Gujarat lies tucked away on the northwestern seaboard of India and shares a border with Pakistan. This is the hallowed land where the legendary Hindu God-king, Krishna set up his capital at Dwarka, a port city now being excavated from its watery grave. In more recent times, Gujarat is revered as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, the ‘Father of the Nation’, who was born at Porbandar, in 1869.

Though off the regular tourist beat, Gujarat is well worth a visit. It is home to people of diverse races and religions, ruins of ancient cities and some of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in the country. Visit Gujarat to see the last of the Asiatic lions in Sasan Gir National Park and vast colonies of flamingos, pelicans, avocets and herds of wild asses in the Rann of Kutch; 4000-year-old archaeological sites at Lothal and Dholavira; Mauryan Emperor Ashoka’s rock edicts near Junagadh (3rd century BC) disseminated the message of Buddha and several important Hindu and Jain pilgrim centres at Dwarka, Somnath and Palitana, beautiful mosques, mausoleums and monuments and the oldest sacred fire of the Parsi community in India at Udvada.