Bhavnagar & Palitana
A former princely capital on the Saurashtra peninsula; nearby Palitana's Shatrunjaya Hill has more than 800 Jain temples, and you can also see blackbuck at Velavadar.
Bhavnagar lies on the east coast of the Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat, India, on the western shore of the Gulf of Khambhat. Founded in 1723 by the Gohil dynasty, it is a former princely state capital and port city known for its cultural and educational atmosphere and its Gujarati snacks (such as ganthiya, crispy fried gram-flour strips). About 50 km southwest of the city, Palitana is one of the world's most important Jain pilgrimage sites, with more than 800 marble temples on Shatrunjaya Hill; about 45 km north of the city, Velavadar National Park is known for its herds of blackbuck.
Highlights: set aside a full day for the pilgrimage climb at Palitana (set off at dawn and descend in the afternoon; you can stay overnight in Palitana); Velavadar is best for safaris in the early morning or late afternoon; in Bhavnagar itself, see Nilambag Palace, Takhteshwar Temple, Gaurishankar Lake and the Barton Museum. On the coast, the Koliyak sea temple can only be reached on foot at low tide, and further south are the Talaja Caves and Gopnath Beach. The Alang ship-breaking yards are well known but generally closed to visitors.
Climate: Nov–Feb is cool, dry and most comfortable; Mar–Jun is hot, often topping 40°C at midday; during the monsoon, roughly Jun–Sep, rain is frequent, Shatrunjaya Hill traditionally closes to pilgrims for the rainy season, and Velavadar National Park also closes.
Getting there: Bhavnagar has an airport (mainly flights to Mumbai) and a railway station, and is about 3–4 hours' drive from Ahmedabad; Palitana is served by long-distance buses and hired cars. Gujarat is a dry state where alcohol is prohibited, and Palitana is a vegetarian town where meat is banned. Plan on 2–3 days.
Top sights
- Shatrunjaya Hill Temples, Palitana – Jainism's most sacred pilgrimage mountain. Over 800 marble temples cover twin ridges at the summit, reached by climbing about 3,800 steps.
- Velavadar Blackbuck National Park – A grassland reserve on the shore of the Gulf of Khambhat, where herds of blackbuck leap across golden grasslands. In winter it is also one…
- Nishkalank Mahadev Temple, Koliyak – A Shiva temple built on a reef in the sea. It can be reached on foot only at low tide, and at high tide only the flagpole rises above the w…
- Nilambag Palace – A 19th-century palace of the Bhavnagar royal family, now a heritage hotel. Its gardens and colonial-style buildings can be entered for dini…
- Takhteshwar Temple – A white marble Shiva temple on a small hill in the city center, offering views over all of Bhavnagar and the Gulf of Khambhat.
- Gaurishankar Lake – A city reservoir built in 1872. The lakeside promenade, gardens and planetarium make it a weekend leisure destination for locals.
- Victoria Park, Bhavnagar – A city forest reserve laid out in 1888. Forest paths offer sightings of peacocks, nilgai and many bird species.
- Barton Museum – A local museum in a colonial-era Gothic building, sharing the space with a Gandhi memorial. It displays princely-state artifacts and the li…
- Gopnath Beach – A rocky coast at the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat, with an ancient Gopnath Temple and a former royal summer palace. Sunsets here are quiet…
- Talaja Caves – Over thirty early Buddhist rock-cut caves carved into a small hill at Talaja. A Jain temple on the summit overlooks the Shetrunji River mou…
- Hastagiri Jain Tirth – Another Jain hilltop temple near Palitana, reachable by vehicle. From the top you can see Shatrunjaya Hill and the lake.
- Shri Vishal Jain Museum – A Jain museum at the foot of the Palitana hills, displaying handwritten scriptures, sculptures and religious art. It is a good place to vis…
Where to eat
- Rasoi Gujarati Thali Dining Hall – Bhavnagar's best-reviewed all-you-can-eat Gujarati thali restaurant, with a menu of just one thali.
- Lachhubhai Ganthiyawala (Gangahill Branch) – A Bhavnagar institution founded in 1951, famous for Pav Ganthiya, spicy chickpea-flour snacks served in a bun.
Itineraries
- Gujarat Grand Loop – Starting from Ahmedabad, loop around the Great Rann of Kutch, the sacred sites of Saurashtra, and Gir National Park.
- Saurashtra Sacred Sites & Asiatic Lions – Follow the peninsula's coast to connect the Blackbuck plains, the sacred Jain hill, Portuguese-influenced Diu, Gir Nati…