Dwarka -> Jamnagar (30.1.25)
Today, we would be travelling to Jamnagar, 140 km away, doing some birdwatching on the way. Jamnagar got its name from Jam Rawal, who, in 1540, captured this place from Hamirji Jadeja, the king of the princely state of Nawanagar, and renamed it Jamnagar. With a population of 2.5 million, Jamnagar district is famous for bandhani, gold embroidery and metalware. Ladies make a beeline for this town when they need some ethnic retail therapy, but more of that later. The Ambanis are also big here, partly because Nita Ambani is from this place.
Leaving Dwarka (8.30 am)
We almost missed the sunrise over the Gomati. It was not exactly over the water, but seeing the red orb in the midst of the mists rising slowly from the river was a great experience. It was chilly, enough to need a jacket, but during the day we would shed them like an Eskimo chucking his oilskin in Chennai. We took a few sunrise pics, and found that a stall in from of our hotel was selling my other two favourite breakfast items - poha and dhokla. Aah, steaming plates served in the chilly air, which we had standing in the streets freshly washed by municipal workers - fulfilling!
Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, Jamnagar (11.00 am)
On an aside, whenever travelling on Gujrat roads, the skyline is full of windmills. Somehow, I always get a dystopian feel when I see these giant blades turning slowly, like the inexorable wheels of time. The state has an installed capacity of 12,000 MW (2023 fig) and produces more than 25% of the country’s wind power supply. That’s something.
This is the season for migratory birds in Gujrat. The wetlands, a mixture of solid land, shallow marshes and deep lakes, which occupy large tracts post-monsoons, invite a lot of migratory birds from Nov to Feb, after which they move to Maharashtra. The flamingoes and pelicans are major attractions for bird watchers, and various places in the Rann, as well as designated sanctuaries like the Thol, Nalsarovar and Khijadiya, become places worth visiting.
Khijadiya has two sanctuary sectors, one of which was closed and we visited the other one. Early mornings may have higher populations, but we still managed to see flamingoes, pelicans, spoonbills, cormorants, darters, and ducks and cranes of various species. The Forest Dept has laid down a trail of around 3 km inside and personal vehicles are allowed, so with limited walking, the area can easily be covered. A couple of watch towers give a bird’s eye view (pardon the pun) of the sanctuary. The cool breeze and the sense of space were additional gifts.
Lakhota Palace and Museum (12.30 pm)
This is a very pretty palace located in the middle of Ranmal Lake. Built in the mid-19th century by Jan Ranmal II, the king of Nawanagar, this was the seat of the rulers. Additionally, the lake acted as a water reservoir for the town. Currently, it houses a small museum of sculptures, pottery items and murals from the 9th to 18th century - a perfunctory collection. There is also, inexplicably, a full skeleton of a blue whale.
The Jadejas were old rulers of Kutch area, including Jamnagar, and one famous personality who had occupied the hot seat from 1907 to 1933 was K S Ranjitsinhji, the cricketer. Ranji Trophy was named after him. His nephew who succeeded him as king was also a cricketer - Digvijaysinhji Jadeja (1933-1966). A cricketing relative Duleepsinhji Jadeja left as legacy the Duleep Trophy. The current ruler is Satrusalyasinhji Jadeja. And the next ruler, who was declared in 2024? None other than amchi Ajay Jadeja. What a batting line-up!!
There were two more places we had targeted - Darbargadh Palace and Pratap Vilas Palace, which looked good on the net. The first could not be located, and the second had been taken over by some bigwig and was no longer open to the public.
So we had lunch (dosa+hakka n) at a roadside joint. Roadside joint in Jamnagar is a bit different from a small table on Champ Elysee in Paris. For one, less clean. For two, tables too much into the road. For three, the Nawabi arches on the roads that sort of squeeze the traffic passing through are less impressive than the Arc de Triumph. We bolted our food and bolted to our hotel.
Hotel Anaya Beacon, Jamnagar (3.00 pm)
Sometimes I am reminded of the song: “In my youth or childhood, I must have done something good”. Anaya was a hotel much better than we had expected, at a very reasonable rate. It had lady receptionists, dammit, not some grumpy Gujarati who needed to be paid for smiling. The room was large and comfortable, and we put up our feet and relaxed with some well deserved chai. Incidentally, black tea is not very common here, so we were often going without our cuppa.
Shopping at Darbargarh market (5.00 pm)
This was done totally by Panna. I hate shopping, and since Panna knows that I hate shopping, she avoids taking me. She says seeing my disgruntled face reduces her energy. All to the good. She sequestered an auto and zoomed off to Darbargarh market and spent a therapeutic couple of hours.
Roadside Diner (9.00 pm)
As we walked out of the hotel, looking for an appropriate roadside diner, my eyes zeroed in to some racks on a small stall near the road, that looked suspiciously like egg-racks. Could it be, a benediction of sorts (egg benedict, in other words) in this barren land of veggies? We found not only eggs, but chicken too on offer, to be served with pao or rice. I had a pao-friedegg combo, with a boiled egg by the side, while Panna passed up the chicken, and also ordered an egg-pao combo. A tummy filler for the grand sum of Rs 90/-, for two.
Tomorrow, we travel to the Little Rann of Kutch.
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