ZeNLP- Travel Guide –

Gujarat

Destinations for meditation in Gujarat

MURLI MENON

COPYRIGHT © 2020 Murli Menon

Published by:
tips4ceos.com

Printed in India

First Edition
Dedicated to my late father Chakungal Kannanunni Menon
ZeNLP- Travel Guide – Gujarat

Z eNLP

Tranquil Travel Destinations in Gujarat

Destinations for ZeNLP meditation in Gujarat

Murli Menon

Happy reading.

ZeNLP Travel Guide – Gujarat

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 2

What the press says about ZeNLP

ZeNLP shows how success in life can be achieved through meditation
-World News, London

More than 9000 managers have benefited from ZeNLP workshops till
date
-Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)

ZeNLP exercises are simple

-The Capital Post, USA

ZeNLP helps to manage spiritual stress by chanting

-The Pioneer

ZeNLP helps to manage physical stress by clapping

-Gulf News, Dubai

ZeNLP helps to manage mental stress by meditation

-The South Asian Times, USA

ZeNLP helps one to live in harmony with nature - Zee News

ZeNLP helps one to live in the present moment - Yahoo New
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 3

For…
Deepika my wife…
This book is a result of your sacrificing nature. The tremendous
support you have provided me over the years has enabled me to
discover the author in myself. This book is dedicated to your selfless
nature. Your hidden hand is visible in every word of this book and I
would like to accept that this book is as much mine as yours. Writing
this book without your support would have been tough. You have
smoothened my path by managing everything single- handedly during
my long absence from home. Not to speak of your soothing presence
that motivates me to work longer and harder.

Thanks for those endless cups of fresh ginger and tulsi herbal infusion
that kept me active and for your innovative zero stress vegan cooking
which increased my effectiveness and efficiency. Thanks for not
watching television. Thanks for not going to watch movies. Just
because you couldn’t do these without me and I couldn’t accompany
you, as I was busy travelling. Thanks for not buying milk and willingly
following my vegan diet. Words are insufficient to communicate my
gratitude for packing my bags and thoughtfully including everything
I needed in the remotest corners of this planet. Thanks for paying the
bills during my absence from home. Thanks a ton, chotu, for being my
pillar of strength during our initial turbulent days at Bengaluru.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 4

Table of Contents

Preface……………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... 18
1.Introduction to ZeNLP ............................................................................... 23
2.Introduction to eco-friendly travel ........................................................... 29
3.Benefits of ZeNLP meditation ................................................................... 36
4.Drive to Mansarovar Lake in Sayla ........................................................... 40
5.Trekking to Jamjir Waterfalls in Gir........................................................... 48
6.Trekking to Mahakali temple in Wankaner............................................... 54
7. Gir – Home of the Asiatic Lion and African Tribes ................................... 63
8. Mangrove Cruise in Jhakhau .................................................................... 67
9. Bird Watching at Nalsarovar .................................................................... 71
10. Modhera – Poetry in Molten Gold ......................................................... 75
11. Dwarka – India’s Westernmost Tip ........................................................ 79
12. Exploring “rani ni vav” stepwell at Patan ............................................... 82
13. Exploring the Silver desert of Kutch ....................................................... 88
14.Exploring Poshina Hills near Ambaji………………………………………………….….95
15. About the Author……………………………………………………………………………..101
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 5

• Welcome to the land of Dwarkadheesh

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 6

• Welcome to the land of Chamunda Mataji

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 7

• Welcome to the land of Somnath Mahadev

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 8

Preface

This book is a result of fifteen years of painstaking work and repeated

journeys to some of the most interior and inaccessible areas in India.
We undertook these pilgrimages, as we wanted to discover hidden
pockets of tranquillity, where one could relax to the tune of nature.
We were guided to all destinations featured in this book by hidden
meaningful coincidences, which enabled us to meet the right person at
the right time. I would like to recount my personal experience which
has transformed my life.

On January 1st'1995, I had one of the most traumatic experiences of

my 28 years of existence on planet earth. I was returning home after a
New Year's party at Jayanagar in Bengaluru, when I had a head-on
collision with a truck. I was wearing a helmet, yet had a serious head
injury, which resulted in organic damage to the right fronto-parietal
lobe of my brain. This haemoharrage prevented blood flow to my right
brain resulting in complete paralysis of the left side of my body.
Doctors at Manipal Hospital were brave enough to declare me a
vegetable for life, as blood flow to my right brain had been obstructed
for eight hours and I went into coma. The subsequent surgical
interventions meant total dependency on powerful anti-epileptic
drugs for the rest of my life!
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 9

After about a week of drifting in and out of coma, I regained

consciousness. However, the left side of my body continued to be dead
weights. Slowly but surely, I recovered from paralysis by combining
Zen meditation with NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). I was
regularly practicing meditation and creative visualisation before my
accident. I knew that mind power could cure any disease including
amnesia, epilepsy and paralysis. By practicing ZeNLP, I regained back
my health in a short span of three months. I decided that as I had been
given a new life, I would dedicate it to the cause of environment
protection. I made a list of goals and put them in writing.

On the first anniversary of my accident, I decided to spend the New

Year's Eve at a forest resort, which is an eight-hour drive from
Bengaluru. The Bilagiri Rangan Hills or B.R. Hills is a reserved forest,
which is approximately 300 km. south of Bengaluru. On 30th
December'1995, I took the KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport
Corporation) bus to B.R. Hills and arrived there at around 8 p.m.
Early morning, I decided to trek around my guest-house, when I found
a group of tourists proceeding into the forests for sightseeing. One of
the passengers of the jeep happened to be my student and he asked me
to join them in their safari.

Unknown forces were propelling me into an adventure, which would

last a lifetime. I hopped on to their vehicle and found myself in lush
deciduous forests. The tourists were trying their best to spot elephant
tracks but could only spot a few stray deer and solitary wild boar. After
about an hour of wandering aimlessly, we came across a clear
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 10

mountain stream and a few secluded caves. Our vehicle stopped here
abruptly and though the driver tried his best, it wouldn't start. The
engine spluttered and stopped and refused to start.

I stepped down from the vehicle and made my way down the spiral
steps leading to the stream. I quenched my thirst and was waiting for
the others to join me when I was I saw a series of tridents arranged in
concentric rows on the banks of this mountain stream. Curious to
discover more, I bare- footedly stepped through the icy cold water and
crossed to the secluded caves when I was blinded by a brilliant flash of
light. Followed by this explosion, I found myself as light as a helium
balloon and felt ecstatic. I was overcome by waves of euphoria and
found a tingling sensation emanating from the bottom of my spine
and moving upwards towards my brain. It was as if each and every cell
of my body was vibrating with a renewed energy. I could feel waves of
energy arising from my spine and flowing into my brain. The
experience was so pleasurable and intense that I wanted it to continue
forever. I could feel each and every cell of my body tingling with a
consciousness I had never felt before. Waves upon waves of
pleasurable sensations were breaking upon my body as if each and
every cell was experiencing cosmic bliss.

I stood transfixed in front of the tridents and Shivalingams under the

centuries old Champaka tree at the Dodda Sampige forests inside B.R.
Hills. Minutes passed into hours as I experienced cosmic
consciousness or kundalini shakti as it is termed in Vedic scriptures. I
could feel circuits in my brain, getting activated. Circuits, I never knew
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 11

existed in the first place. After about an hour of experiencing this

cosmic energy, I made my way up to the vehicle, which started as
mysteriously as it had stopped, as soon as I entered.

It would be an understatement to say that kundalini awakening has

changed my life. The literal translation of the word " kundalini" is as
follows. Kundalini is a combination of kunda which means coiled and
lini meaning energy. Kundalini is symbolised as a serpent coiled up
three and a half times and residing at the base of the spine. This is the
dormant phase of kundalini.

When kundalini is awakened it moves through the seven chakras

represented in the gross human body as muladhara, (spine)
swadisthana (pelvis), manipura (navel), anahata (heart), visshudha
(throat), ajnya (forehead) and sahasra (crown). When the energy
liberated from the coccyx traverses these seven chakras and strikes the
pineal gland situated in the brain, kundalini or cosmic consciousness
is awakened.

I started experiencing physical, psychological and spiritual benefits of

kundalini. The first was my ability to be energetic and active. I became
a source of boundless physical energy. My weight became steady. I
started losing weight spontaneously and reached the ideal body weight
(66 kg.) needed for my height (5feet 8 inches) and continue to do so
since 1996. My hair loss stopped in 1996 and greying of hair got
reversed. Today, at 54, I have thick, dark hair. My skin became more
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 12

radiant and youthful. A calm and serene look, congruence of body

movement, soft pace of speaking and a sense of peace when alone are
some of the major behavioural changes that I experienced. I developed
a good memory, improved my concentration and reading speed. I
started to write compulsively and have published wenty books in the
last 25 years. Most of my articles, just flow out of my pen. Almost all
my writing is spontaneous. Sometimes, I feel that the cosmos is
expressing itself through my pen and immunity building workshops!

After smoking 20 cigarettes a day for five years, I quit smoking

spontaneously from 1st January'1996. I also quit alcohol permanently
though I was a moderate alcoholic. By 1st January'1997, I had changed
my diet drastically. Gradually, I quit eating fish, meat, eggs, milk and
all milk products. From 1st January'1998, I effortlessly became a strict
vegan, quit taking all allopathic drugs and substituted all chemical
based toiletries with natural ones. From that unforgettable day in
1996, I have not knowingly eaten fish, meat, eggs, milk or any milk
product or any product of animal origin. I stopped using silk, leather
and honey and am allergic to all animal products!

From 1st January'1996, I started conducting ZeNLP workshops for

large corporates and in the last fifteen years have addressed more than
9000 managers on methods to awaken cosmic consciousness.
Individuals who have attended my talks include India's first and only
astronaut among numerous others. I haven't watched a single movie
in the last 25 years, watch little or no television but devote my day to
meditation, prayer and exercise. I have visited some of the most
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 13

naturally beautiful places in India and have meditated on the banks of

the Saraswati, Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganga, Narmada, Kaveri and
Godavari. My book launches have taken me to the equatorial
rainforests of Malaysia to Pangong Tso Lake in Leh to Fatrade beach
at Goa to Chandipur on Sea. I have trekked all alone to Om Parvat in
Kumaon and to several Himalayan peaks in Nepal and Ladakh.
Meditating at all these destinations was a divine experience. In the last
fifteen years, I have not had a single epileptic attack due to my immense
faith in the power of the human mind. I get prophetic dreams about
earthquakes, tsunamis and floods far before they actually occur.

