An Archaeological Study Tour
Gujarat India
19 days
December 28, 2006 - January 15, 2009
Led by Professor Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Gujarat, India’s westernmost state, is one of its least visited and most colorful. Birthplace of Gandhi, stronghold of Jainism and Hinduism, its history is intertwined with the earliest civilizations of India. Here where the Indian desert meets the monsoon lands of peninsular India, the great civilization of the Indus Valley flourished as early as 3500 BC. The process of spinning cotton into yarn and weaving it into cloth was developed by the Indus people and became an important item of trade from the ancient ports along the Cambay coast to distant cities of Mesopotamia. Today Gujarat’s capital, Ahmedabad, dense with relics of its Mughal grandeur, is a thriving commercial center, famed for its textiles, museums and traditional arts. Highlights of the tour include the palace-filled cultural center of Vadodara, Krishna’s capital at Dwarka, where with special permission we visit Dwarkanath Temple, Palitana’s 863 elaborately ornate Jain temples, the ancient Indus cities of Lothal and Dholavira, as well as a relaxing day at Sasan-Gir Sanctuary, where one might see the nearly extinct Asiatic lion. Lastly, we visit the walled city of Bhuj in Kutch, the most remote and charming area of Gujarat. Bhuj, with its narrow alleys, carved balconies, old palaces and royal mausoleum will be our base for visiting Dholavira and the many colorful villages of the Rann of Kutch. At every turn we will confront evidence of Gujarat’s long history, the vibrant colors of village life, its music, dance and crafts and the welcoming smiles of the Gujarati people.

Sunday, Monday, December 28 & 29, 2008: Depart New York in the evening, arriving into Mumbai late Monday evening, and transfer to the Leela Kempinski Airport Hotel.

