Champaner

This was our first Family road trip to Gujarat. We started from Mumbai 9:00 am and took our first halt at 11:00 am at Silver Miles Highway Resort. Silver mines is a well known place for snacks and south indian dishes. Our next halt was at 1:30 pm at Hari Krishna restaurant. The food is average here, its better to take lunch at Sugar & Spice. We reached Vadodara at 5:30 pm at stayed at my Uncle’s place. Our plan was to visit Champaner, Pavagadh and dabhoi near Vadodara on the second day.

Expenses on Day 1:
Tolls on the way from Mumbai to Vadodara:
Thane toll- Rs. 30
MSRDC toll- Rs. 20
IRB Surat Dahisar Khaniwade toll- Rs. 56
IRB Surat Dahisar Charoti toll- Rs. 51
IRB Surat Dahisar Bhagwada toll- Rs. 56
IRB Surat Dahisar Boriach toll- Rs. 49
IDAA Infrastructure Bharuch Surat toll- Rs. 60
L&T Vadodara Bharuch toll- Rs. 80
NHAI Bharuch toll- Rs. 20

Breakfast at Silver Miles Highway Resort
2 Onion Uttapam- Rs. 96
Upma- Rs. 36
Filter Coffee- Rs. 24
Masala Tea- Rs. 22

Lunch at Hare Krishna Hotel
Veg Makhanwala- Rs. 89
3 Butter Roti- Rs. 45
2 Sweet Lassi- Rs. 70
Service Charge 5% extra

Day 2: We started at 8:30 am. Champaner is around 55 km from Vadodara. Directions: Go till Halol Chokadi and take right. Go Straight and take right from Hotel Heritage. On our way to Champaner, we saw a chameleon right in the centre of the road standing proudly, had to go by swirling around it but it was unmoved. We reached Champaner in an hour and visited Saher ki Masjid, Jami Masjid, Kevada Masjid and Sat Kaman. Jami Masjid ranks amongst the finest architectural edifices in Gujarat. It is an imposing structure on a high plinth, with a central dome, two minarets 30 meters in height, 172 pillars, seven mihrabs, and carved entrance gates with fine latticed windows called “jalis”. Please see the below videos on details of the Masjids and Sat Kaman. Sat Kaman is located just 4 km from the base of Pavagadh hill. On the way, you can spot many birds and animals like Fly catcher, Ant Eater, Flying squirrel, Kingfisher, etc From Champaner, we headed to Jambhugoda Heritage Resort, located 20km away. Directions: Champaner – Shivrajpur –Jambhugoda.

Jambhugoda Heritage Resort: Tariff: AC room- Rs. 3000 and non AC room- Rs. 2500, extra person- Rs. 350. Maximum 1 extra person allowed per room. Service tax 12.36% is compulsory. Breakfast- Rs. 150 per person, 3 meals (breakfast,lunch and dinner)- Rs. 350/person for Veg and Rs. 450/person for non veg. Please contact +919820976655 for booking and group discounts.

Place of tourist attraction near Jambhugoda Heritage Resort:

Jambhugoda Wildlife Sanctuary (1-2 km)

Kada dam (4 km)

Jhund Hanuman: This is another interesting place to pay a visit to. It boasts of an 18-ft statue of Lord Hanuman (a Hindu deity) believed to have been made during the Mahabharat era.

Hathni Maata: The waterfall at Hathni Maata, hidden amongst the shaded green hills is a wonderful sight . The cave houses a temple with a rock shaped like a seated baby elephant is worth the visit.

From Jambhugoda, we headed to Dabhoi, 36 km away. Directions: Jambhugoda – Bordeli (22km) – Dabhoi. Dabhoi was established in the early 6th century AD. Its foundation and fortification is ascribed to the great King of Gujarat, Siddhraj Jaisinh (1093-1143 AD), who made this his frontier fortress. The architectural style and the exquisite stone carving and iconography on the fort walls and gates suggests that it was conceived and constructed in the same period as Rudra Mahalaya and Zinzuwada Fort. It is mentioned as an important city in the Jain inscriptions of Girnar. There are four gates in the town, one in each cardinal direction, having indirect entry, located in the middle of each side of the fort wall. It was altered during the time of Visaldev and the Muslim rule. Hira Bhagol (named after the architect, Hiradhar), the most exquisitely carved gate, is in the east, with Vadodara Gate in the west, Champaner Gate in the north and Nandod Gate in the south.