I started reciting the gayatri mantra, which I barely knew before my

kundalini experience. I also discovered that I could read palms of
complete strangers with surprising accuracy about their past and have
correctly foretold the future of several acquaintances, over a fifteen-
year period. I also discovered that I had been blessed with the gift of
healing and have cured several cases of paralysis and other psycho-
somatic diseases till date. I conduct free healing camps for patients and
my success rate at healing is miraculous. I have lost interest in material
things and spend my time in research on cosmic consciousness.

This book is a collection of travel stories with a loose common thread

that binds chapters which seem unconnected. However, one finds a
mysterious force which guides you to discover the hidden connections
between the various chapters and awakens your intuitive powers to
give you a holistic view of the sequence of activities needed to be
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 14

coordinated to visit the tranquil travel destinations in Gujarat featured

in this book.

I have visited and meditated at each and every destination featured in

this book between the years 1995 and 2020. On New Year’s night in
1995, I had a head- on collision with a truck while returning home
from a new year party hosted by a few of my students at Mount
Carmel Institute of Management, Bengaluru, where I was a visiting
faculty for Product Management. Though I was wearing a helmet, I
slipped into coma and the left side of my body became paralyzed due
to permanent organic damage to the front temporal lobe of my brain.
I was declared a vegetable and epileptic by medical professionals.
However, I was trained in NLP (Neuro- Linguistic Programming) and
was practicing zen meditation before my accident. Combining NLP
with zen, I orchestrated my recovery through creative visualization,
auto-suggestion, meditation, prayer and exercise. I set 20 impossible
goals to harness the infinite power of the mind.

Some of my goals I visualized while lying supine in the hospital bed

included

• To trek barefoot to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet from India (I

have achieved this goal twice)

• To dive at one of the world’s most beautiful diving spots

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 15

• To stay inside the world’s most beautiful desert

• To enjoy a journey in the engine of a train

• To fly in the cockpit of a plane

• To travel on a cruise liner

• To visit a mine

• To visit and stay with the most primitive tribes in the world

• To visit and stay at the world’s most beautiful lakes, rivers and
beaches

• To stay in a secluded island on my own

• To visit the largest trees in the world

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 16

I put these goals down in writing and have achieved most of the goals
I envisaged in the last 25 years, effortlessly. I have also documented my
travels on our website tips4ceos.com besides authoring 20 books and
getting numerous travelogues published in Indian and international
travel magazines. In the last 25 years, I have authored twenty
internationally selling books on ZeNLP.

I have travelled to all these destinations without using leather, wool,

silk, fur or feathers! I have eaten only fruits, vegetables, boiled
vegetables, roasted potatoes, dried fruits, seeds, nuts, grains and pulses
during my travels. I eat only one meal a day as I avoid eating all solid
foods after sunset as eating in the absence of sunlight puts a
tremendous amount of stress on the digestive system.

However, I have achieved most of my goals set in 1995, while lying

supine on a hospital bed at Bengaluru! When one puts one’s goals in
writing, follows a vegan diet, and when one avoids all products of
animal origin and follows the principles of ZeNLP meditation,
creative visualization, auto-suggestion and chanting, powerful
meaningful coincidences are created, which propel one to reach one’s
goals effortlessly. This is the secret of my visit to these tranquil
destinations in India, Tibet, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and
Indonesia. Meditating on the banks of “The Holy Mansarovar Lake”
in Tibet was a highly spiritual experience, so was the trek around
Mount Kailash. Swimming in the placid waters of the translucent
volcanic lake on the Cambodia-Vietnam border, river rafting down
the Kinabatangan River in Borneo, visiting the long necked kayan
tribe on the Thai-Burma border and spending a week at a secluded
island off the coast of Phuket, diving in the world’s most beautiful
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 17

diving spots at Koi Noi island are but a few of my experiences which
have been published in travel magazines across the globe! Inner life can
surely change outward events and whatever the mind can conceive and
believe it can achieve.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 18

Acknowledgements

This book is a result of the combined knowledge gained from

unknown people living in inaccessible villages in the most interior
parts of India. A few of these places are Baldes, Dah and Beama in
Jammu and Kashmir, Bangriposhi, Upper Barakamuda, Jenabil and
Jamnagad in Odisha, Sareikalla in Jharkhand, Kutti, Jollingkong,
Nabhidang, Napalchu, Bundi, Gunji, Kalapani and Garbhiang in
Uttaranchal, Rae Bareli and Mankapur in Uttar Pradesh, Karripode,
Quilandy and Kollengode in Kerala, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in
West Bengal, Gangtok and Peling in Sikkim, Nimbut in Maharashtra,
Umalla in Gujarat, Barog in Himachal Pradesh, Barnala in Punjab,
Kalka in Haryana, Chittorgarh in Rajasthan and Bilagiri Rangan Betta
in Karnataka among numerous others.

Ms. Deeksha Sagar of "The Written Word Publishers" is the catalyst

who had the confidence to publish this book based on her gut feeling.
I would like to acknowledge his great contribution in giving shape to
this volume of work. I also appreciate the efforts of my production
team and editors.

I would like to acknowledge the silent motivation provided by the

following friends from the hotel industry in Thailand, namely Lisa Sol,
Suda Huangthanapan, Kanokrat Petchpornprapas, Cheryl Treleaven,
Deepak Ohri, Tharawuth Chuemuangphan, Hans Spoerri, Holger
Gronninger, Peter Schnyder, David Holden, Marion Walsh, Ivan
Casadevall, Marco A. Saxer and Franck de Lestapis. A large part of this
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 19

manuscript was written in hotels I stayed at in Thailand, Malaysia,

Cambodia and Tibet in between 2004 and 2009.

The press has been kind to me. Their continued support over the years
has contributed to ZeNLP becoming a brand name. I would like to
express my gratitude to Amy Fernandes and Sugatha Menon at Jade
magazine, Mumbai, Hiren Bose at “By The Way” magazine, Kalidas
and Dilip Bobb at India Today, Divesh Nath and Paresh Nath at Delhi
Press, Ziya Us Salaam and Sangeeta Barooah at Hindu Metro Plus,
New Delhi, Shreekumar Varma and Sharada Prahladrao (book
reviewers at Deccan Herald) among numerous others. Among the
press, Sachidananda Murthy, K. G. Suresh and Sachin Gogoi deserve
a special mention.

Many thanks to Janvi Soni at New Delhi, Snehal Khairnar at Mumbai

and Khadija Kolsawala at Dahod for editing, proofreading and
suggesting improvements to this travel storytelling book.

My clients have reposed faith in tips4ceos.com and our training

abilities and are partners in my success. I would like to acknowledge
the contribution of Imon Ghosh at Academy of HRD, Ahmedabad,
Laxmi Radhakrishnan at Madras Dyslexia Association, Sanjay Bapat
at indianngos.com , Hans Henrik Lichtenberg from Denmark, Rahul
Shingavi from Pune, Pervez Akhtar from ICRA, Namitha Asthana
from New Delhi, Indrani Sharma from ashoka.org,
Venkataramaniah at materialistspiritualist.org, Anup
Tarafdar at ebeamsolution.com S. Ramaswamy at Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Ltd., N. Palai at teamodisha.org, Tushar
Sharma at card.org.in, Arvind Bhate at migindia.biz, Lawrence Polsky
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 20

(New York) at peoplenrg.com, Chhedi Lal Gupta from Gwalior,

Shailesh Mule at fotocorp.com, Rohit Saxena at adrindia.org and
Praveen Puri at Skyline College, New Delhi. Thanks to all of you for
helping tips4ceos.com sustain its cutting edge, since 1995.

Anjana Maheshwari and Ashok Gulani of Indian Airlines Ltd. have

been particularly helpful. Thanks for motivating this vagabond. Also,
Satish Khanduri and D. S. Negi at GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas
Nigam), Dehradun has helped me during my travels in Garhwal. Raju
Ankleshwaria at Ultratech Cement, Ahmedabad, deserves a special
mention among our clients.

I have also learnt from the combined experience of all 9000

participants who have attended our ZeNLP storytelling workshops
since 1995. Thanks for your active participation.

The Government has been extremely co-operative, especially during

my visits to small unelectrified villages. The officials who have gone
out of the way to assist me include N. N. Prasad and Tara Kendra
Vaishnav in Uttaranchal, Satish Nehru in Leh, Gopinath Mohanty
and Dev Kumar Singh in Odisha, and Najamus Saqib in Jammu and
Kashmir.

A very special note of thanks to Mr. Suresh Chandra Mohanty,

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Govt. of Odisha) and Mr. S.
K. Nanda (Principal Secretary – Forests and Environment, Govt. of
Gujarat) for their support.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 21

Above all, I am indebted to my mother Sowbhagyawati Menon and

late father Kannanunni Menon, who have given me the freedom to
explore the unknown. My late father-in-law Dr. Gangadhar Sahu, late
mother-in-law Ashalata Sahu, sisters-in-law Ashima, Lipika and
Neelima have made my extended stay at Bhubaneshwar as comfortable
as possible. Thanks for bearing with my tantrums!

Though a lot of inputs from innumerable sources have gone into this
book, if any unacknowledged sources are brought to our notice, they
will be incorporated into future editions of this book. I humbly
acknowledge that all the good things in this book are lessons I have
learnt from my varied experiences. However, all shortcomings, errors
and mistakes in this book are solely mine. I take full responsibility for
all mistakes that have crept into this manuscript and have escaped my
attention.

I humbly acknowledge the hidden spiritual guidance provided to me

by Shirdi Sai Baba, who guided me through all my journeys and Mata
Vaishno Devi who protected me in all moments of danger. The
photograph of Lord Shanidev from Budhigere has accompanied me at
all times during all my journeys. This book is a direct result of the
divine protection offered to me by the gayatri mantra, which I have
been mentally chanting since the last 25 years.

Among the rivers, I am Ganga,

Among the mountains I am Meru
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 22

Among the vasus I am Agni

Among the mantras I am Gayatri
Among the words I am Om”

Lord Krishna in the Holy Bhagavad Geeta

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 23

1. Introduction to ZeNLP

ZeNLP is combination of Zen plus NLP. The history of the word Zen
is interesting. Zen means meditation or improvement. The word
dhyana means meditation in Sanskrit and dhyana yoga (yoga through
the path of meditation) is a part of the Holy Geeta. Zen was rooted in
China by Bodhidharma who came from India in the sixth century and
later carried forward to Japan by the 12th century. Dhyana was
mispronounced by Chinese monks as ch'an, due to their in- ability to
pronounce the Sanskrit word dha. Ch'an became zh'an in Japan, as the
Japanese mispronounced cha as zha. The modern word Zen is a
descendant of the 12th century Japanese word Zh'an which meant
meditation. Thus in ZeNLP, Zen is derived from dhyana. Thus,
ZeNLP has its roots in the Holy Geeta, which itself is Lord Krishna's
commentary on the Vedas.

ZeNLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming with a touch of meditation

is the new technology of achievement. The origins of ZeNLP can be
traced back to the Rig Veda - one of India's ancient texts. Taking
advantage of the giant strides made in the fields of computer
technology, automated translation and digital cameras, our ancient
texts have become the focus of in-depth research by western scientists,
who are rediscovering most of their discoveries, in our ancient
scriptures. PNI (Psycho-Neuro Immunology) which is one of the
most recent discoveries in the fields of psychotherapy and
immunology, has been discussed in intricate detail in Charaka Samhita
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 24

Similarly NLP has been practised by our " rishis" since Vedic times and
several Vedic shlokas talk about the "Mind-Body" connection. But
Western scientists have done a good job of restructuring our ancient
texts into "acronyms" like PNI (Psycho-Neuro Immunology) and
DHE (Designer Human Engineering).

In NLP, neuro is derived from nerves, which represents behaviour.

Linguistic is derived from language, which means structure and
Programming is borrowed from computers, which means creating
change. Thus, ZeNLP creates structured behavioural changes in your
attitude. ZeNLP improves conceptual skills, analytical ability and
stress management skills of teams, with a focus on body language and
communicating with the unconscious.

NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) was created by

psychotherapist John Grinder, mathematician and psychologist
Richard Bandler in association with Dr. Erikson, a leading
hypnotherapist. Bandler and Grinder have since split and are
separately teaching their own versions of NLP to their respective
students. NLP originated in the research labs of the University of
California at Santa Cruz, and evolved as late as the 1990’s. ZeNLP was
invented by us in 1995.

The computer was modelled on the human brain by its inventor

Charles Babbage. The human brain is the most powerful
supercomputer in the world, notwithstanding Gary Kasparov's much
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 25

publicised loss to IBM's Chess-playing computer Deep Blue. The

human brain is a powerful supercomputer. Supercomputers can be
programmed by software programs. So, applying deductive logic, the
human brain too can be programmed using software! ZeNLP is this
software. Software for relaxing the body, mind and soul!

As Patanjali's Yoga Sutra elaborates, “The Mind and Body are parts of
the same system". Hence, far reaching changes can be brought about
in human behaviour, by upgrading our mental software. These
changes are permanent and can be brought about by ZeNLP exercises
lasting no more than two minutes! I have come across several cases of
men and women with phobias, who have overcome their fears, after a
few, simple ZeNLP sessions. Just as today's Dual Core laptops are
more powerful than the gigantic computers of the yesteryears,
similarly, a few hours of ZeNLP therapy can cure severe phobias,
which conventional psychotherapists used to take months to cure, in
the past. Speaking from experience, I myself overcame paralysis,
without any effect or defect, by practicing ZeNLP therapy.

ZeNLP can be put to use in a variety of diverse corporate and

individual environments, but it is most commonly used for stress
management, healing, goal-setting, goal achievement,
communication, motivation and team-building. How can managers
benefit from ZeNLP? ZeNLP meditation techniques develop the fine
art of aligning your energy in tune with the universal energy. This
reduces stress levels as managers begin to be guided by the infinite
intelligence within them. ZeNLP meditation and tribal music for
relaxation help them to be calm while making crucial business
decisions. ZeNLP improves immunity through meditation.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 26

ZeNLP researchers have discovered that people have three basic

methods of perceiving the world based on their unconscious mental
maps, namely visual, auditory and kinesthetic. All of us have one of
these preferred mental maps in our unconscious. The important point
about these mental maps is that these modes are the preferred modes
of thinking! A Visual employee is most comfortable when you show
him colourful brochures. It is his most natural way of understanding
the world. Employees get de- stressed faster when communicated to,
in their preferred mode.

ZeNLP researchers believe that each one of us is a Visual, Auditory or

Kinesthetic based on our preferred mental map. In India, 35 per cent
of us are visuals, 35 per cent are auditories, and the rest of us are
kinesthetics. You can take your mind map test by visiting our website:

http://www.tips4ceos.com/mind/map.php

An in-depth analysis conducted after collecting filled questionnaires

from 9000 participants at our workshops, reveals that individuals are
partial to one of the three senses, when given a choice!

These ratios differ from country to country. For example, the French
are predominantly auditories; Russians are predominantly kinesthetics
while Americans are predominantly visual. ZeNLP techniques help to
build trust. Once trust is built, stress levels will reduce. The stress
management techniques are based on your unconscious mental maps.
ZeNLP research indicates that visuals respond to colour therapy, fire
music and creative visualisation exercises. Similarly, auditories respond
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 27

to music therapy, auto- suggestion and water music. Kinesthetics

respond to massage therapy, clapping therapy and earth music. These
relaxation techniques program their unconscious mind and help them
manage stress more effectively.

Other ZeNLP techniques to reduce stress include Movie Music, Ring

of Excellence, Listening, Garden Meditation, Empathising, Mirroring,
Anchoring, Stealing Anchors; Paraphrase listening, Pacing,
Metaphors, Zen stories and Reframing. Thus, ZeNLP can be used to
program your employees to get relaxed faster. It is all a matter of using
the appropriate programming technique to elicit the desired outcome.
The mind is the laboratory, where ZeNLP experiments are carried out.
Upgrading your software is as easy as changing your thoughts, in the
way the brain codes experiences. ZeNLP shows you this way. Visuals
should meditate at Fire destinations, auditories at water destinations
and kinesthetics at earth destinations. For example, Modhera is a fire
destination, Sayla is a water destination and Gir is an earth destination,
in this travelogue.

I have meditated at all the tranquil destinations featured in this book

and found these places vibrant with primordial energy! Needless to
say, one has to follow a strict vegan diet, respect the environment and
avoid all animal products to benefit from ZeNLP meditation! ZeNLP
meditation involves meditating at destinations which are high in
cosmic energy. The energy inside the “Great Rann of Kutch” in
Gujarat is the energy of Fire, the energy at the Holy Mansarovar and
Ganges is the energy of Water. The energy inside the thick sacred
groves of the Mankadia tribals inside the core area of the Simplipal
Tiger reserve in Odisha is the energy of Earth. As per ZeNLP, Visuals
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 28

should meditate at Fire destinations, Auditories at Water destinations

and Kinesthetics at Earth destinations, to align your energy with the
cosmic energy and experience complete tranquilness, inner peace,
serenity, calmness and discover the connection between the
microcosm and macrocosm. All these destinations with high
resolution colour photographs are hosted at our website
tips4ceos.com. Interested readers can register for a free 30-day trial of
tips4ceos.com by pointing your browser to tips4ceos.com
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 29

2. Introduction to eco-friendly travel

You are taken to the banks of a river, on a Saturday morning, inside an

evergreen forest after a one-hour trek with experienced tourist guides.
A small boat with a pilot waits for you on the banks of the river. The
group of tourists, armed with a small rug sack containing clothes and
toiletries, are requested to board the motor-boat for a cruise along the
river. After a 30-minute cruise, the boat crosses the crocodile infested
waters to reach the bottom of a small uninhabited, river island. The
boat returns to the other side, with the guide. The tourists are left
alone.

Each tourist is given a small booklet with the following instructions.

Thank you, for opting for tips4ceos.com eco-tourism weekend.

Please read the instructions carefully.

1. The boat will return to pick you up on Monday morning. You

are on your own for the next 48 hours.

2. 2 km. uphill, there are a few uninhabited log-cabins with basic

facilities for staying the night.

3. Behind the giant neem tree under which you are standing is one
red ruck-sack per tourist containing the following items:

a. One torch
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 30

b. One pen-knife

c. One compass

d. One book titled “Edible plants and fruits of this forest”

e. One Match-box

f. One Mirror

g. One raincoat per person

h. One overcoat per person

i. One First aid kit

j. One diary

k. One pencil

l. Five litres of Water per person

m. One gas lighter

n. One pair of scissors

All these items are packed in bio-degradable containers but the items
will have to be returned to us for use by the next group.

Your objective is to trek up to the log-cabin situated two kilometres

away from the tree and spend the weekend living off the land. Strict
veganism is in force at the tips4ceos.com Jungle Survival Exercise and
hurting of animals, birds or insects is a crime. Consumption of alcohol
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 31

or smoking or consumption of any product of animal origin is

prohibited. There are inhabited tribal settlements, within three
kilometres of your log-cabin. You may encounter wild boars,
monkeys, rabbits, deer and stags during your stay at the log cabin. All
cooking will have to be done outdoors, using fallen twigs only. Tree-
felling is an offence. A list of the edible fruits and vegetables and
medicinal herbs found here are illustrated in the book “Edible plants
and fruits of this forest” with life-size colour photographs

Edible fruits of the forest:

Tribal name (common name) Therapeutic use
Akko (Wild banana) Constipation

Amo (Mango) Digestive

Rajkudi (Wild fruit) Anti-ulcerant
Ano (Jack-fruit) Antacid
Sijali (Leaf plate fruit) Immuno-stimulant
Ago (Wild lemon) Aphrodisiac
Demur (Red lemon) Tonic

Jambira (Giant Yellow Lemon) (Improves kidney function)

Kankheeda (Wild Cucumber) Digestive

Halu (Sweet Potatoes) Digestive
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 32

Tribal Herbal Medicines list

Tribal Name -Therapeutic use
Patal Garud - Anti-mosquito

Ganga Shivli Malaria,(preventive)

Karanji - Itches

Imli - Scratches

Naifal - Antibiotic

Karela - Antibiotic

Ramkedar - Cold

Ghodabacha - Acidity

Bhuinimbh-- Malaria (cure)

Bisalyakarani -Blood poisoning

Dudura - Antibiotic

Neem - Antibiotic

There are no poisonous snakes or plants on this island. Do not swim

in the river, as there are a few stray crocodiles. The waters of the
mountain streams are crystal-clear, rich in natural minerals and is safe
to drink. In the event of emergencies, there is a satellite phone at the
log-cabin, which will work for 15 minutes.

The solar battery will automatically discharge after that. There is no

electricity in your cabin.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 33

Team-members are requested to stick together throughout these two

days. Every group is accompanied by a survival expert in the guise of a
fellow tourist, whose identity is not disclosed to the group of tourists.

This is a “Jungle Survival Exercise”; we plan to take our foreign clients

through. The Simlipal forests on the border between Odisha,
Jharkhand and West Bengal is foliage in green, thickly populated by
about ten million sal (shorea robusta) trees. The tips4ceos.com
weekend will be used for improving team-work among participants.
Having visited these forests and having implemented the guidelines of
ecological tourism and having lived with the Mongoloid and Negroid
tribes for a long duration, one can summarise the benefits of
promoting eco-tourism in India.

