Pehle Gujarat Dekho

Gujarat’s Archaeological & ancient Historical Treasures

  • Useful Information
  • Baroda - Champaner - Balasinor - Vadnagar - Patan - Dholavira - Surendranagar - Bhavnagar - Lothal - Ahmedabad
  • 9 Nights / 10 days
  • Overview
An extraordinary architectural journey from prehistoric dinosaurs, ancient civilizations which mastered urban planning and water harvesting, and medieval architectural splendors that continue to inspire awe. This lesser-explored region offers a unique window into human innovation and artistic achievement across millennia, revealing layers of history found nowhere else on earth.
  • Highlights
  • Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Rani-ki-Vav (Queen’s Stepwell), Dholavira Harappan city, and the historic Old City of Ahmedabad
  • Balasinor Dinosaur Museum and Fossil Park - home to Rajasaurus Narmandensis fossils from 65 million years ago
  • Lothal - the world’s oldest known man-made dock, dating back 4,500 years
  • 5,000-year-old water systems at Dholavira with elaborate reservoirs, dams, and channels that sustained desert civilizations
  • Architectural fusion in Ahmedabad with distinctive pol houses, Islamic monuments, and
  • Jain temples spanning six centuries
  • Vallabhi Ancient University site - a renowned center of Buddhist learning comparable to Nalanda
  • Ancient stepwells showcasing remarkable engineering and artistry
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  • HTA Recommended Hotels
  • Baroda: Madhav Bagh, Baroda (A Heritage Homestay) OR Taj Vivanta, Baroda (A Luxury Hotel) OR Welcom Hotel by ITC Hotels (A Luxury Hotel)
  • Balasinor: Garden Palace, Balasinor (A Heritage Homestay) OR Shri Joraver Vilas, Santrampur (A Heritage Homestay) OR A Home for Nature Lovers, Jambughoda (A Heritage Homestay) OR Darbargadh Kadval, Kadval (A Heritage Homestay) OR Kadwal County, Kadval (A Heritage Homestay) OR Raj Mahal, Devgadh Baria (A Heritage Homestay)
  • Vadnagar: Dowlat Villas Palace, Himmatnagar (A Heritage Homestay) OR Dowlat Villas Palace – The Heritage, Himmatnagar (A Heritage Homestay) OR Bhavani Villa, Danta (A Heritage Homestay)
  • Dholavira: Evoke Dholavira, Dholavira, Kutch OR Praveg Resort, Dholavira, Kutch OR Dholavira Tourism Resort, Dholavira, Kutch OR The Bhuj House, Bhuj (A Heritage Homestay) OR Darbargadh Devpur, Devpur (A Heritage Homestay)
  • Surendranagar: Ambika Nivas Palace, Dist. Surendranagar (A Heritage Hotel) OR Royal Oasis, Wankaner (A Heritage Hotel) OR Bell Guest House, Sayla, Dist. Surendranagar (A Heritage Homestay) OR The Desert Outpost, Kharaghoda (A Heritage Homestay)
  • Bhavnagar: Nilambag Palace, Bhavnagar (A Heritage Hotel) OR Tree of Life Darbargadh Dared, Dist. Bhavnagar (A Heritage Hotel) OR Vijay Vilas, Palitana, Dist. Bhavnagar (A Heritage Hotel) OR Narayani Heritage, Bhavnagar (A Heritage Hotel) OR Gopnath Bungalow, Gopnath, Bhavnagar (A Heritage Hotel)
  • Ahmedabad: House of MG, Ahmedabad (A Heritage Hotel) OR Mani Mansion, Ahmedabad (A Heritage Hotel) OR Mangaldas ni Haveli - 1, Ahmedabad (A Heritage Homestay) OR Mangaldas ni Haveli - 2, Ahmedabad (A Heritage Homestay) OR Jagdip Mehta Heritage House, Ahmedabad (A Heritage Homestay)
  • Day Wise itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Baroda
The breathtaking Laxmi Vilas Palace, four times the size of Buckingham Palace, showcases stunning Indo-Saracenic architecture, elaborate interiors boasting mosaics, chandeliers, an impressive collection of weaponry and private collection of paintings by, Raja Ravi Varma. Its grounds contain the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum containing European Renaissance and Rococo paintings, portraits, marble busts, and a collection of portraiture by Raja Ravi Varma (more than 30 original paintings), the Navlakhi Stepwell, a cricket club, teak wooden tennis court and a 9 hole golf course.
The Vadodara Museum, established in 1894 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, houses an impressive collection of Mughal miniatures, ancient manuscripts, European art, archaeological artifacts, and ethnographic items in a striking Indo-Saracenic building. The former residence of a Baroda state Diwan (1849–1854), Tambekar Wada, showcases some of the finest murals from colonial Gujarat. Its wooden surfaces feature vivid frescoes depicting Hindu gods and themes, religious rituals, and European soldiers. Multiple stories are told across the walls, like the 1802 battle between Maratha allied forces and the Arabs.
Overnight: Baroda City.
