Not everyone considers travelling to Gujarat as it´s for sure not the most famous state in India. On one side it´s Good as is not touristic at all, and on the other hand it´s hard to find information about it. That´s why we have decided to tell you all the famous things and the most interesting facts about Gujarat. We have done a trip to the state of Gujarat and discovered many beautiful places, try delicious food and met many nice locals and we recommend you going. To help you plan a trip to Gujarat, here is our “What is Gujarat famous for?” list.
Gujarat travel video
Before we start talking about the famous things in Gujarat, you may enjoy seeing this travel video of Gujarat!
The most famous places to visit in Gujarat
When talking about What is Gujarat famous for? We need to mention their popular places. Believe it or not, in Gujarat you would not just find beautiful unknown places, hidden gems, nature areas and amazing small towns. In Gujarat you will be able to see places that are famous all over the world.
Some of the famous places in Gujarat are temples, statues and natural Parks, these are the most common ones:
1) Born Place of Mahatma Gandhi
Of all these famous places in Gujarat we needed to mention that in this state you will find the born place of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India´s nation. Not just where he was born, but also the places where some of the most important moments in the Indian history happened.
We did a “Gandhi tour” and this is the itinerary you should do to follow the history:
First, visit the Salt Satyagrah memorial at Dandi where he started the march, then visit the Gandhi Ashram and its museum and last of all go to Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.
2) World´s tallest statue in Gujarat
When you think about the tallest statue in the world, you would never say it´s in Gujarat. You may probable think about the Christ redeemer, the Statue of Liberty or even others.
The truth is that one of the most famous things of Gujarat is Sardar Patel statue, which is the highest in the world. The height of the statue is 182 meters and it was made to honor India´s first home minister who united the different states of India into one nation.
If you want to know more about the statue of unity click here.
3) The famous temples of Gujarat
Probably one of the most famous things in Gujarat are its temples. What impressed us the most was that there is a total of more than 4000 temples in Gujarat!! 4167 temples to make it clear.
Of course, some of them are more beautiful than others and it would take you to much time just to visit a 10% of all of them. But there are many temples in Gujarat that are worth the visit: Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar is one of the most popular ones as it´s on the list of biggest temples in India. Our favorites were Swaminarayan Temple of Maninagar located in Ahmedabad and Shree Khodaldham Temple in Kagvad.
4) Home to Asiatic Lions
If you are an animal and nature lover like us, then Gujarat is the state of India you should visit. There are many national parks and in general the whole state is green everywhere you go.
The best thing is that there is a National Park called Gir Forest National park, where you will be able to see wild Asiatic lions, there are over 500 of them. In Gujarat there are also panthers and tigers, which of course are the “common” ones in India. And last of all, if you are lucky you may be able to find endemic animals of Gujarat, like the Indian wild Ass.
Gujarat is famous for what food?
Another thing Gujarat is famous for is its food. As you probably know Indian food is different than the rest of the food in the world. Indian food is known for its spices, for being spicy and more things…and the same happens in Gujarat, but there are more characteristics and dishes that are unique from Gujarat food.
5) Vegetarian food in Gujarat
One of the reasons why Gujarat is famous is their vegetarian food! More than 80% of the people in Gujarat have a vegetarian diet. That is the reason why even if you are not vegetarian or much into the vegetarian diet you wont even realize about it. They are experts and the variety of food is huge. There are many combinations and different dishes in Gujarat so you will not miss the meat at any time.
6) Most famous dishes in Gujarat
Now that you know what type of food is common in Gujarat let´s discover the most famous dishes. First, you should know that in Gujarat they eat a lot of rice and bread (three times per day) so there are different types of each of them. The Parotha is the most common type of bread and it is served in every meal and use to accompany the rest of the food.
Our favorite dish was the Lilva Kachori, it was made of flour and stuffed with any filling of your choice. We guessed it was very common as in every place we visited we had the chance of trying it.
If you are looking for snacks, then their favorite one is the khaman, which is made from lentils and chickpea flour, but the taste is different.
7) Alcohol ban in Gujarat
That´s right, you may be enjoying food of all kinds in Gujarat, but if you are a fan of drinking alcohol you can forget it, as selling alcohol is forbidden in the whole state. Although there are certain places where you can see it, it´s hard to find it.
Famous festivals and traditions in Gujarat
Gujarat is the king of the party in India. Celebrations, festivals and traditions are one of the things Gujarat is famous for all around India and the rest of the world. Gujarati people are proud of their old heritage and their culture and they believe the best way to preserve it is when festive times are coming.
Although the list of popular festivals in Gujarat is huge, as they also celebrate the ones of all India. The Navratri festival is the one is very famous in Gujarat and everyone goes crazy with their typical dances.
8) Gujarat Navratri festivals
Navratri festivals are known in all the country, but the ones in Gujarat are known for being one of the best. This celebration consists on a 10-day celebration and it´s based on the music and dances where they practiced the popular Garba. The Garba is a popular Gujarati dance that celebrates the fertility and honor of the womanhood.
9) International Kite Festival
Another of these Gujarat famous things is the international kite festival celebrated every year in Ahmedabad. It´s popular all over the world, as not just people from India visit it, but from many other countries. Kite fans celebrate this event during a whole week.
Other interesting facts about Gujarat
Although these were some of the things Gujarat is famous for, there are many other interesting facts you should know before planning a trip to Gujarat.
10) People of Gujarat: One of the States in India with more population
One of the things Gujarat is famous for is it´s people. There is about 63 million people living in Gujarat, which by the way is more than in our country (Spain). How crazy is that??
Of course, almost every state in India is full of people, but Gujarat, is one of the states in India with more population. The 9th being more concrete.
The reason why we tell you about the people of Gujarat is because although there are not many tourists, you will still need to wake up for sunrise to visit the famous places of Gujarat if you want to have the picture for yourself. But don´t worry locals are very nice and less annoying than in other places of India.
11) Is Gujarat safe for tourists?
When travelling to India it always happens that we ask ourselves if the place we are visiting is safe to visit, so…Is Gujarat safe for tourists? Yes, if you ask us for Delhi or other cities, we would tell you to be careful, but in Gujarat we felt safe all the time.
Although in the big cities like Ahmedabad, Surat or Rajkot, you can see the poverty, in general Gujarat cities are richer than the average in India.
And just so you can have an idea, Gujarat is famous for being the safest state for women in the whole India.
12) Languages spoken in Gujarat
One of the most amazing facts about Gujarat are the languages that can be found in the state. Although Gujarati is the official language of Gujarat, there are many other languages that are spoken in Gujarat. Gujarati is the 26th language who more people speak in the world.
Other languages spoken in Gujarat are; Hindi and English, which of course these are spoken all over India. The eleven dialects of Gujarati and some other languages from the states that surround Gujarat, like Marwari, Marathi, Urdu and Sindhi. Another important language spoken in Gujarat is the Kachchi.