The infrastructure needed for organizing these eco-tourism treks is

minimal. There are several ecotourism destinations in India, be it Leh,
Kumaon, Simlipal or Kutch. As the objectives of eco-tourism is to
provide the tourists with a close experience of nature, in remote
locations through treks, it promotes employment to local youth, who
can be employed as tourist guides. There is word of mouth publicity
as the tourists who enjoy the unique experience, recommend friends
from their countries to visit. Some of the opportunities one has
identified in India for Non- Resident Indians and foreign tourists as
eco-tourism destinations are:
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 34

1. Fifteen-day trek from Mangti in the Kumaon Himalayas, to

Nabhidang on the Indo-Tibet border along the banks of the Kaliganga
River.

2. One-day trek from Leh to Nimu along the banks of the Indus

3. Two-day trek from Panamik to Diskit in Ladakh

4. One-day trek alongside Pangong-Tso Lake in Leh

5. Seven day trek through the Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha

6. One-day trek to Lobang-Tso Lake in Ladakh.

7. One week stay inside the white sand desert of Kutch

These destinations are in secluded corners of India, where one can

unwind in a stress free environment, enjoying the bounties of nature.
Living on date-juice, roasted sweet potatoes, cooking under starlit skies
in an outdoor campfire and sipping endless cups of lemongrass
infusion on cold wintry nights in a barren landscape. Every moment
spent during an ecotourism trek is meditation in the truest sense. And
India is the home of some of the most tranquil eco-tourism and stress
management destinations known to man.

Most of the travel feature articles that follow have already been
published in Indian and foreign travel magazines. Magazines which
have published our travel features, include Hindu Business Line,
Hindu Metro Plus, Alive, Women’s Era, Jade, India Today (Tourism
Special), “By The Way” , Business and Political Observer, Tourism
Asean (Singapore), Indian Weekly (Melbourne), South Asian Times
(New York) and Power Politics among others. For those interested in
reading the original articles as it appeared in the magazines and
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 35

newspapers listed here, can visit our website tips4ceos.com and access
our travel section. First time visitors will need to register in order to get
a free 30 day trial password. Point your browser to tips4ceos.com
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 36

3. Benefits of ZeNLP meditation

A tribal told me how he watched an ant carrying a piece of straw that

seemed a big burden for it. The ant came to a crack in the earth that
was too wide for it to cross. It stood for a time as though pondering
the situation then put the straw across the crack and walked upon it.

There is a great truth hidden behind this simple story. A burden can
be made a bridge for progress. This book is an experiential guide. After
having benefited through trance meditation, vegan diet, gayatri
mantra, chanting and creative visualisation, I began sharing my
knowledge with others. I started conducting ZeNLP workshops at
Bengaluru in 1995. By word of mouth, awareness about our
workshops started increasing and large corporates started getting
attracted to ZeNLP. Over the last 25 years, we have managed to touch
9000 lives. Our first book, ZeNLP-the power to succeed was launched
in June’2004 and got us rave reviews. The ZeNLP community is
slowly but steadily increasing. We continue to conduct ZeNLP
workshops for stress management, goal setting and achievement,
immunity building and spiritual empowerment. Our workshops last
from two days to seven days and are targeted at corporates, housewives,
students, public service officers and anybody else who is under stress
or is overweight. We also conduct introductory sessions on ZeNLP,
which last for two hours. We also conduct free workshops for teachers,
students, elderly, patients, children with dyslexia, spastics, and
handicapped and for all those who cannot afford our professional
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 37

speaking fee. Let us understand the benefits of attending our ZeNLP

based stress management workshops to connect to cosmic
consciousness.

Middle to senior level managers who are leading teams comprising of

highly skilled employees will particularly benefit from ZeNLP based
workshops. Project managers, software engineers, call centre heads and
management trainees will gain cutting edge knowledge in managing
and motivating teams. Managers in Public Sector Units will find
ZeNLP particularly beneficial for motivating subordinates through
team-work exercises. CEO's, directors, public service officers and
entrepreneurs will benefit most from tribal meditation and ZeNLP
trance forming workshops for stress management.

This international level training session is customised to hit the soft

spots in your Training Calendar. It seeks to give top achievers the extra
edge they need for quick success. ZeNLP workshops work on
hardwiring your stress management skills and generating results.
Vibrant talks will be peppered with colourful presentations, live action
simulation exercises, role playing, group meditation, trance music,
travel Storytelling and immunity building exercises.

The objective of our workshops is to upgrade the conceptual skills,

analytical abilities and strategising skills of participants with a focus on
multiplying their mind power manifold to achieve personal and
organisational goals.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 38

Various meditation techniques including ZeNLP trance meditation,

tree plantation meditation and tribal meditation will be demonstrated
at this workshop. Participants will receive mp3 music files with tribal
trance music, mantras for managing stress and trance forming guided
meditation in addition to two training manuals and instructions for
internalising ZeNLP techniques learnt at workshop.

Our ZeNLP based stress management workshop will last for a

duration of two days. The workshop will start at 9:00 a.m. sharp and
end at 6:00 p.m. on both days. Participants will be served special herbal
infusion and ZeNLP vegan diet also known as High Power Diet or
Zero Stress Diet throughout the duration of the workshop. Tailor
made workshops are also offered for clients with specific training
needs. We prefer to hold our workshops over weekends at Bell Guest
House, Sayla in Gujarat and Bagheeras Camp, Jawai in Rajasthan.

Importance of goal setting in personal as well as professional life will

be highlighted through psycho-drama which means participants will
have a faster career growth and promotions which will directly
contribute to organizational growth. Implementation of simple
exercises at shop-floor level by participants will improve rapport and
trust between employees at all levels leading to lower absenteeism and
increased productivity for your organization

Effective stress management through tribal meditation will increase

efficiency at the workplace. Healthy ZeNLP diet will result in lowering
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 39

of cholesterol levels, boost immunity, increase anti-oxidants and

reduce free radicles, thus lowering healthcare related expenses of
participants, leading to cost savings and increase in profitability. Tree
plantation during workshop inculcates environment consciousness
among participants leading to enhanced self-image and a sense of social
responsibility.

Spouses of participants attend on the second day, leading to harmony

in family life and reducing conflicts between family and career goals.
These benefits can be multiplied manifold by conducting workshops
down the line and enabling employees to adapt to the dynamically
changing environment due to globalization. ZeNLP attempts to
improve SQ (Spiritual Quotient) of participants. Managers with
higher SQ scores are right brain thinkers. This makes them more
effective and efficient in managerial decision making. ZeNLP
cultivates right brain activity through trance meditation, creative
visualization and auto-suggestion.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 40

4. Drive to Mansarovar Lake in Sayla

One is writing this from one's farm facing room at Bell Guest House,
Sayla in Gujarat. Sayla is located in the Kathiawar peninsula. Bell Guest
House is located 35 km. away from the Chamunda Mataji temple at
Chotila and 3 km. away from Mansarovar lake. This lake plays host to
a large variety of migratory birds during winter. The non-stop drive
from Ahmedabad to Sayla should not exceed two hours.

Sayla is surrounded by small hills and is located 400 metres above sea
level. There is a nip in the air even in September, especially in the wee
hours of the morning and after sunset. Some of the wildlife found at
Bell Guest House, Sayla includes foxes, jackals, blue bulls, peacocks,
grey francolins and wild boar. The three-kilometre drive from Bell
Guest House to Mansarovar lake before sunset is an extremely relaxing
experience.

One start driving from Bell Guest House to the Kashi Vishwanath
temple at Sayla, located 3 km. away. Enroute to the temple, one comes
across Mansarovar lake, which is a magnet for migratory birds from
Northern China, Tibet and Siberia. Flocks of Black-Headed Ibis
(Threskiornis melanocephalus) can be seen during the drive.

I was accompanied for the fifteen minutes’ drive to Mansarovar lake,

aptly named "Lake Hopping" by Somrraj Singhji, who owns and
manages Bell Guest House, along with his wife Preeti Somrraj Singhji.
He knew the route so well that he could drive there blindfolded if he
so wished! Our first stop was at a small grassland behind Bell Guest
House which we could reach in about five minutes. Relaxing in these
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 41

grasslands was indeed a divine experience as a cool breeze constantly

blows across the grass. Blue-bulls (Great Indian Antelope) and
peacocks can be sighted during one's trek through the grasslands
behind Bell Guest House.

There are several ancient trees around the Kashi Vishwanath temple
near Mansarovar Lake at Sayla. The intricate designs carved inside the
temple are unique and one can circumambulate the temple and bask
in the energy of the giant trees. Most devotees can be seen doing this.
However, as this is a small village temple, it is secluded and Somrrajji
and I were the only visitors to this temple, so we spent 30 minutes
inside the temple, basking in the primordial cosmic energy, emanating
from the ancient neem and peepal trees that guard Lord Shivji.

After a short stop at the temple, we drive our way up the mud road.
After ten minutes of non-stop driving, one comes across several
flamingos and other migratory birds near the lake. One can rest under
the canopy of several ancient neem trees, on the way to Mansarovar
Lake.

Somrrajji mentioned that there is a giant neem tree at his family

temple, which has stood undisturbed at Sayla over several hundred
years. It is an ideal place to rest and rejuvenate before the return drive
to Mansarovar lake. Adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the
famous Lalji Maharaj Temple at Sayla.

As we took the return drive to Mansarovar lake, we could sight several

species of local and migratory birds. The species of birds sighted
included peacocks, Brahminy Starlings, Parakeets, Greater Flamingos
and several species of ducks. During peak winter, several hundred
species of migratory birds can be sighted at Mansarovar and Nalsarovar
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 42

Lakes near Sayla. One returns to the cool confines of one's room after
an early morning drive for birdwatching!

Guests at Bell Guest House, Sayla, also get the privilege of dining with
Thakorsaheb Somrraj Singh Jhala and learning about the history of the
erstwhile princely state of Sayla during their stay!

There are several, one hundred year old trees in and around Sayla. The
trunks of some of these giant trees are wide, having stood undisturbed
over decades. Night treks for stargazing and sighting blue bulls inside
the guest-house are arranged by Raju, the guest-house manager.
Watching hundreds of twinkling stars, while sleeping on a traditional
rope bed is a once in a lifetime experience. Searching for blue bulls in
pitch darkness with a torch is a thrill a minute midnight adventure!

One of the most exciting parts of our drive to Sayla's lake was to meet
the local villagers and children who were extremely friendly and
welcomed us into their homes. The locals were highly hospitable and
surprisingly camera-friendly and photogenic. A sadhu lives in a hut
behind Bell Guest House eats only fruits and is called falhari baba by
locals.

The mythical Ashwathama from the Mahabharata had reportedly

been sighted in Sayla! The area between Chotila and Sayla was
inherited by Sam, the son of Lord Krishna and there are many local
bards many local bards sing who sing folk songs about Lord Krishna's
life in Gujarat.

