Total Distance Covered: 2732 kms
Total Duration: 4 days (26th - 29th March, 2017)
Mode of Transport: Ford Ecosport from Revv
Total Expenses (for 3 people): Rs. 39,547
Places Covered: Lothal, Ahmedabad, Rani ki Vav, Siyot Caves, Lakhpat, Bhuj, Kalo Dungar, Dhordo, Dholavira
Dholavira:
Total Duration: 4 days (26th - 29th March, 2017)
Mode of Transport: Ford Ecosport from Revv
Total Expenses (for 3 people): Rs. 39,547
Places Covered: Lothal, Ahmedabad, Rani ki Vav, Siyot Caves, Lakhpat, Bhuj, Kalo Dungar, Dhordo, Dholavira
Route Map
Day 1 of the Trip:
We had decided to leave quite early in the morning but due to sheer excitement of the journey that we were about to undertake, we............
decided to hit the road at around 3am itself. We decided to initiate the usage of DSLR on our journey by clicking this image:
The next halt was at RTO in Bhilad. Well, the process is fairly simple wherein you have to obtain a permit filling a short form and paying a fee of Rs. 50. After continuing our journey for sometime, we thought to have tea at a small outlet on the Surat highway. The sun was about to rise and we managed to click a beautiful pic with a crescent moon in the background:
Lothal:
Lothal is one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley civilisation, located dating from 3700 BCE. Lothal's dock—the world's earliest known—connected the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river on the trade route between Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula of Saurashtra when the surrounding Kutch desert of today was a part of the Arabian Sea. It was a vital and thriving trade centre in ancient times, with its trade of beads, gems and valuable ornaments reaching the far corners of West Asia and Africa. The techniques and tools they pioneered for bead-making and in metallurgy have stood the test of time for over 4000 years (Source: Wikipedia)
After having a look at the ruins, we decided to have a peek at the museum which is located right next to the ruins. The heat was becoming unbearable at this juncture and we thoughts it's best we head to our hotel - Fortune Landmark in Ahmedabad which I must tell you is a gorgeous place:
Sabarmati Riverfront:
After freshining up, GRay and I (Motabhai is a lazy ass and just dozed off) decided to have a look at the much talked about Sabarmati Riverfront and man oh man! it is pretty :)
Day 2 of the Trip:
We began our 2nd day of the trip by having a quick breakfast at around 5:30 am in the morning. The hotel staff was kind enough to pack umpteen sandwiches for our journey (which we really relished :) ).
Rani ki Vav:
Rani ki vav is an intricately constructed stepwell situated in the town of Patan. Rani ki vav was built as a memorial to an 11th century AD king Bhimdev I. It was added to the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites on 22 June 2014. Stepwells are a distinctive form of subterranean water resource and storage systems on the Indian subcontinent, and have been constructed since the third millennium BC (Source: Wikipedia)
Siyot Caves:
The Siyot caves, sometimes referred to as the Kateshwar Budhhist caves, are five rock-cut caves located near Siyot village in the Lakpat Taluka of Kutch district.The main cave has east facing sanctum, ambulatory and space divisions which suggests a Shiva temple from the first or second century. The cave was used by Buddhists later which can be concluded based on the seals found herein and the traces of Brahmi inscriptions. (Source: Wikipedia)
(A small correction here - We thought that we had touched the westernmost construction point, i.e. Koteshwar Temple, however we were mistaken about this. We headed to Lakhpat instead of Koteshwar after we had visited the Siyot caves)
Lakhpat:
At the far northwest corner of Kutch, facing north across the Great Rann towards Pakistan, stands Lakhpat, once an important port city but now virtually abandoned for almost 200 years. When the 1819 earthquake sent the Indus River on its present course to the west and the Great Rann dried up, so did Lakhpat. It was left a humble town around the ruins of its former grandness, now only with Kori Creek that still flows into the Rann Lakhpat has religious significance for three of India's most populous religions: Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, reportedly camped here on his journey to Mecca. The site later became a gurudwara, which holds some of Nanak's possessions; Pir Ghaus Muhammed, a Sufi mystic who from the age of twelve devoted himself to spiritual practice and reportedly practiced half as a Hindu and half as a Muslim, is buried here in Lakhpat. His tomb is a stone construction with very complex carvings and a water tank that is said to have healing properties for skin problems; Sayyed Pir Shah's nine-domed mausoleum has intricate carvings, doors, windows and jaalis (Source: Gujarat Tourism)
After having prasad and tea at the Gurudwara, we headed to Hotel Ilark in Bhuj which marked the conclusion of the 2nd day of the trip.
