Rajkot Travel Guide

Once the capital of the princely state of Saurashtra, Rajkot was founded by Vibhoji, the younger son of Ajoji. It is the town where Mahatma Gandhi spent the early years of his life. The city, also a former British government headquarters, has a number of impressive colonial buildings and educational institutions. It is famous for silver, textiles and a National weaving institute which promotes traditional weaves. The pleasant town is an important industrial area and a religious centre of the Arya Samaj.

It is best known as the town where Mahatma Gandhi spent the early years of his life when his father was a Diwan or Prime Minister to the king of Saurashtra. Today Rajkot is a city vibrant with business activities and one of the major cities of Gujarat.

Places to see in Rajkot :

Kaba Gandhi No Delo
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.

Race Course
Race course has various sports facilities like Olympic standard Indoor Stadium, International quality Cricket ground, Football, Hockey & Volleyball grounds, Gym and swimming pool etc. Because of all these attractions, Race Course is the most common place to be visited by the "Rajkotians". One very interesting fact about Race Course is that it provides an extremely large sitting arrangement of cement benches embedded with the outer border of the ground throughout its periphery, which is rarely seen in any other cities.

Watson Museum and Library
Located in the Jubilee Gardens, the Watson Museum and Library is a memorial dedicated to Colonel James Watson, who was a political agent of Saurashtra from 1886-89. Two imperial lions flank the entrance of the museum. Among the exhibits are copies of artifacts from Mohenjodaro, 13th-century carvings, temple statues, natural history exhibits, and dioramas of local tribal costumes and housing styles.

Alfred School/Mohandas Gandhi Vidyalaya
When Gandhiji's father shifted to Rajkot as Diwan of the local ruler, the young Gandhi was sent to Alfred School in the town, now known as Mohandas Gandhi Vidyalaya. The famous incident of Gandhi not copying the spelling of "kettle", despite his class teacher repeatedly prompting him to do so during the visit of a school inspector, took place here.

Excursions of Rajkot
Five kilometers from Rajkot, is a perfect picnic spot known as Lal Pari Lake and Randerda. The Naulakha Darbagandh Palace famous for its unique architecture is situated forty kilometers from the city in Gondal. About fifty kilometers from the city is the Wankaner palace, which has been turned into a hotel now. Its roman-gothic architecture is very appealing and beautiful. Two-hundred-and-fifty kilometers from the city are Ahmedabad, the capital of the state of Gujarat. 70 KMS from the city, is Jetpur where textile traders from all over the world come into this bustling town for its quality and rates.

Shopping in Rajkot
Rajkot is not yet a major metropolis, but it is has a number of quality malls, where you get all the popular brands. The city has many bazaars exclusively for silverwares and textiles, which are offered at fairly reasonable prices. Make sure to check out the Bandhani sarees, which are made in the city, and are very striking.

Climate
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.

How to get there:

By Air
Indian Airlines connects Rajkot with Bombay and Vayudoot connects Rajkot with Bombay and Kandla. East West Airlines also operate flight from Bombay-Rajkot.

By Rail
Rajkot is a junction on the Western Railway broad gauge line.

By Road
Rajkot to : Bombay 798 km, Ahmedabad 218 km, Junagadh 98 km, Jamnagar 86 km, Dwarka 238 km, Porbandar 178 km, Bhavnagar 165 km, Sasangir 155 km. Bus connect Rajkot to all major cities of state.