After returning to the cool confines of my wonderful homestay, our

royal guide Motilal, welcomed me with a cool glass of freshly squeezed
lime juice. It took me merely 10 minutes to drive back to my resort
from Mansarovar lake and I could complete the drive to Kashi
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 43

Vishwanath temple, giant trees, Mansarovar lake and Sayla grasslands

in the matter of ninety minutes flat!

I left at 5:00 p.m. and was back in my suite at 6:30 p.m. having sighted
several species of birds. I could also watch the crimson sunset during
this drive from the comfort of my car!

I must mention that the drive-through Sayla was a bit tiring but a
traditional hot water bucket-bath at Bell Guest House, rejuvenated my
energy. The home-style bucket-bath at Sayla Homestay is
benchmarked against international standards and it was a wonderful
experience to de-stress after a long drive with a traditional Kathiawari
bath.

I must not fail to mention that I went to Somrraj Singh's homestay as

a guest but ended up as a friend. It was on his guidance that I chose to
visit the giant trees near Mansarovar lake and to sight birds. The other
attractions of Sayla include a visit to Chamunda Mataji temple at
Chotila which is located 35 km. away.

My stay at Sayla gave me a deeper insight into the culture, traditions,

food habits and hospitality of Sayla residents. The locals are humble
and take extra care of their guests and I am going to be their guest
during my next visit to Chotila by avoiding the overpriced five-star
hotels at Rajkot, where one cannot get that personal touch. Somrraj
and Preeti deserve my compliments for a wonderful homestay
experience, coupled with home-cooked vegan cuisine (on request) and
for facilitating my visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple at Sayla for
some breath-taking photographs. I was also fortunate to sight a solitary
peacock scampering across the road during my morning walk at Bell
Guest House!
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 44

How to get there?:

The nearest international airports to reach Sayla are at Mumbai and

Ahmedabad. The nearest domestic airport to get to Sayla is at Rajkot.
Rajkot is connected to Mumbai and New Delhi by direct flights.
There are several options for Indian tourists to get to Sayla from
Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

By road:

Sayla is located on the old National Highway number 8 (New four-

lane NH47) almost mid-way between Ahmedabad and Rajkot. The
easiest way to get to Sayla from Rajkot is by car. The other way to get
from Rajkot to Sayla is by bus. This 80 km. trip takes sixty minutes by
car and ninety minutes by bus. One can also drive from Mumbai to
Sayla by car. The 600 km. non-stop drive from Mumbai to Sayla
should not exceed 10 hours at the maximum. Sayla is has located 140
km. away from Ahmedabad and takes two hours by car. Bhavnagar
Airport has located 140 km. away from Sayla and can be covered in
three hours.

By train:

The nearest Railway Stations to reach Sayla are at

Surendranagar,Wadhawan and Limbdi which are all a 35 km. drive
away from Sayla. This drive should not exceed forty-five minutes.

Where to stay at Sayla?:

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 45

Bell Guest House is the resort of choice for Indian and foreign families
to stay. It is extreme value for money for a luxurious heritage homestay.
A standard double room for two inclusive of all meals and taxes costs
Rs. 4500 per night (for two persons inclusive of all meals). The tariff
is uniform for Indian and foreign passport holders. Since Bell Guest
House has only 6 heritage suites, advance booking is mandatory.
SMS/Whatsapp or call +919724678145 for bookings.

Where to eat?:

Breakfast at Sayla consists of delicious Gujarati Jowar and Bajra rotlas

served with coriander chutney. Lunch is basmati rice with dal, bhindi
ki sabzi and bharwan baingan. Freshly steamed potatoes in mildly
spiced gravy, served with Sayla rotlas, is their signature dish which
melts in the mouth. The food at other high profile dhabas at Sayla is
only for the gastronomically adventurous who like greasy food floating
in oil.

Vegans can find fresh fruits including watermelons, bananas and

musk-melons at the local market. Bell Guest House offers water-melon
juice, ginger infusion and grapes for vegans. The kitchen at Sayla is one
more reason to visit this heritage homestay. All meals are served fresh
and hot and if one has a favourite vegetable, the chefs at Sayla will
gladly serve it on request. The signature Sayla Rotla is a combination
of a secret proportion of Jowar flour mixed with and Bajra flour mix,
which makes them more delicious than both the Rajasthani Bajra
Rotlas and Karnataka's Jowar rotlas! Indian, Chinese and
Continental dishes are served on request and Sayla's soups are yummy!
One noticed several families enroute from Ahmedabad to Rajkot
having prebooked hot lunches at Bell Guest House, since Bell Guest
House is located only 500 metres from Sayla Highway Circle.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 46

The most unforgettable memory of my stay at Sayla, are the hundreds

of parakeets, that have made the neem trees surrounding this guest
house their abode. One can sight several parakeets perched on the
branches of the trees at dawn and dusk. Sayla is truly every
birdwatcher's hidden paradise.

Located 25 km. away from Sayla at Sejakpur, is the thousand years old
Shiva Temple named Navlakha temple. Navlakha in Gujarati means
nine hundred thousand and this name is meant to indicate the nine
hundred thousand doll sculptures that ornament this ancient Shiva
temple located adjacent to a 1000 years old neem tree!

There are three distinct specialized artisan villages located a few

kilometres away from Bell Guest House. These include the National
Award-winning Patola Saree weavers, tangariya shawl weavers and
weavers of colorful house-mats.

Bell Guest House is a heritage homestay that has a highly calm and
serene ambiance and is an ideal place for those who want to unwind
and relax to the tune of nature. One can eat one's dinner outdoors
under the shade of trees, in a candlelit ambiance if one chooses to do
so.

One can eat in the cool confines of the royal dining room or on the
terrace of Bell Guest House or outdoors as one chooses. Meals can also
be served at Rani Vilas canopy outdoors on special request.

Every moment of my stay at Sayla gave me colorful photo

opportunities. Be it turquoise rivers, cobalt blue sculptures or crimson
sunsets. I wholeheartedly agree that Sayla is an ideal weekend
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 47

destination. If you are looking for a truly wonderful stay in the lap of
nature, head for Bell Guest House, Sayla.

All six heritage suites at Sayla have a distinct rustic heritage feel. All
rooms are designed in beige decor and upholstery. Every room is well
ventilated and contains two charging points each.

There are colorful holders in the bathroom to store your toiletries

which is so thoughtful as I found this feature missing in many high
profile five star hotels! I can certainly see a power shift from starred
hotels to heritage homestays like Sayla who give personalized service at
value for money pricing.

One can amble across Somrraj Singhji's farm and watch many
migratory birds, who have made Mansarovar lake their home. Every
good thing must come to an end, and I bid my host Somrraj and Preeti
goodbye to proceed to Tarnetar for the Tarnetar Mela with a brief
stopover at Chotila for a quick darshan of Chamunda Mataji.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 48

5.Trekking to Jamjir Waterfalls in Gir

One is writing this from one's garden facing room at "Jamjir Retreat"
located adjacent to the dry deciduous forests that straddle the Jamjir
Waterfalls near Jamwala Village, on the outskirts of Gir forests. Sasan
Gir is exactly 48 km. away from Jamwala, while Diu is almost 60 km.
away from Jamjir Retreat. Jamjir Retreat is tucked away in a corner of
Gir forest, which is home to several African tribes, who have lived in
these forests since they were brought to Gir by the erstwhile Nawab of
Junagadh from Africa. Gir is famous for its delicious Kesar mangoes,
which has a much better flavour than the overrated Portuguese
Alphonso.

Getting to Jamjir Retreat is extremely adventurous as there is a single

dirt road that winds its way through thick forests. Both to and fro
traffic compete for space on this narrow forest road, which is no more
than a slushy swamp during the wet season, as impromptu showers
and sudden downpours are common here throughout the monsoon.

It is an eight hours non-stop drive from Ahmedabad to Jamjir Retreat

via Rajkot, Junagadh and Sasan. The last stretch of the road from Sasan
to Talala is excellent! The last two kilometres to Jamjir resort is a mud
road through thick forests.

The upside of this bumpy journey is that one can observe several
colorful wildflowers, sight beautiful birds and enjoy the canopy of
green throughout one's painful sojourn over bumpy mud roads!
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 49

There are a few impromptu stops at wayside dhabas for a quick

breakfast and lunch, but these can help one break the monotony of the
car ride. The sights of nature during the journey are beauteous but the
attractions of Jamwala are like a sparkling ruby.

Several pure and pristine rivers like Hiran and Shingoda are scattered
around this tranquil retreat. Many beautiful waterfalls crisscross the
hills at many places and one can trek to any of these falls for a close
tryst with nature. Each waterfall is hidden behind a sacred grove, is
secluded, calm and peaceful. One can almost categorize the humanlike
qualities of each waterfall which is different from the other.

Jamjir Retreat is owned and managed by Mr. Falgunsinh Jhala, who is

a field ecologist with extensive experience in managing outdoor camps
all over India and Bhutan. It was a pleasure interacting with Mr. Jhala,
who can identify the species of most birds that can be sighted around
Gir including the Shikra Hawks, Spotted Owls, Jungle doves, Fantail
Flycatchers, Paradise Flycatchers, Loras and Pin-tailed Swallows. I was
fortunate enough to sight all these species during my four nights stay
at Jamjir Retreat.

Jamjir Retreat is a vegan fruit lover's paradise. I stayed in the Kesar

Suite on the first floor, which is aptly named as ripe Kesar mangoes fall
on the terrace of Jamjir Retreat in May and residents of the Kesar suite
can enjoy these delicious organic Kesar mangoes. I have already made
up my mind to visit Jamjir Retreat this summer! Jamjir's fruit orchard
includes custard apple trees, Chickoo trees, Guava trees and Coconut
trees.

The natural attractions of Jamwala are manifold but the jewel in the
crown is the Jamjir Waterfalls which is located 500 metres. away from
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 50

Jamjir Retreat. The other natural attractions around here include

many waterfalls, rivers and the Gir National Park. Jamjir Waterfall is
like a wild tribal beauty, unfettered and violent it gushes out like a
volcano spewing ash with a loud hissing noise.

There are several short treks through the foothills of the Gir forests
where one can come face to face with the lion, if one is fortunate
enough! I went on two such treks in the late afternoon and was
fortunate enough to see a glimpse of a lioness and could see a fresh
pugmark of a lion who passed our way a few minutes before we
reached.

One has just returned from a memorable visit to Jamjir waterfalls

which is a fifteen minutes trek from Jamjir Retreat. The better part of
this trek is through a dirt track that winds its ways through the
deciduous forests. However, there are several small huts along the way.

