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Rajkot
Population : 1.13 million
Area : 69 sq km (district)
Languages : Gujarati, Hindi, & English
Best time to visit : October to March
STD Code : 0281
Rajkot is situated in the Saurashtra region of the western
Indian state of Gujarat.
The climate of Rajkot is generally pleasant. The summer season
extends from March to June with daytime temperature reaching
a high of around 42°C. The monsoons are from July to September.
Winter season sets in during October and extends until February.
In association with cyclonic storms or depressions in the
Arabian Sea in the post-monsoon months, and to a lesser extent
in May and June, Rajkot experiences strong winds and heavy
rain. Thunderstorms occur in June and July. In the cold season
occasional fog occurs. The summer temperature ranges from
24°C to 42°C and winter temperature ranges from 10°C to 24°C.
The average annual rainfall is around 276 mm.
Places of Interest
The Watson Museum and Library, located in the Jubilee
Gardens, commemorated Colonel James Watson, political agent
of Saurashtra from 1886-89. The museum is a good introduction
to Saurashtra's cultural heritage. The entrance is flanked
by two imperial lions. Among the exhibits are copies of artifacts
from Mohanjodaro, 13th-century carvings, temple statues, natural
history exhibits, and dioramas of local tribal costumes and
housing styles. There is a huge marble statue of Queen Victoria
seated on a throne.
Kaba Gandhi No Delo is the house where Mahatma Gandhi
grew up. It now holds a permanent exhibition of Gandhian items.
It is within the old city on Ghee Kanta Road.
The Rajkumar College was established by the British
government as early as in 1870. Built for the education of
the princes of the Indian state, it is still regarded as one
of the best private institutions in the country.
Rashtriya Shala was founded by Mahatma Gandhi and has
a center of patola weaving.
Jagat Mandir is the beautiful carved temple of Shri
Ramakrishna Paramhansa. It is made of red stones.
SITES NEARBY
About 50 km from Rajkot, on the way to Kutch, is the
palace of Wankaner, now converted into a heritage hotel.
The palace was built in 1907 and is a curious Greco-Roman-cum-Gothic-cum-Indo-Scottish
extravagance.
Lal Pan Lake and Randerda are picturesque picnic spots,
around 5 km from Rajkot.
Aji Dam is situated 8 km from Rajkot and supplies the
town with water.
Morvi, an off-track tourist destination, is situated
around 65 km north of Rajkot. There is an interesting swinging
bridge here and it actually shakes, creaks, creaks, and rocks
as one passes through it.
Surendranagar is situated on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad main
route and houses the ancient temple of Ranik Devi.
Tarnetar is around 65 km northeast of Rajkot and hosts
the Tarnetar Fair every year around September at the Trineteshwar
Temple.
Gondal is 39 km south of Rajkot on the River Gondali and
famous for some impressive buildings like the Naulakha Darbargadh
Palace.
WHERE TO STAY
There are good accommodation options available in Rajkot.
Most of the hotels are in the budget to mid-range categories.
Some of the hotels also provide facilities for currency exchange.
HOW TO REACH
By Air
There is an airport in Rajkot and the major domestic airlines
run flights between Rajkot and Mumbai. Indian Airlines has
four flights a week to Mumbai while Jet and Sahara have daily
flights.
By Rail
Regular trains connect Rajkot to other important cities in
Gujarat and India. There are trains for Delhi, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum), Cochin, Coimbatore, and Bhopal from Rajkot.
There is also a meter-gauge service to Veraval.
By Road
The State Transport Corporation runs regular buses to and
from Rajkot to other cities of Gujarat. There are buses for
Jamnagar, Junagarh, Porbandar, Veraval, and Ahmedabad. There
are a number of private bus operators connecting this city
with Mumbai, Bhuj, Bhavnagar, Una, Mt Abu, and Udaipur.
Local Transport
To move around in the city, taxis, auto-rickshaws, and cycle
rickshaws are the best options.
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