis were ever the same, though there were certain in-season dishes that were requested often: methi thelpa ( a local flat bread made with fenugreek leaves), and crispy bhindi (tiny ladyfingers/okra).

Whilst staying with the gracious family of Utelia whose wonderful ancestral home is still undergoing restoration after the earthquake, we were able to join members of the usually shy and reticent Jat community who assemble but once a year for four days in the desert to honour their Sufi saint.  This was the good luck of timing and the standing with which our host is regarded in this community.

At Dwarka, the most western and one of Indian Hinduisms four most holy cardinal points of pilgrimage we were accompanied by our guide, Durga’s family priest who presides over records of all the visits made by his family before him. To make darshan at the temple and take prasad was as close as a visitor might get to the holy rituals of a devotee visiting the abodes of the gods, as his family has done generations before him.
The legendary city of Dvaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna and modern day Dwarka continues to draw pilgrims from all corners of India bearing a flag that must be blessed at the temple and carried back to their own community.

Throughout Kutch, we were introduced to an astounding array of crafts, decoration and arts still practiced at a very high levels of excellence. Indeed at Patan, the Patola Salvi family’s young son who had taken an engineering degree and had brothers who had trained respectively as architect and physiotherapist, sat at the looms and spoke of his family’s 700 year unbroken record of producing the highly skilled mind-snapping silk double ikat weaving. He spoke of it in devotional terms and gave credence to the idea it would continue even though much now depends on patronage and a willingness to pay princely sums for such superb hand woven and complex cloth. A saree length might take 6 months or more to complete, depending on the number of colours used and complexity of design.

Other highlights:

The Calico Museum established by the Sarabhai family in Ahmedabad has a priceless treasure. Even though it is managed and run by the most eccentric and bizarre rules, it cannot be missed. For those who like their museums more orderly and who love the world of textiles then Shreyas Folk Museum is also a must see.
Our preferred hotel in Ahmedabad is The House of Mangaldass, an experience without compare. This charming property is still so redolent of the family who created its unique rooms. The suave owner and scion of the illustrious family whose house this was, is also an avid collector of textiles and has plans to renovate the building next door into another branch of the hotel that will boast his personal collection of textiles as decorative themes for the new rooms due to open next year.

Extremely rich in Archaeology, Lothal is a well-preserved site of the later Indus Valley Civilisation;
the Temples of Somnath, in Junagarh district, Sarkhej Roza, Jhulta Minar and Sidi Sayed Jali in the heart of Ahmedabad (Gujarat’s largest city) are wonders of medieval architecture; the Sun Temple in Modhera (90 km north of Ahmedabad) and Rani ni Vav (Stepwells, north of Ahmedabad) are both exquisitely preserved monuments of former kingdoms.

Join us 30 January 2011 for the next Tour to this wondrous region