The astonishing Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the only complete, unchanged Islamic pre-Mughal city in India. Explore its 14th-century Hindu hill-fortress, and the remarkably preserved 15th-century Islamic capital with its mosques and monuments, intricate water systems and impressive fortifications within this outdoor museum. Balasinor, is considered to be the third-largest dinosaur hatchery (and graveyard) ever found. Its 25,000 square ft Dinosaur Museum and Fossil Park transports visitors back 65 million years with immersive galleries and life-sized 3D recreations which bring these ancient creatures to life, including the Rajasaurus Narmadensis or “King of Narmada”—a fearsome carnivore with a distinctive crested horn related to the Tyrannosaurus Rex family.
Overnight: Mahisagar Dist, Central Gujarat Region.
The recently opened, Vadnagar Archaeological Experiential Museum has an innovative and immersive approach which transforms conventional archaeological displays into a dynamic journey through time. Showcased are 2,500 years of continuous human habitation through nine themed galleries displaying over 5,000 artifacts from ceramic assemblages to skeletal remains. The excavated archaeological site, connected to the museum by a 50-meter bridge, reveals cultural layers reaching 18 meters deep and offers visitors a rare opportunity to view the clearly stratified evidence of that multiple civilizations that have thrived in this ancient town.
Overnight: Sabarkantha Dist, North Gujarat Region.
The Rani-ki-Vav in Patan is a spectacular 11th-century stepwell constructed not just to harvest water in this arid region, but was designed as an inverted temple adorned with more than 500 exquisitely detailed sculptures across its seven levels. It is an architectural marvel that it is more than worthy of its UNESCO status. It showcased religious, mythological, and secular imagery in remarkable detail whilst also providing essential access to groundwater for the general population, was a gathering place for community activities, and created a cooling sanctuary where weary travelers and locals could find respite from the summer heat. Explore Rughnathji Temple in Patan, a classic example of Gujarati mural artistry featuring astronomical themes beautifully done in the Kamanagar painting style. Continue to the remote island of Khadir in the Kutch region, home to Dholavira one of the best-preserved Harappan sites in SE Asia.
Overnight: Dholavira, Kutch Region.
Dholavira, a major city of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, offers unparalleled insights into one of humanity’s earliest advanced civilizations. Flourishing from 3000-1500 BCE, this UNESCO site, is the 6th largest Harappan, and one of South Asia’s best-preserved ancient cities. Despite its arid setting, ingenious residents created water management systems, including reservoirs, channels, and wells that sustained urban life for 1,500 years. Their meticulously planned settlement featured stone defensive walls and gateways, stratified residential areas, and archaeological findings also reveal craftsmanship in jewellery, metallurgy, and ceramics. Evidence of extensive trade networks reaching Mesopotamia helps to explain the city’s remarkable prosperity.
Overnight: Dholavira, Kutch Region.
Less-known Rangpur is an overlooked and yet significant and important archaeological site. While other major Harappan cities declined in the 2nd millennium BCE, this town flourished with distinctive innovations. Resourceful inhabitants maintained trade networks, adapted agricultural techniques to local conditions and excavations by M.S. Vats in the 1930s later by and S.R. Rao revealed its signature “Lustrous Red Ware” pottery. Though overshadowed by nearby Lothal, Rangpur’s three archaeological phases tell a compelling story not of a civilization’s collapse, but of its resilient transformation, challenging narratives of Harappan disappearance, and showcasing how civilization evolved through ingenious local adaptation.
Overnight: Surendranagar Dist, Jhalawar Region, Saurashtra.
The remarkable ruins of Vallabhi University in Gujarat’s Vallabhipur, Bhavnagar District stand as testament to a once-thriving powerhouse of Buddhist learning that rivalled the famous Nalanda. For over 800 years (600-1400 CE), this intellectual centre attracted brilliant minds from across Asia to study Hinayana Buddhism. Chinese pilgrim Yijing specifically documented its scholarly excellence in his travels. Walking among these archaeological remains offers a rare glimpse into medieval India’s sophisticated academic traditions, where philosophy and international exchange flourished centuries before modern universities existed—a significance so profound that India’s government proposed reviving this legendary institution in 2017.
Overnight: Bhavnagar Dist, Gohilwar Region, Saurashtra.
The ancient Harappan site of Lothal (dated to around 2600-1900 BCE) features what archaeologists believe to be one of the world’s oldest known man-made docks. This was a sophisticated port city which maintained trade networks stretching to Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Persia. Well-preserved remains have revealed wonderfully designed urban planning including an acropolis, lower town, bead factory, and advanced water management systems. It is one of the most complete and therefore important Indus Valley urban centres, offering valuable insights into this civilization’s remarkable technological innovations and commercial achievements that were centuries ahead of their time.
Overnight: Ahmedabad City.
The labyrinthine streets of Old Ahmedabad, India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, were established by Sultan Ahmad Shah in 1411 and have preserved their medieval character for over six centuries. This walled city combines exceptional Sultanate architecture (including the Bhadra citadel, fort walls, mosques, and tombs) with later Hindu and Jain temples. The unique wooden “pol” houses with their intricate carvings are organized in traditional neighbourhoods that have formed community networks for generations. Most notably, Ahmedabad stands as an extraordinary example of multicultural coexistence, with institutions representing seven major religions harmoniously integrated within its historic urban structure.
Overnight: Ahmedabad City.
Depart from Ahmedabad for your onward destination.
  • Photos
Vadnagar Archaeological Experiential Museum
Lothal, Archaeological Remains
Dholavira
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