Junagadh, Gir Forest


For long we wanted to visit Gir Forest. Last winter during Christmas the plan was almost firmed up but somehow plan fell apart. Beginning this year we finally set out for a visit to Junagadh and Gir Forest.

Mumbai to Junagadh is approx. 950 Km. by road. We travel from Mumbai on NH-8 till Karjan and suddenly decided to give the traditional route to reach Vataman via Vasad a miss. We turned left from Karjan towards Padra to reach Borsad via Bhadaran. From Borsad we drove towards Bagodara via Dharmaj, Tarapur & Vataman. This road is being widened and many fly overs were being constructed. Therefore it had many diversions and a few patches of bad road till Bagodara. As we turned left on NH-8B from Bagodara we saw sign board indicating Lothal. It was approx. 20 Km detour but it brought back memories of Dholavira site we visited a few years back.



Lothal was a small village next to the river and had a harbour facilitating trade. Meaning of Lothal in Gujarati is "the mound of the dead”. This Harappan Civilisation village seemed to be divided into two parts. In one part we could see baths, drains and water well. On the other part we could see a street with residential area on either side of street. It is believed that the village was destroyed by sudden floods leaving many dead.


After visiting Lothal, we were back on track and continued our journey towards Junagadh via Rajkot. HFM food mall on the way is a good place to halt with quite good options like Havemore Food Plaza, CCD, Dominos, Sweet Shop, Traditional Gijarati Food shop etc.

Finally we reached Junagadh but had no prior booking at any hotel in the city. As we entered the city, we saw Hotel Ashirwad in our right. As always, our luck prevailed and we could not only secure accommodation but also could extract discounts on published rates!! The rooms are very good and service is also up to the mark. After checking in, we headed towards restaurant inside the hotel. Food was tasty and reasonably priced.


The first visit in Junagadh (Gadh or Kot in Gujarati means Fort therefore Junagadh means "Old Fort") was to The Mohabat Maqbara, a palace-mausoleum and an exquisite example the nineteenth-century art and architecture.  It houses the tombs of Mohabbat Khanji. It's a magnificent structure resembling somewhat The Taj. It is a masterpiece of its kind with finely designed arches, vertical columns and elaborate stone carvings on the walls and windows. It has decorated portals, the winding staircases encircling its four tall minarets. A monument must see when in Junagadh. The Jami Masjid and a Municipal School is on one side of the mausoleum while the Bahauddin Maqbara (of Bahaduddinbhai Hasainbhai, Vazir of Nawab Rasul Khanji) is on the other.


We witnessed a Muslim wedding taking place inside the masjid with only groom being present. We are told that only groom and witnesses visit the masjid after bride pronounce ‘Qubool Hai’ (Which means ‘I accept’)

Since the fort is situated on a plateau, its termed as Uparkot. (Upar means Up or Above). It's an ancient fort in the middle of town. Mount Girnar is visible from the fort. Fort is double walled and a deep valley separates both. This acted as buffer in case enemy breaches outer periphery. At foot of the palace we could see an escape tunnel to avoid getting caught in case enemy enters the fort. The fort had facilities to store water and food that could last many years. The fort was attacked 16 times and one such attack lasted twelve years.



Ranakdevi’s marriage was fixed with one of the Sorath Kind Raja Jaisinh. However, Ranak was in love with Ra-Khengar and they both were hiding in the Uparkot. Jaisinh attacked the fort and the battle lasted 12 years!! People could survive the attack because of water and food storage facilities built inside the fort.

Two canons named Nilam and Manek, Adikadi Vaav (Vaav means Step Well), Navghan Kuvo (Kuvo means Well), Buddhist Cave, Storage Tanks etc are main attraction inside Uparkot.

Adikadi Vaav is long and windy. As we started climbing down the steps, a cool breeze emerged from opposite direction. Textures on both sides of well makes you wonder whether it’s carved out due to water levels or due to construction work of the well.

City Museum was next on the list. It displays many magnificent chandeliers, Thorn of the Nawab, Medals, Weapons, etc. A private collector had displayed Stamp Papers of many states of olden time. We were fortunate to spend some time chit chatting with the stamp paper collector.


Other places to visit in Junagadh City:

  • Narsinh Mehta no Choro - This place is said to be one where the great poet Narsinh Mehta held his assemblies of discovers in 15th century.
  • Sakkar Bag Zoo – Founded in 1860 and probably the first zoo of India.
  • Ashok's Edicts. An inscription with fourteen Edicts of Ashoka is found on a large boulder. The inscriptions carry Brahmi script (a language similar to Pali)

  • Willingdon Dam - The dam is built on the river Kalwa at the foot of the hill. It was named after Lord Willingdon, the then Governor of India. Could drive our car right at top

  • Bahauddin College. A fine architecture. Built by Nawab of Junagadh using his personal wealth and donations from other friends.

  • Khapra Khodia Cave and Baba Pyara Cave. Two Buddhist Caves in Junagadh.