During my trek inside the forest, I was fortunate enough to come

across a Hanuman Temple and a Shiva Temple. The Hanuman temple
is a favourite of lions and two lions were sighted by locals who pray at
this temple regularly!

There are two or three settlements of African tribals who had been
brought to the Gir forests by the erstwhile Nawab of Junagadh.
Jambur and Shirwan, the two villages of the Siddis are a short drive
away from Jamjir Retreat. So, after the novelty of the lion treks and
Jamjir waterfalls had worn off, I headed to these two Siddi settlements
for a relaxing evening full of drumbeats, dances and music, which
transported me to a long bygone era in interior Africa!

On my second trek to the forest accompanied by the team at Jamjir

Retreat including two nature guides who were locals, we could
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 51

photograph a fresh pugmark of a fully grown adult lion who had

crossed our path a few minutes earlier. We could get the scent of this
majestic lion in our nostrils but we missed photographing His Majesty
by the proverbial whisker! This lion had passed near Jamjir Retreat at
7:00 a.m. in the morning to drink water near Jamjir Waterfalls.

Lion sightings near Jamjir Retreat in the monsoon is rare and depends
on your being at the right place at the right time. Here is where the
experience of Mr. Jhala and his team come in. One can enjoy a nature
drive to the jungle and walk on biodiversity trails by the river. If, you
are lucky, you may be able to spot a lion!

For all of you, who love the water, there are several natural water-slides
near Jamjir Retreat and you can spend the afternoon sliding down the
mountain streams and enjoying the sunlight in the afternoon when the
water temperature increases.

How to get there?:

By bus:

Buses leave for Jamwala from Ahmedabad at 6:00 p.m. and take about
12 hours to reach Jamwala, with a halt at Rajkot. Only night buses run
to Jamwala.

By train:

Veraval Railway Station is the nearest railhead to reach Jamjir Retreat.

Jamwala is located 45 km. away from Veraval and can be reached in
one hour by car and in one and a half hours by bus.

By car:
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 52

Jamwala is located nearly 340 km. away from Ahmedabad and the
drive from Ahmedabad to Jamwala may take approximately eight
hours.

By air:

Diu airport is located nearly 60 km. away from Jamwala and the drive
from Diu Airport to Jamjir Retreat may take approximately one hour.
Jamjir Retreat can arrange pick-up and drop from Diu Airport at extra
cost.

Meditation at Jamjir Waterfall:

The easiest way to reach Jamjir Waterfalls from Jamjir Retreat is to take
a leisurely stroll at 6:00 a.m. You will reach this roaring perennial
waterfall in about 15 minutes. Meditation on the banks of the
waterfall is a soothing experience.

Where to stay?:

Located near Jamjir Waterfalls, Jamjir Retreat owned and managed by

Mr. Falgulsinh Jhala is the most convenient location to stay, as almost
all tourist attractions including Gir sanctuary, Siddi villages and Jamjir
Waterfalls are easy to reach. Also, the retreat is itself located on the
banks of the Shingoda river offering spectacular views if one can
manage a river facing room by booking well in advance. The average
room tariff at Jamjir ranges from Rs. 5000 to Rs. 6000 per room
(inclusive of tax and all meals and one sightseeing trip on twin sharing
basis). Jamjir Retreat has limited number of suites, hence advance
bookings are mandatory. The rooms are spacious and bathrooms are
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 53

spic and span! Whatsapp Falgunsinh Jhala on +918849334860 for

bookings.

Where to eat?:

At Jamwala:

Jamjir Retreat serves traditional Kathiawari cuisine and the chefs are
happy to whip up pure vegan meals on request. Wildflowers are
cooked with turmeric, cumin and coriander masala which goes well
with Bajra rotis and Aloo Baingan, is recommended. Breakfast consists
of bajra porridge, steamed vegan rice-cakes (muthiyas) and steamed
yam leaves (patra)

The other attractions near Jamjir Retreat include Somnath temple,

Jagdusha temple, Diu, Gorakhmadi, Green Tunnel enroute to
Kodinar and Tapkeshwar Mahadev
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 54

6. Trekking to Mahakali temple in Wankaner

One is writing this from the cool comfort of one's pool facing room at
the luxurious Royal Oasis Heritage Resort at Wankaner in Gujarat. It
is indeed difficult to believe that 3 km. away from Royal Oasis, there is
a palace which can rival the beauty of the best palaces in India. Ranjit
Vilas Palace at Wankaner crowns the peak of a tiny hillock located on
the banks of the Macchu River. Ranjit Vilas Palace can be reached after
a 5 minutes’ drive by car from Royal Oasis. One has just returned to
one's suite after completing the trek through the steps leading to the
Mahakali temple at Wankaner located a short drive away from Royal
Oasis.

One must start one's morning drive to Ranjit Vilas Palace at 10:00 a.m.
The area is home to several tamarind trees, which carpet the hills. The
drive from Royal Oasis to Ranjit Vilas Palace takes about ten minutes
at an ambling pace and takes you through several green hillocks. The
palace itself crowns the peak of a hill, surrounded by a multitude of
other hillocks. Wankaner gets its name from wanka which means bent
in Gujarati and ner means waterway as the Macchu river bends in
Wankaner and flows adjacent to Oasis Royal Oasis Heritage Resort.

Royal Oasis Resort is a quaint luxury resort, tucked away in the

quietest corner of Wankaner. One can drive up the hill to Ranjit Vilas
Palace in about five to seven minutes from the resort. There is no entry
fee to Ranjit Vilas Palace for all in-house guests who stay at Royal
Oasis. So, every in-house guest gets to visit Ranjit Vilas Palace!
Photography is not allowed inside the Palace but is allowed outside.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 55

I was invited to Ranjit Vilas Palace by the royal family of Wankaner,

to visit their living museum. Several antique paintings, period
furniture and rare books adorn the living rooms of Wankaner Palace.
Each of Royal Oasis's suites are individually designed and offer a true
heritage feel. Living in Royal Oasis is reminiscent of living in the early
17th century. There is a temple dedicated to the Mother Goddess near
Ranjit Vilas Palace. My most hypnotic memory was hugging the
ancient tamarind tree near my suite, which can be reached on foot in
about five minutes.

One alights at the entrance of the resort and walks up the garden path
of steps to reach my room at this picturesque palace resort. It is
managed as a full-fledged resort under the direct supervision of the
royal family. The royal family is happy to share their ancestral history
with guests in the evenings on special request. I learnt a lot about the
history of Wankaner from Yuvrani Yogini Kumari and her family
members who willingly shared the history of Ranjit Vilas Palace and
showed me around.

HH Maharana Raj Saheb Dr. Digvijaysinhji, Maharana Raj Saheb of

Wankaner since 22nd May 2007. (Ranjit Vilas Palace, Wankaner -
363621, Gujarat, India) born 20th August 1932, educated at
Rajkumar College, Rajkot (1949); married firstly, Maharajkumari
Pratap Kumari [HH Pratap Kumari of Alwar], daughter of HH Shri
Sawai Maharaja Sir Tej Singhji Dev Bahadur of Alwar, and his wife,
HH Maharani Chand Kumari, married secondly, 1982, HH Maharani
Vibha Devi, born 1948, and has issue. Yuvaraj Sahib Kesri Sinhji (by
second marriage), born 5th November 1982, married 17th November
2012, Yuvrani Yogini Kumari, daughter of Maharaj Shri Daivat
Singhji Bahadur of Sirohi, and his wife, Rani Kirti Kumari.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 56

After spending a few hours exploring the museum inside Ranjit Vilas
Palace, one drives to the foot of Mahakali temple located adjacent to
Wankaner's Gayatri Mandir and begins the trek to the peak of the hill
to watch the crimson sunset and get an eagle's eye view of Wankaner.

The uphill drive from Ranjit Vilas Palace to watch the sunset from
Mahakali temple can take ten minutes at an ambling pace. After taking
some well-deserved rest and munching on walnuts and raisins to
recoup one's energies, one starts climbing the Mahakali hill. The view
of Wankaner from the peak of the hill, is nothing short of breath-
stopping. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but
by the moments that take our breath away. I had experienced my
breath-stopping moment at Wankaner!

Both sunrise and sunset as seen from Royal Oasis is resplendent. At

dusk, the crimson sun, fades away at the horizon like a flickering candle
and offers a perfect shot for the experienced photographer. Sunrise is
less spectacular but still picturesque.

The most memorable moment, was exploring the youngest stepwell in

the world which was located a stone's throw away from my suite at
Royal Oasis. One of the most interesting meditations in ZeNLP is
walking meditation. To be aware of every step taken. Walking in slow
motion bringing awareness to every muscle is walking meditation.
There is no better place to practice ZeNLP walking meditation than
while descending and ascending Royal Oasis stepwell. One of the
other major attractions during the visit to Wankaner is birdwatching.

The ascent uphill to watch the sunset at Mahakali Hill at Wankaner

took about 20 minutes at a fast clip. Descending was far easier and
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 57

could be completed in ten minutes. Meditating at the peak of the hill

was a divine experience.

One of the highlights of one's visit to the Royal Oasis Resort is to wake
up in the early hours of the morning and hear the chirping of parrots.
The best part of returning from my trek was to relax at the heritage
indoor swimming pool at Royal Oasis after a refreshing swim in the
cold waters to rejuvenate one's immune system.

How to get there?:

The nearest international airport to reach Royal Oasis is at Mumbai

and the nearest domestic airport to reach Royal Oasis is at Rajkot.
There are several options for Indian and foreign tourists to get to
Wankaner from Mumbai.

By car:

The easiest way to get to Wankaner from Mumbai is by car or bus.

By flight:

Rajkot is connected with Mumbai and New Delhi by direct flights.

The easiest way to get from Rajkot Airport to Royal Oasis is by car.
This 50 km. trip takes sixty minutes. Royal Oasis arranges pickup and
drop from Rajkot in chauffer driven cars for guests at extra cost on
prior booking.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 58

Where to eat?:

My vegan lunch at Royal Oasis included hot green gram cooked in

Gujarati spices, cumin flavoured baked potatoes, steamed basmati rice
and hot phulkas. Bajra rotis baked on an earthern oven is served on
request. There are a few vegetarian dhabas at Wankaner who dish up
simple fare like roti, dal, aloo ki sabzi etc. Royal Oasis offers all meals
ala carte to guests by chefs who have traditionally been trained in
Rajasthani vegetarian cuisine. Do not forget to ask for "Green Gram
Curry" as it is the chef's speciality.

The chefs at Royal Oasis offer many vegan options for raw vegans
including bananas, pears, apples and papayas. One can choose to dine
on the verandah overlooking the ancient tamarind trees or the palatial
dining hall whose walls are decorated with beautiful posters. This
dining art gallery is the favourite of all visitors to Royal Oasis, foreign
as well as Indian!

