Rajkot Tourism, Gujarat India

Rajkot is also the 22nd-fastest-growing city in the world.The city contains the administrative headquarters of the Rajkot District, 245 km from the state capital Gandhinagar, and is located on the banks of the Aji and Nyari Rivers. Rajkot was the capital of the Saurashtra State from 15 April 1948 to 31 October 1956, before its merger to Bombay State on 1 November 1956.

Rajkot is multicultural. One can find many languages, like Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, English, Sindhi, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi.Some of the places to visit in Rajkot are the Aaji Dam – a dam site made during British rule, the Race course – popular for morning and evening strolls, the Rotary Dolls Museum – this unique museum gives an overview of the culture and traditions of the world through its collection of dolls, the Watson Museum and the Lang Library.

The Kaba Gandhi No Delo, Mahatma Gandhi's childhood residence, which has now been converted in to a memorial called ‘Gandhi Smriti’ is another major attraction. This museum has photographs, objects and other belongings of Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma Gandhi High School, where Gandhi got his primary education, the Rashtriya Shala, an educational institution started by Gandhi, the Swaminarayan Temple, Shri Ramkrishna Ashram, are other attractions.

Near Rajkot one can see the Hingol Gadh situated near Jasdan about 70 km from Rajkot. The famous Jamnagar with its Reliance Industries settlement is about 90 km away. Mount Girnar and the Gir forest (known for its healthy lion population) is around 150 km from Rajkot. Somnath Temple and Diu (of Daman & Diu, formerly a Portugese colony) are other options that can be visited from Rajkot.

Rajkot is also famous for its traditional sweets and dandiya and garba dances. In order to buy the regional specialities, the local markets such as the Dharmendra Road Bazaar can be visited for perfumes, incense sticks, clothes, handlooms, etc. The Bangdi Bazaar specialises in imitation jewellery and the Mochi Bazaar in footwear.

Rajkot is well connected by the rail network. There are direct trains from all parts of India to Rajkot. Some of the longer routes include trains from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Bhopal. Rajkot is quite well connected to the entire region of Saurashtra and the rest of Gujarat by buses. There are several daily direct flights from Rajkot to Mumbai.

The best time to visit Rajkot is in the autumn and winter months.