Tuesday, Wednesday, December 30 & 31: VADODARA: We will have an orientation lecture before lunch and transfer back to the airport for our flight to Vadodara, the capital of the princely Gaekwad state prior to Independence. During our two-day stay here we will visit the Palace Museum, the prehistoric collection at the University Museum and spend a day visiting Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park. Taj Residency Hotel.   
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Thursday, January 1, 2009: AHMEDABAD: We drive west through India’s famous cotton-growing region to the port of Cambay (Khambhat), from which this precious commodity was traded in antiquity to ports as remote as Babylon. We will visit the Jumma Masjid, one of the earliest mosques in Gujarat, and the bead-makers’ quarter, where beads are still shaped and drilled using ancient techniques. We then continue to Ahmedabad, the new capital of Gujarat. Le Meridien Ahmedabad Hotel.   
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Friday, January 2: AHMEDABAD: Founded in 1411 by Ahmed Shah I (King of Gujarat), Ahmedabad had a royal citadel with extensive fortifications. Its city walls had 12 gates, 139 towers and nearly 6,000 battlements, required due to constant wars with the Rajputs. The city has a long tradition of excellent craftmanship, particularly in textile manufacturing and trade. Our tour of the city includes the 15th-century Bhadra fortress, Rani Sipri Mausoleum and Mosque, where we find extraordinarily delicate pierced-stone windows in typical Gujarati style, and the Great Masjid Mosque, housing Ahmed Shah’s mausoleum. We will also visit the Calico Textile Museum and Gandhi’s Ashram.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Saturday, January 3: AHMEDABAD: Today’s excursion brings us to Modhera. The shrines and chapels of the 11th-century Surya Sun Temple form an impressive complex, which is a forerunner of the famous Sun Temple at Konarak, built 200 years later. The nearby ancient Hindu capital, Anahilavada, has been replaced largely by the 16th-century Jain city of Patan. We will see the older district’s beautifully carved wooden houses as well as some of its 108 Jain temples. Time permitting, we will find examples of the legendary patola weaves produced by Patan’s master weavers.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Sunday, January 4: AHMEDABAD: Most typical for Gujarat and Ahmedabad in particular are the step-wells known as baoli, elaborately constructed subterranean monuments centered on water. They not only supply water but serve as resting places with pavilions, galleries and richly decorated rooms. We will visit India’s most beautiful step-well at Adalaj, a few kilometers out of the city, and complete today’s touring at the Shreyas Folk Museum, which houses traditional mirror work as well as tribal clothes and decorations.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Monday, January 5: BHAVNAGAR: Leaving Ahmedabad, we travel southwest to Lothal. Dated to the end of the 3rd millennium BC, Lothal is one of the five most important Indus culture cities. Excavations have revealed large-scale public and private buildings, a well-ordered grid of paved streets, granaries and a gigantic water storage tank, testifying to the city’s high level of organization. After visiting the excellent on-site museum, we continue to the port city of Bhavnagar. Nilambagh Palace Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Tuesday, January 6: BHAVNAGAR: An early departure for Palitana, from which we will climb the more than 3,000 steps (with the help of our doolie swing chairs) to Shatrunjaya, one of Jainism’s holiest pilgrimage places. Over a period of 900 years, 863 white marble temples have been built here, giving their benefactors great merit. Some of the larger temples, such as Adinath and Chaumukh, are veritable cities within cities, each with its own protective walls. This fabulous experience will be enhanced by white-clad pilgrims circumambulating the mountain in solemn processions.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Wednesday, Thursday, January 7 & 8: SASAN-GIR: We drive south inland to the Lion Safari Camp, a perminent tented camp with en-suite bathrooms, in the Sasan-Gir Lion Sanctuary. We will have several safaris, in hopes of seeing some of the nearly extinct Asiatic lions and leopards as well as the four-horned Indian antelope and many bird species unique to India.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Friday, January 9: GONDAL: We will spend the day in Junagadh, where archaeological finds have established its early history to pre-Indus times. We will see edicts, similar to those found in northern Pakistan, inscribed on a boulder by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, as well as ancient Buddhist caves dug and carved with the image of Buddha at least 1,500 years ago. The Mahabat Maqbara mausoleum, with its lovely silver doors and intricate architecture, and the old fort from which the city took its name, can be viewed from the outside. At the end of this very full day we continue to Gondal, where we will occupy two converted palaces for the night, Riverside and Orchard Palace Hotels.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Saturday, Sunday, January 10 & 11: JAMNAGAR: We continue to Jamnagar and spend the afternoon visiting the city, including the collection of Saurashtran sculpture and pottery at the Lakhota Palace, the unusual Manekbhai Muktidham cremation grounds covered with statues of Indian gods, goddesses and saints and the bustling bazaar renowned for silver and nutcrackers. This evening we will visit the lively Bala Hanuman Temple, where there has been continuous devotional chanting 24-hours a day since 1964. Sunday we visit Dwarka. We have obtained special permission to visit Dwarkanath, one of the four most holy Hindu pilgrim shrines in India and the site of Krishna’s capital after he fled from Mathura. Express Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Monday, January 12: BHUJ: A fascinating drive brings us to Bhuj, a walled city that until recently locked its gates at night. On route we will stop at the largely unexcavated Harappan site of Shikarpur, which is situated on the edge of the ancient coastline. During our stay here we will have ample time to explore Bhuj’s maze like streets and alleys, overhung with elaborately carved balconies, as well as the Kutch Museum, renowned for its large collection of Indo-Scythian inscriptions. We will also visit the old palaces and richly decorated temples, and comb the bazaars for the best Gujarat bandhana embroidery and silver. We will spent the next three nights at the Ilark Hotel, a new small hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Tuesday, Wednesday, January 13 & 14: BHUJ: Traveling into the Rann of Kutch, we will visit the newly excavated Harappan site of Kanmer and the much larger city of Dholavira (Kotada), one of the five major cities of the Indus civilization. Excavations, still in progress, have revealed the city’s fine stone architecture, monumental gateways and broad streets, large reservoirs as well as its extensive drainage system. Wednesday’s touring brings us into the countryside to visit villages, each specializing in a unique craft. Our farewell dinner of Kutchi specialties will be accompanied by Kutchi music.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & One Dinner

Thursday, January 15: MUMBAI: After a morning at leisure, we fly back to Mumbai, with time for dinner before transferring back to the airport for our flights home.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 

This tour should be considered strenuous and requires a great deal of walking as well as step climbing to temples and other sites. Travelers to Gujarat should be prepared for long drives. Hotel accommodations vary from very high to standard quality. They are the best available for visiting these fabulous sites. Only those willing to accept these conditions should consider taking this tour.