Fresh fruits including bananas, papayas and musk melons are available
at street side kiosks outside Wankaner. Purchase seedless dates,
walnuts, raisins and cashews enroute to Wankaner and store in an
airtight metal tiffin as I did, to recharge yourself during the long
walking meditation trek to Mahakali Temple.

Where to stay at Wankaner?:

Royal Oasis is undoubtedly, the best place to stay in Wankaner. A

deluxe room costs approximately Rs.5500/- and a heritage suite costs
Rs. 7500/- per night (for two persons including breakfast but exclusive
of taxes). High spending Indian and foreign tourists frequent Royal
Oasis at this time of the year.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 59

The suites are spacious and can comfortably accommodate a family of

three (with one extra bed). The bathrooms are spacious, with hot and
cold water showers and bathtubs. If you want to pamper yourself and
friends, Royal Oasis is the place for you. Call +9175676 61020 for
bookings.

Weather in January:

The weather in January ranges from pleasant to cold. However, a

strong breeze is common in the evenings. I slept at 8 p.m. and woke up
at 4 a.m. I had sonorous sleep throughout my stay.

Another way to get there:

One can take the state transport bus from Ahmedabad GSRTC Bus -
Station to Wankaner which takes 5 hours. Take an auto to Royal Oasis
from Wankaner bus-station. Avoid the overpriced private taxis who
have a habit of fleecing tourists. Buses to Wankaner leave at regular
intervals from Ahmedabad and Rajkot. Royal Oasis is located 4 km.
away from the Bus-Stand.

Royal Oasis is a luxury resort that lies nestled in the quietest corner of
Wankaner. Flanked by Macchu River to its left and Ranjit Vilas Palace
to its right, Royal Oasis gives a new meaning to the word artistic.
Personalised designer rooms, period furniture and art deco style
architecture invite you to indulge yourself.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 60

Royal Oasis has been host to royalty and travellers from many
countries. Curl up with a book in your suite, sink into your lavish bed,
or opt for a discussion about the history of Ranjit Vilas Palace with the
royal family on request or just let Royal Oasis weave its magic on you.
Folk songs can be arranged in a candle-lit ambience at Royal Oasis
stepwell during festivals.

A splendid example of traditional Indo-Saracenic architecture, this,

400 years old palace, is a sensory celebration, underlined by luxury and
signature service of the efficient team that made my stay as
comfortable as possible. It was really a great experience to stay at this
heritage property aptly named Royal Oasis! It has a central courtyard
draped in greenery and rooms are situated around the courtyard.

Royal Oasis has a very polite and efficient team who are working
tirelessly to make one's stay comfortable. Every staff member is soft-
spoken and well-behaved. There are several 200 year old tamarind trees
inside the resort. Meditating under the tree at sunrise and sunset was a
close experience with nature, one will always cherish.

Princess Yuvrani Yogini Kumari and her team at Royal Oasis, go out
of their way to make guests comfortable. She escorted me all the way
up to Ranjit Vilas Palace and narrated several anecdotes about the lives
of the royal family members of Wankaner.

I also loved their food as it had lots of vegan options to choose from.
Soya milk is available for vegans. Each and every staff member was very
helpful during our stay and we are specially thankful to the royal
family and their General Manager for their valued time in letting me
know about the property and helping me making my trip memorable.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 61

This place is surely recommended and I intend to go back again in

winter and during the monsoon when the hills are verdant. Very few
high profile hotels, offer you that personal touch. I was extremely
delighted to find soya milk, so thoughtfully kept in my room, the day
I checked in. My vegan diet was recognised from my previous visit!
These small things mean a lot to customers.

I return after my walking meditation trek to a refreshing glass of

nimbu-pani at Royal Oasis' royal dining hall, managed effectively by
local chefs from Wankaner and their team members. Royal Oasis is the
magnet for all domestic and foreign tourists enroute to Ahmedabad
from Morbi.

I must compliment the chef for his green gram curry which dissolved
in my mouth. The delicious vegan food served here is itself is a reason
to visit Royal Oasis. either while driving from Morbi to Rajkot or on
the return.

Royal Oasis is an ideal place to unwind after returning from one's

morning or evening trek. The most exciting part of living at Wankaner
was to expect the appearance of birds during dawn and dusk. Cattle
egrets, parrots and peacocks are often seen on the trees surrounding
this picturesque resort.

Last but not the least, each and every member of the housekeeping
team, restaurant team and management team were courteous to me
and ensured prompt service with a smile. I really liked the way the staff
sprang to attention to get me a portable wifi router when my mobile
lost its internet connectivity, during my morning walk!

After the attraction of the stepwell, swimming pool and Ranjit Vilas
Palace had worn off, I curled up with a book on "Heritage Stepwells,
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 62

Hotels and Forts of Gujarat from Royal Oasis' well stocked library of
large photo-essay books.

Every good thing must come to an end and I bid my hosts Yuvrani
Yogini Kumari and Yuvraj Kesri Sinh of Wankaner and their team
goodbye to proceed to Dowlat Vilas Homestay owned and managed
by Suryaveer Singh Idar at Himmatnagar.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 63

7. Gir – Home of the Asiatic Lion and African Tribes

In 2005 December, I undertook a journey to the only home of the

Asiatic Lion in the Gir National Park and Sanctuary, located in
Junagadh District of Gujarat State. Located 60 km. away from
Junagadh town, the Gir National Park is a protected sanctuary
stretching across 2400 square kilometre. The terrain is hilly and
covered with thick deciduous forests. The forest is home to several
species of birds and animals.

The most unbelievable fact about Gir is the existence of a village

named Shirwan inside the sanctuary. This is populated by African
tribals who were brought to India by the Arabs, four hundred years
ago, during the era where African tribals were traded as slaves. These
tribes are known as Siddi Badshah by the locals and trace their ancestry
to Kenya, as they speak remnants of Swahili, to this date. The base
camp for entering into these forests is Sasan Gir, which is located on
the outskirts. The Siddi settlement of Shirwan is a 12 km. trek through
a dirt road which winds its way through thick forests from Sasan.

The trek to Shirwan from Sasan is fraught with risks. Panthers,

leopards and cheetahs abound in the forests and could attack
wayfarers. Wild monkeys, snakes and wild boar are also commonly
seen and represent mild danger. More often than not, one could also
come face to face with the lion, whose population in Gir is around 400.
56 Gir – Home of the Asiatic Lion and African Tribes The Siddis have
lived in this village since 1600 A.D., when they were brought to India
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 64

as slaves by the Nawab of Junagadh, to convert the thick forests at that

time into tillable land. 3000 Siddis continue to live in the forest,
existing in the same circumstances as their ancestors, following the
same traditions and existing in self-imposed isolation. Almost 100% of
Siddis have married amongst themselves and maintained their ethnic
purity over 400 years. The Siddis respect the law of the forest and do
not indulge in hunting though they live adjacent to several hundred
spotted deer. Addiction to alcohol is rare as Gujarat is a prohibited
state and brewing or sale of alcohol is illegal. Siddis are forced to live
off the land, in extremely inhospitable conditions. Wild fruits and
berries are available in plenty.

Fresh water is available in plenty as the Hiran river flows through Gir.
In addition to this, there are several watering holes across the forest.
The Government of Gujarat has offered the Siddis Indira Awas houses
outside the park, but so far, none of the 100 Siddi families of Shirwan
have accepted the generous offer of the Government. They continue
to exist inside the forests, cheerful and facing the harsh realities of life.

Music and dance are a way of life for the Siddis. They continue to sing
their ancient tribal songs in Swahili and away to the beat of their
ancestral drums. This tribal trance dance is known as “dhamal” in
Gujarati. Siddis have also preserved their ancestral costumes, and every
family has preserved one set of tribal costumes which they don during
ceremonial occasions, marriage or other festivities. The tribal drums,
tribal flute and other musical instruments played during this trance
dancing have also been maintained in working condition. The beat of
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 65

the drums and the swaying steps of the dance transport the viewer into
a bygone era. The dancers move in synchronicity. Men, women and
children dance together in reverie and camaraderie in a community
gathering. One of the important aspects of Siddi culture is their
existence in the present moment. They think only about the here and
now. They do not dwell on the past or contemplate the future. They
are always aware of the present. If they get a meal they are happy, but
they continue to remain cheerful, even if forced to go hungry to bed.
During monsoon, most of the Siddi tribal houses are swept away by
the rains. However, the Siddis remain extremely stress free and rebuild
their huts after every monsoon. They continue to live inside the forest
during the rains and do not migrate to higher ground. It would be an
understatement to say that the Siddis are free from mental stress or
worries.

Smiling children, laughter, music, boisterous chatter, trance-dancing

and cheerful faces are the highlights of a visit to this inaccessible Siddi
village in the heart of lion country. One of the most important lessons
you can learn from the Siddis is to shut out the past and forget about
the future and continue to exist in the present. The learning experience
from the Siddi tribe is aptly conveyed by this ancient Swahili Siddi
proverb: “Do not pursue the past, Do not lose yourself in the future;
The past no longer is, The future has not yet come; Looking deeply at
life, As it is; In the very here and now, The Siddi lives in stability and
freedom”

How to get there?:

ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 66

The nearest international Airport is at Ahmedabad. Junagadh is a 390

km. drive from Ahmedabad. Sasan is located 60 km. away from
Junagadh on the Junagadh Veraval Highway. Non-stop driving from
Ahmedabad to Sasan should not exceed eight hours. 58 Gir – Home
of the Asiatic Lion and African Tribes

Where to eat?:

Lots of small restaurants serving Kathiawari and Gujarati cuisine dot

Sasan. All restaurants offer simple but delicious vegetarian fare.
Vegans can get fresh fruits from the local market.

Where to stay?:

The Forest Guest house at Sasan named Sinh Sadan, is an affordable

and comfortable place to stay. Bookings need to be made in advance
and costs Rs. 900/- per night. The accommodation is comfortable and
the food is basic. The forest department arranges homestays with the
local Siddi tribals at Rs. 500/- per night for basic accommodation and
traditional vegetarian Gujarati breakfast . The homestay is
comfortable, as the tribals provide thick traditional quilts and hot
water for baths.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 67

8. Mangrove Cruise in Jhakhau

Kutch, India’s second largest district located in Gujarat State, the pace
of life remains much as it had in days gone by. A coastline dotted with
boats, rustic villages, mud houses and a horizon that twinkles with the
brilliance of a thousand stars at dusk. Nowhere is more apparent than
in a cape in the northernmost tip, Jhakhau (ja-khau) - a scenic and
untouched enclave nestled in the shade of luxuriant casuarina trees.
Here lies the ancient port town of Jhakhau in Kutch district - a quaint
little village fringing the long, magnificent bay that leads to the clear,
cool waters of the Arabian Sea.

