PATAN - LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH IN 2 DAYS

At a distance of 4 km from Patan Railway Station, Rani ki Vav is an intricately carved stepwell located in the fortified town of Patan. Situated on the banks of River Saraswati, it is one of the finest stepwells in India and among prime place to visit on a Gujarat trip.

Rani ki Vav was built by Rani Udayamati in the memory of her husband Bhimdev I (1022 - 1063 AD) of Solanki dynasty. The construction started around 1050 AD and was probably completed by Udayamati and Karandev I after the death of her husband. One can find the reference of Udayamati building the monument in the 'Prabandha Chintamani' composed by Merunga Suri in 1304 AD. The vav was later flooded by the nearby Saraswati River and silted over until the late 1980s, when it was excavated by the Archeological Survey of India, with the carvings found in pristine condition. Today, Rani Ki Vav is amongst the best stepwells in India, and one of the most famous legacies of .....

At a distance of 1 km from Rani ki Vav and 5 km from Patan Railway Station, Sahastralinga Talav is a medieval water tank located in Patan, Gujarat. Maintained by Archaeological Survey of India, it is one of the prominent places of heritage in Gujarat and among the top places to visit in Patan.

Sahasralinga Talav, meaning 'lake of a thousand lingams', was built in 1084 by Siddhraj Jaisinh over a lake originally known as Durlabh Sarovar, built by the King of Durlabhray. This tank is situated on the north-western part of Patan, on the banks of the Saraswati River. The water tank, which is now dry, is known to have been cursed by a woman named Jasma Oden, who refused to marry Siddhraj Jaisinh and committed Sati to protect her honor.

The Sahastralinga Talav is pentagonal in shape and marked by a series of mounds showing its shape. The talav is about 1 km broad and spans over an area of about 17 hectares. At its fullest, the talav would have contained about 4,206,500 cubic meters .....

At a distance of 1 km from Rani ki Vav and 3 km from Patan Railway Station, Patan Patola Heritage is a small private museum located in Patan, Gujarat. Situated near Patan City Museum, it is one of its kinds in the world and among the best places to visit in Patan.

Run by the award-winning Salvi family, Patan Patola Heritage Museum came into existence in 2014. Over 3,000 sq. ft of space and three floors, it documents the history of the Patan Patola, a textile that combines techniques of tyeing, dyeing, and weaving. Worn by royals and aristocrats on auspicious occasions, and prized as a holy cloth even in South-east Asia, the Patola finds mention in the 14th century travel accounts of Ibn Batuta, who gifted Patolas to kings. These sarees were also mentioned in the 'Kalpsutra', a 2000-year-old Jain holy book.

This museum is an excellent place to see Patola silk weaving in action as it is the house-cum-studio-workshop of a family of master-weavers called the Salvis. The family .....

At a distance of 2 km from Patan Railway Station, Panchasara Parshwanath Jain Derasar is a Jain Temple situated in Gungdipati Part of Patan city. It is one of the ancient Jain temples in Gujarat and among the top places to visit in Patan.

Panchasara Parshwanath Jain Derasar is one of the largest of more than 100 Jain temples in Patan. Dedicated to Shri Parshwanathji, it was built by King Vanraj Chavda around 746 CE. He brought the moolnayak idol from his native place Panchasara and hence called as Panchasara Parashwanath Bhagwan. Temple was destroyed by the Muslim invaders and again renovated in the course of time. The renovated Jinalaya of the past was made of wood and was rebuilt in stone during the 20th century. There are about 51 smaller temples surrounding the main temple.

Also known as the Jinalaya Vanraj Vihar, Panchasara Parshwanath Temple is adorned with sophisticated stone carvings and white marble floors that are characteristic of Jain architecture. The length of .....

At a distance of 28 km from Mehsana, 35 km from Patan and 100 km from Ahmedabad, Modhera Sun Temple is an ancient Hindu temple located at Modhera village near Patan in Gujarat. Situated on the banks of River Pushpavati, it is one of the popular Sun Temples in India and among the must include places in Patan Tour Packages.

Dedicated to the Sun God, the Sun Temple in Modhera was built by King Bhimdev I of the Solanki dynasty in 1026 AD. This temple not only reflects the architectural abilities of the Solanki rulers it but also, speaks highly of the devotional zeal of the ruling dynasty at that time. As in the Sun Temple at Konark, this temple was also designed that the first rays of the Sun fall on the image of Lord Surya at the time equinoxes. The Temple was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni but still the architectural grandeur does not vanish. At present, no worship is offered here and the temple is a protected monument under Archaeological Survey of India. It was added to the list of UNESCO .....

At a distance of 50 km from Surendranagar, 100 km from Ahmedabad, 238 km from Bhuj and 320 km from Great Rann of Kutch, Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Also known as the Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary, it is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat and among the best places to visit in Kutch.

Spread over an area of 4954 Sq. km, the wildlife sanctuary was established in 1972 and came under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The Wild Ass Sanctuary of the Little Rann of Kutch is the only place on earth where the endangered Indian Wild Ass, known locally as the ghudkhar, still lives. One of the three surviving species of the Wild Ass in the world-the other two being found in Central Asia and in and around Tibet, the Khur is high on the list of endangered species. Known for its speed, the wild ass lives in herds led by stallions and survived by migrating between the grassy 'bets' through the season, in search of food. There .....