Day 3 of the Trip:
We had planned an elaborate 3rd day and hence left Bhuj at around 6 am.
Kalo Dungar:
Kalo Dungar or Black Hill is the highest point in Kutch at 462 m. This is probably the only place in Kachchh from where a panoramic view of the Great Rann of Kutch is possible. Since it is located very near to the Pakistan border, there is an Army post at the top; beyond here, only military personnel are allowed (Source: Wikipedia)
The view from Kalo Dungar is simply exhilarating as you can see the white expanse of the Great Rann of Kutch. Although the climb is really simple, you can enjoy a camel ride at this point as well.
Dhordo:
After seeing the White Rann from a distance, it was time for us to head a bit closer to it. So the next stop of the day was Dhordo which was about an hours drive from Kalo Dungar. Please note that there is a BSF check point in Dhordo, wherein you have to obtain a permit to visit the White Rann. No big deal to be honest! Simple and short form but it costs Rs. 100/adult and Rs 50 for the car.
Dholavira:
Dholavira is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District. Also known locally as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of an ancient Indus Valley civilization / Harappan city. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time (Source: Wikipedia). Make sure that you check out the museum after having a look at the ruins.
This marked the end of our 3rd day (By the way, we got a little bit roasted in here due to the heat)
Day 4 of the Trip:
Day 4 was about nothing but heading home but to make the day a bit more eventful (and to cater to the sweet tooth) we had a look at the factory outlet of Schmitten near Surat. After purchasing a fair amount of chocolates, we hit the road again.....
Why Ecosport from Revv?
One of the most important things that Motabro and GRay debated on was the car we were going to drive on the trip and the service we were going to avail. Now, since we were going to spend more than half of our trip duration on road, we had to be bang on with this call.
After going through the numerous services on offer (we looked into service providers with unlimited mileage options only) we zeroed it on Revv. This was particularly because of an amazing experience GRay had with Revv on a previous occasion and the fact that their cars in Mumbai are as brand new as you can get them in life. If you are planning your trips in the upcoming months, we strongly recommend their service.
For our choice of vehicle, GRay was okay with an entry segment hatchback with basic features. However, Motabhai helped GRay reconsider this thought looking into the distances we had to cover in a day and the unfamiliarity with the terrain of our destinations. We finally realised that a car with a better ground clearance and a spacious room that gave a brilliant return per litre. All this taken into account, we chose the Ford Ecosport over the Mahindra Scorpio and boy were we right about this.
Road Condition:
The car drove like a dream through the dream. We covered more than 2700 kms in 4 days and it returned us 16 kmpl on a not so inviting terrain. The trip was covered on a variety of roads; from the well laid National Expressway-1 to NH-27 and NH-48 and then the unforgiving single-laned SH 115, SH 42 and SH 155. The roads in Gujarat barring some sections of the State Highway gave us no trouble at all. The steering felt really firm at high speeds and the suspension responded to the Gujarat SH potholes beautifully. We were able to full off long stretches (our longest non stop stretch was a 5.5 hours, 375 kms drive from Dholavira to Ahmedabad (via Chitrod and Viramgam)) and we were practically fresh for more.
Trip Summary:
Wandering Wheelz of the Trip:
Eshan Kapoor
Gourab Ray (aka GRay)
Tejas Shah (aka Motabhai)
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