BHAVNAGAR:
Before I tell you about Bhavnagar, I must tell you about Google Maps.
Almost all the places in Bhavnagar district, including BNP, Sihore and other places (that are yet to be visited) are not properly marked in the GMaps. Same is true with many other sites like Gujarat tourism, Trip Advisor etc. So it was very difficult for us to locate the places. Local people at Bhavnagar that we spoke to were not able to understand either Hindi or English much. Hence locating these places were not only time consuming but also difficult. Hence we were forced to leave out few places.
Now let me tell you only about the places that we saw at Bhavnagar city.
Gaurishankar Lake:
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The vast lake spreading over an area of 381 hectares is also locally known by the name of Bor Talav after the illustrious Dewan Shri Gaurishankar Oza. Conceived and built in 1872 as a water reservoir for drinking water, today is one of the most preferred tourist as well as picnic spot in the city. Near Gaurishankar Lake is a mini forest, a repository of flora and fauna, with more than 1 lakh trees which provides a serene ambience bringing one close to nature. One of the few city-forests in India, this natural haven provides shelter to varied species of flora and fauna. Within the forest premises there are two nurseries which cultivate plants for gardens and forests; Source: Internet}
This Lake is a vast lake. GMaps took us to the back side of the lake, and not to its front entrance. So we lost some time.
Aksharwadi Swaminarayana Temple:
At Anand as we could not get a room at Swami Narayan Mandir, we straightaway went to Swami Narayan Mandir here. It is known as Aksharwadi Swaminarayana Temple here.
It is one of the most famous temples in Bhavnagar. As usual it is huge and marvelous in architecture. After the Darshan, we got a room quite easily. We thanked God, and continued our sight-seeing.
Aksharawadi SNM at Bhavnagar
Another view
Inside Aksharwadi Swaminarayana Temple
Victoria Park:
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The hot, dry climate supports scrubby and thorny vegetation. It has variety of bird life and is also home of animals like Neel Gai (Blue bull), fox, hynea, and porcupine; Source: Internet}.
This is adjacent to the Gaurishankar Lake. Is it a park or a mini forest? It is difficult to believe that this type of a park exists in the heart of a city. We were not able to see the wild animals, but the locals said that indeed they are there. We wished we had enough time to explore the whole park.
Gangajaha:
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In the midst of what was formerly a tank stands the temple of Gangadevi with a chhatri or partition. Made of white marble, designed by Sir John Griffits it was built by Maharaja Takhtsinghji in memory of Maharani Majirajba in 1893; Source: Internet}.
This small lake is completely dry. And again, due to lack of time, we didn’t venture out to find out more details.
Takhteshwar Temple:
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Takhteshwar Temple is located on a hill in the center of the city, on a high plinth, offering a commanding view of Bhavnagar. The high shikhara rising above the pillared rectangular mandapa makes it an important landmark; Source:Internet}
We can drive our vehicle up to the top of the hill. The temple, even though is a simple one, is worth visiting. We can have a 360 degree panoramic view of the city from here.
The other two places that we were very interested, but could not visit due to lack of directions were Bhav Vilas Palace & Khodiyar Mata Temple.
As usual, we went back to Swami Narayan Mandir, had our dinner and settled for the day.