[JUSTIFY] We took a sleeper bus of a private company, which left Ahmedabad at 9 pm and reached Bhuj around 7 am. The bus, though a bit expensive, was very comfortable. It had full horizontal bunks. Our destination was the Hamirsar Lake. This is an excellent place to cool off in summers. People visit this lake to enjoy a swim or to sit under the trees and enjoy the ambience around the water. Strolling along the edge of the lake is a nice way to get from one place to another. The Aina Mahal, the Praga Mahal, the Kutch Museum, the Ram Dhun Temple, the Swaminarayan Temple, the Ramkund Stepwell and the Alfred High School are all located very close to the eastern side of the lake. [/JUSTIFY]
[JUSTIFY] Your post reminds me of my visit to Gujarat. At Hamirsar Lake, we took a walk from the Aina Mahal to the Swaminarayan Temple, passing all other sites you have mentioned. It took us about half an hour. Further, around the other side of the lake is the Sharad Baug Palace. This palace was the king’s residence right up to 1991, when Madan Singh, the last King of Kutch expired. This palace is now a museum. The palace has a beautiful garden with many flowering and medicinal plants. Numerous migrating birds visit the palace grounds as they stop for a rest on their way. [/JUSTIFY]
Kera [JUSTIFY] We took an overnight bus from Ahmedabad and reached Bhuj around seven in the morning. From Bhuj, we took a ST bus and started for Kera. Kera is situated 22 kilometers south of Bhuj on way to Mandra. It took us around forty minutes to reach Kera. Kera has the ruins of a historic Shiva Temple that dates back to the era of the Solanki rulers. Only a part of the temple remains, as most of it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1819. Strangely, the inner sanctum is still there with half of the main spire. Next to the temple, stands the Fort of Kapilkot. [/JUSTIFY]
Swaminarayan Temple & Ramkund Stepwell I remember visiting the Swaminarayan Temple. Like most Swaminarayan Temples, this temple too has the typical brightly colored woodcarvings around the building. These carvings mostly depict Lord Krishna and Radha. The temple is situated just down the road from Ramkund Stepwell and Alfred High School. The temple marks the place where Swaminarayan sat with holy saints, when he traveled through Bhuj. From the temple we went to Ramkund Stepwell. Behind the Ram Dhun Temple and across the Kutch Museum, the Ramkund well is a square stepwell. It is 56 feet on each side. It has sculptures depicting characters from the Ramayana as well as the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, along the walls.
Ramkund Stepwell - Aina Mahal The Ramkund Stepwell has sculptures of Lord Ram, Devi Sita and Lord Hanuman along its walls. On our walk down to the water, we experience a sudden calm and serenity that was not present in the road above. In the quiet interiors of the Stepwell, I was tempted to pause for a while to reflect on my experiences. The Ram Dhun Temple, just in front of the well is also worth a visit. From Ramkund Stepwell, we went to the Aina Mahal palace. It is also referred to as the “Hall of Mirrors”. It was built during the rule of the flamboyant Lakhpatji around the middle of the 18<SUP>th</SUP> century.
Aina Mahal Palace Ramsinh Malam was a master craftsman. He trained as an artisan in Europe for seventeen years. He was unappreciated by the lesser rulers. Dissatisfied, he went to the royal court at Bhuj and appealed to the king for work. Acquiring the commission of the Aina Mahal Palace, Malam designed it in a mixed Indo-European style. He created the materials for the palace locally. He established a glass factory at Mandvi. He manufactured china tiles in a factory at Bhuj and forged cannons in an iron foundry. Ramsinh was a proponent of the ideal of “swadeshi”, much before the age of Mahtma Gandhi.
Ramsinh had personally crafted the fountains, mirrors and glasswork. He created a pendulum clock in sync with the Hindu calendar. He made wonderful doors, which were inlaid with ivory and gold. It is very difficult to describe the beauty and magnificence of this palace in words. One must visit this palace for a priceless experience. One can walk to Aina Mahal from any part of Bhuj. It is at the northeast corner of the Hamirsar Lake. The compound outside the palace is beautiful with its carved doorways, elaborate balconies and window boxes. Presently most of the compound is in ruins, the most recent of the destructions being caused by the earthquake of 2001.
My trip to Gujarat was a memorable one as it was a college excursion and it was great fun. I remember seeing the Prag Mahal, next to the Aina Mahal. It is a giant-sized palace and shares the compound with Aina Mahal. Prag Mahal would look more appropriate in France. It seems out of place in the western border of India. This palace was commissioned by, King Pragmalji in the 1860s. It was designed by, Colonel Henry Saint Wilkins, in the Italian Gothic Style and was built in the middle of Bhuj. Though little about this palace seems Indian, there are many Indian elements to be found if looked properly.
In the courtyard, behind the Prag Mahal Palace, there is a small Hindu temple which has nicely carved stonework. Inside the palace, we visited the main palace halls and climbed the stairs of the 45 meter bell tower for a wonderful view of the city. We checked out the cracks of the stones in the wall, which were visible from the courtyard. These cracks had been caused by various earthquakes over the years. I thoroughly enjoyed the glass of fresh sugarcane juice on our way out of the compound. From the Prag Mahal Palace, we went to the Kutch Museum, which is the oldest museum in Gujarat. It was founded in 1877, by Maharao Khengarji.
Kutch Museum The Kutch Museum has the largest existing collection of Kshatrapa inscriptions dating back to the 1<SUP>st</SUP> century AD. It also has examples of the extinct Kutchi script. Presently, the language is mostly written in the Gujarati alphabets. The museum also has an interesting collection of coins, which include the “kori” which is the local currency of Kutch. A section of the Kutch Museum is allotted for tribal cultures, with many examples of ancient artifacts, folk arts and crafts and information about the tribal races. The museum also exhibits paintings, sculptures, precious metalwork, embroidery, arms and musical instruments. I enjoyed my visit to the Kutch Museum.