After spending two days in Junagadh, we headed towards Sansan Gir via Mendarda and checked in to The Taj Gateway Gir Forest. The hotel is situated right on river bank. Gir Forest is right across the river.

Spent the afternoon leisurely in Tea Lounge and enjoyed cool breeze, nature and books. In the evening, we set out for a stroll on river front and could spot many birds including White Kingfisher and Peacock.

There are many stay options in and around Sansan. The Fern is most beautiful resort where one has an option to stay inside tent or villas. Possibly it’s the only 5-Start resort in entire Saurashtra. Birding Lodge is another good property one kilometre off main road and adjacent to Bhambhafod check post.

Next day was the day we were waiting for quite long. It was a day to go for Jungle Safari in an open jeep. There are two Jungle Safari options available, one Gir Jungle Trail and the other one Devalia Safari Park. Both are distinct and different from each other.

Devalia Safari Park is a small jungle area within Gir Forest where a few Asiatic Lions are captivated in open. In here you are taken in a bus and you are sure to spot lions. Whereas Gir Jungle Trail is to be carried out in a large forest area of approx. 1400 Sq. Km. You are permitted to enter core jungle area in an open jeep with trained driver and guide. The permit is valid for three hours and you need loads of luck to spot a lion.

Issuing forest entry permits for 0900 Hrs slot starts at 0700 hrs. and very limited permits are issued. So woke up real early and reached Sinh Sadan at 0630 Hrs. Process of obtaining permit is simple and quick. Pay for number of persons as well as camera and a computerised pass is issued. The permits are also issued on-line in advance. Visit www.girllions.in to obtain e-permits.

There are many safari tracks inside the Gir Forest. The guide and track is randomly assigned while generating computerised permit. Depending on the track assigned, the entry point for entering into the forest is decided.

It is said that for a good jungle safari, one must be friendly with Jeep Driver and The Guide. Friendly approach and our inquisitiveness motivate them which help not only spotting Asiatic Lions but many other animals & birds.

We set out for an exciting jungle safari in The Gateway Hotel’s open jeep driven by Dharmendra. Narendra was our guide assigned by Forest department. Anvesh and Sonal staying in same hotel too joined us in open jeep. Both of them are wild life enthusiast as a result we could instantly connect with them and became friends.

Track-2 assigned to us for the safari and therefore entered the jungle from Bhambhafod check post. Experience of driving in jungle in an open jeep on a chilli winter morning is difficult to explain. As we drove on kuchha road, Narendra explained about Gir Forest, its wild life, the villages situated inside. Our friendly demand was not just to spot lions but also other animals like Leopard, Spotted Deers, Hyena and birds like Owls, Falcons, and Kingfishers etc. Sensing our enthusiasm he promised to help us spot as many animals & birds as possible. No sooner he promised, he pointed us towards an Owl perfectly camouflaged sitting inside a hole in the tree trunk. Except Narendra’s trained eyes, none of us spot the owl. Finally I offered him my camera and asked him to click pictures.

As we drove further, we spotted pug marks of lions. Looking at pug marks, Narendra deduced that lions would have passed through the road a few hours before. Next we could see many Spotted Deer, both male and female (Male Deer have long horn) roaming freely in the wild. A family of Monkey were jumping from one tree to another. A Kingfisher resting on a piece of wood situated inside a shallow water pond.

We were driving inside the jugle for about two hours now and were little dejected for not spotting a lion so far.  As our jeep took a one of the turns on Track-2, all of a sudden we spotted a female lion crossing our path at some distance. We all were thrilled and our DSLR was working overtime. After a while, our guide heard few more roars and turned out to be two pairs of lions (two male and two female) resting under shadow of one large tree. It was a successful ride with spotting of four lions.


Once back at hotel, Anvesh joined us over lunch. During lunch, we all decided to cross river outside hotel and take a stroll inside the jungle situated across the river. We did just as we decided and had pleasure of jungle safari on foot!! Spent almost an hour and half walking a little inside periphery of the jungle. We could spot a herd of Spotted Deer. Spotting animals from open jeep and that when you are of your own “jungle safari on foot” is two different experiences. Railway line crossing the jungle was some distance away and we wanted to walk till we reach the tracks. But we were tired and decided to rest on river bank enjoying evening breeze, birds flying & chirping. Water level was not very high and therefore on our way back we crossed the river on bare foot. This amazing experience was possible because of location advantage The Gateway has.


It was out last day at Gir. Next day we left for Surat whereas Anvesh had one more day to enjoy. Therefore they both decided to repeat the adventure of “jungle safari on foot”. We would have travelled for about an hour it’s when Anvesh called us. His voice was full of excitement. Believe it or not they spotted a Lion just a few meters away from them. In the moment of excitement and bit of fear, they forgot that they had a camera with telephoto lense!!!

We continued our journey back to Surat via Mendardara, Amreli, Botad, Dhandhka, Vataman, Tarapur, Borsad, Vasad and Baroda.

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