Gujarat wonders with the team Aatrupadai

 The team Aatrupadai is a gang of like-minded youngsters and archaeological enthusiasts whom I met two years ago on a trip to learn about the Jain temples in Pudukottai. I came across them on facebook randomly and just took part in that heritage walk with some blind guts. But it turned out to be an awesome experience. Meanwhile, they have been conducting a lot of local heritage walks, but I couldn’t find time to join them. Suddenly, I found an advertisement regarding the heritage trip towards the Indus valley civilization. That was a sweet shock and I was already ready to join it. 

But as far as I know, this is their first trip across the states. So, I had not many expectations but the main attractions were just two spots -Lothal and Dholavira. Ever since I started preparing for UPSC in 2003, I have been yearning to visit these spots. Like the icing on the cake, the other spots in the list were equally attractive. All of them were on my bucket list. I traveled all the way from my native to Chennai to join this trip with a lot of fascination.

I must really appreciate the team Aatrupadai -Prabhakaran, Parthi, David, Suresh, Mani and Guna. From Chennai airport to Chennai airport again after the trip, they took utmost care of each and every one. The buses they arranged for our journey, the hotels they booked for our stay and especially the food they arranged for us were just mind-blowing. I said, I had no expectations. But to be honest, everything was beyond my expectations. 

We visited Adalaj ni Vav, the ancient stepwell on the first day. A lot has to be discussed on this stepwell. I will get into it in a separate write up. Next, we visited Sabarmathi Ashram. To visit such a historically important place, that too, in the week of Independence was an amazing experience. How can we skip visiting it when we are in the land of the father of our nation and the Bismarck of India? From there, we went to the Hutheesing Jain temple. It was a pinkish visual treat.

The second day, we visited the UNESCO World heritage site Rani ki Vav. It was just wow wow wow! A lot has to be discussed regarding it too. Then, we visited the Sun temple, Modhera. The District Magistrate of Mehsana hosted an awesome tea party for us. He is the friend of one of our fellow tripmates. And from our own Tamil Nadu. He gave us some basic insights regarding Gujarat. The Sun temple was really an excellent masterpiece with intricate carvings and more meaningful architecture.

The third day, I was very much excited. Because we visited the Harappan site Lothal. Imagine. A dockyard that is 4500 years old was right in front of us. Thanks to nature. There was some drizzle that really helped us to escape from the heat. Also, it drenched the ruined remains and turned it into a beautiful and fresh spot. Apart from the dockyard, Harappans sewage system is one of the most striking features of the urban set up back then. I was really amazed.

The fourth day, we visited the Kutch Museum and cherished the rich heritage of Gujarat. Later, we visited the Prag Mahal of Maharaos of Gujarat. What an amazing palace! They have lived their life, literally! Meanwhile, we had a chance to have a look at the Hamisar lake. Then, we visited the geological museum. As a UPSC aspirant, it was really interesting to witness the rock formations that took place right from the origin of the earth. 

And finally, the big day arrived! The fifth day, we visited the most stunning Harappan site Dholavira. We had a young and energetic guide Kamalesh who explained the settlement pattern and more importantly, the water harvesting system followed by the Harappans almost 4500 years ago! Trust me, one day is not enough to witness this wonder and learn the amazing technologies followed by Harappans that would leave behind all the current technologies. Dholavira is a true symbol of urbanization, planned city and planned administration. We are not the real civilized people, but it is the Harappans who are really civilized.

I should mention the Rann of Kutch, through which we got to Dholavira. It is called the road to heaven. And it’s true by all means. There were salt formations either side and along with the sky, it looked like one whole snow cover. I was confused if I was standing on the Rann of Kutch or at the foothills of Himalayas. With that, the great trip came to an end. My heartfelt thanks to the team Aatrupadai and my fellow tripmates for giving me a lifetime cherishable experience!!!

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