Amidst mangrove forests spread over several acres and landscaped by

nature, Jhakhau offers one the unique combination of the most eco-
friendly comforts encased in an oyster of peace and surrounded by
blue lagoons and verdant hills. You wake up each morning listening to
the sweet songs emanating from the beaks of innumerable mynahs
who have sought sanctuary under the huge trees that surround this
picturesque village. I am writing this from a mud house (called bunga
in local dialect) inside the Narayan Sarovar Chikara Sanctuary in
Kutch. Jhakhau is 140 km. away from Bhuj which is the district
headquarters. Several species of birds are found here. Jhakhau is a two-
hour drive from Bhuj. It is advisable to stay overnight at Narayan
Sarovar for one night if not more to explore the wonders of nature
which abound this beautiful sanctuary.

Narayan Sarovar consists of isolated coves, dry deciduous forests,

scattered millet fields, sandy beaches and mangroves. Kutch is a large
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 68

white sand desert on the western coast of Gujarat. With a geological

history stretching back to 5000 years, Kutch boasts of emerald waters,
prehistoric caves, rock formations and idyllic beaches. One of the must
see attractions ,after the novelty of the silver sands and snowy beaches
have worn off, is an early morning cruise along the mangrove swamps
to spot spoonbills that migrate to Kutch every winter from Siberia.
Located near the Jhakhau port, these mangroves can be reached by a
boat in a matter of a few hours. The marine life at Jhakhau is a rich
treasure trove and a fascinating window on the aquatic world. Home
to innumerable varieties of fish and other animals, each fish represents
a living proof of being sculpted by nature’s hidden hand. As you cruise
along the placid waters of the translucent lagoons that flank both sides
of one’s boat, you hear rustling bushes, which indicate the presence of
migratory Spoonbills. Spotting a Spoonbill is a challenge. They scatter
away in defence, at the sound of the approaching motor-boat.

A better technique to spot these gentle birds is to alight at one of the

larger trees that dot the swamps, transfer yourself into a wooden canoe
and paddle gently alongside the reedy plants. However, nature always
rewards patience. You can wait in your boat for the arrival of these
delicate feathered friends. Feeding of wild birds is neither advisable nor
expected. Soon, one of the more adventurous spoonbills lands on the
branches near your boat. After keenly observing the boat and its
occupants, it honks and signals his mate. In minutes, out of nowhere
seven to eight spoonbills land alongside your boat and fly wildly from
one branch to the other. Monitor lizards are also found in these
mangrove swamps. There are ancient species of mangroves that are
endemic to the limestone formations around these swamps. These
mangroves have been around for 5000 years. If one is fortunate
enough, one might even see the giant Green Turtle at Jhakhau!
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 69

How to get there?:

Visitors travelling by road have to drive from Ahmedabad to Bhuj

which is approximately 330 km. The drive from Bhuj to Jhakhau is 140
km. By air The nearest airport to reach Jhakhau is at Bhuj. Bhuj is
connected by direct flights from New Delhi and Mumbai. By train
Bhuj is connected by trains from all over India.

Boat charges:

Local boats can be hired at Jhakhau village for a trip to the mangrove
forests. The two hour boast cruise should cost Rs. 600/- for a paddle
boat which can seat 6 adults. Permission from the Gujarat Marine
Police, Coast Guard and Border Security Force is needed before one
goes for the mangrove cruise.

Where to stay?:

Narayan Sarovar Forest Guest House inside the Narayan Sarovar

Chinkara sanctuary is a value for money proposition. The simple yet
comfortable accommodation costs Rs. 500/- to Rs. 700/- per night on
a twin sharing basis.

Where to eat?:

Lots of small restaurants serving Gujarati, Kutchi and Kathiawari

vegetarian cuisine dot Bhuj. Freshly steamed vegetables with spices,
pumpkin cooked in mustard paste, boiled spinach with pulses are
served with millet (Bajra) rotis cooked in an earthern oven at most
roadside dhabas. The food at the high-profile hotels is only for the
gastronomically adventurous who like greasy food. Fresh tropical
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 70

fruits including water-melons, papayas, tender coconuts, pineapples

and are available at the local market.

Where to stay?:

The Forest Guest house at Bhuj is an affordable and comfortable place

to stay. Bookings need to be made in advance and costs Rs. 900/- per
night. The accommodation is comfortable and the food is basic. The
forest department arranges homestays with the local Zat tribals at Rs.
500/- per night for basic accommodation and traditional Kutchi
breakfast . The homestay is comfortable, as the tribals provide thick
traditional quilts and hot water for baths.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 71

9. Bird Watching at Nalsarovar

I am writing this after a close encounter with one of nature’s miracles.

I had just returned after spending a day with millions of migratory
birds from Siberia, who migrate to Nalsarovar Lake which is located
70 km. away from Ahmedabad. I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to drive to the
lake in order to sight more of our feathered friends, who prefer to
venture out of their nests at dawn and dusk. As my paddleboat made
its way to the interiors of this giant lake, I could see several species of
birds resting on the tree-tops, or taking off into the skies in formation.
As one flock takes off into the skies, you can see another group, gliding
down to land. I chose an open boat and set off to the innermost
corners of the lake, as the first rays of light brightened the sky. Nature
always rewards patience and after an hour long wait at the centre of the
lake; I could see a delightful formation of migratory birds at the far end
of the horizon. Hundreds of migratory birds fly to Nalsarovar, every
winter. Birds like the white stork, Brahminy duck and Saras crane can
be easily sighted here. Groups of avocets, herons, curlews, pelicans,
swallows, eagles, pigeons, spoonbills, flamingos and jacanas can be
found all around the lake. There are no motorised boats at Nalsarovar
and paddling slowly over the placid waters of this translucent lake is an
extremely relaxing experience. The most beautiful sight at Nalsarovar,
is to watch a large flock of pink necked flamingos, huddling together
to provide a picture postcard view. You can see several birds taking a
dip in the waters, as if energizing themselves before they make their
flight. Most of these migratory birds have flown several thousand
miles, landing in Nalsarovar from early December till late February.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 72

While some of the birds like the Brahminy Duck arrive here from
Northern Tibet, others have reached here from Norway, Siberia,
Northern China and Denmark! It’s incredible to even estimate, how
these migratory birds land up at Nalsarovar every winter without fail.
Watching these birds in full flight is a ‘ trance-forming’ experience.
The synchronicity in their flight and the even distance they keep away
from one another gives an illusion as if each bird is tied to the other by
invisible strings.

They seem to be guided by a divine force. If you want to experience

the power of our Creator, you can just watch these feathered friends.
As the morning turns into noon, more and more birds start emerging
from their nests and hover around your boat. A few of the more
adventurous birds even plonk themselves on the edge of your boat. It
is quite a challenge identifying the species of bird seen, as the number
and variety of birds are many. Many of the birds resemble each other .
It is only an expert ornithologist who can name the birds sighted.

The sounds of the birds are extremely musical to the ears and you can
shut your eyes and identify the bird based on its call. You have to spend
time in the interiors of the lake, trying to spot the smaller and more
elusive birds. Watching hundreds of flamingos fly over your head is a
once in a lifetime experience. One group is followed by another in a
never ending cascade. It’s time to be in the present and absorb this
soulful experience. It can take almost five hours of slow paddling to
cover the interiors of this giant lake to get the opportunity to watch
these foreign visitors at close quarters.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 73

These birds are extremely sensitive to sounds and you have to paddle
in pin drop silence. A small whisper is enough to scatter a flock of birds
resting in the waters. The forest department officials and local
boatmen at Nalsarovar are extremely friendly and helpful. They ensure
that every visitor to the lake has a close encounter with a few of the
migratory birds. The sheer number of birds sighted at Nalsarovar is a
satisfying experience. The most touching part of the boat ride was to
watch the local birds like sparrows, kites, pigeons and crows living in
harmony with the foreign visitors. There are no fights for territorial or
air dominance between the local birds and visitors.

The locals let the visitors have complete autonomy during their stay
in India. The visitors always leave after a brief stay during the coldest
part of winter. The locals from the villages around Nalsarovar lake
provide the birdwatchers with neera (a sweet drink taken from the
palm tree), millet rotis and roasted potatoes. It is no coincidence that
we serve a similar diet in our ZeNLP based stress management
workshps. As the noon fades into dusk, the sounds of the birds rise to
a crescendo and many of the birds start returning to their nesting
places around the lake. Watching the sun-set over the waters is
picturesque. Boating in the dark under a moonlit night while watching
the starlit sky is another magical experience at Nalsarovar.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 74

How to get there?:

The nearest airport is at Ahmedabad. Nalsarovar is a 70 km. drive from

Ahmedabad. Where to stay? The Forest Department Guest House at
Nalsarovar offers clean and comfortable rooms at economical rates.

Where to eat?:

Local villagers offer millet rotis with potato and brinjals cooked in mild
gravy. Fresh vegetables are available at the local market. Seasonal fruits
are also available at the local market. Lots of small restaurants serving
Gujarati, Kutchi and Kathiawari vegetarian cuisine dot Bhuj. Freshly
steamed vegetables with spices, pumpkin cooked in mustard paste,
boiled spinach with pulses are served with millet ( bajra) rotis cooked
in an earthern oven at most roadside dhabas. The food at the high-
profile hotels is only for the gastronomically adventurous who like
greasy food. Fresh tropical fruits including water-melons, papayas,
tender coconuts, pineapples and are available at the local market.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 75

10. Modhera – Poetry in Molten Gold

One of the most amazing facts about India is that it is home to more
temples dedicated to the Sun-God or Surya as compared to any other
country. Next to the more famous temple of the Sun-God the Konark
temple in Orissa, the Sun temple at Modhera is considered to be one
of the most sacred sites for worshippers of the Sun. A visit to the Sun
temple at Modhera on ‘Guru Purnima’ day, to pay obeisance to the
rising sun is auspicious. We started from Ahmedabad in the wee hours
of the morning. The 120 km. drive took us through the industrial
suburb of Kalol and the well-manicured highway took us to Modhera
through the industrial town of Kadi and the bastion of the farmers of
North Gujarat, Mehsana.

The drive through Gujarat during the post-monsoon is a soothing

experience. Mornings in Gujarat are extremely pleasant and the cool
breeze of at the break of dawn is soothing balm to your senses. The
drive to Modhera from Ahmedabad in the early hours of the morning
takes no more than 150 minutes. The experience of driving through
the rural areas of Gujarat is deeply spiritual and moving. The greenery
of the trees is accentuated by the rust coloured background and sand-
dunes that dot the arid landscape of north Gujarat. The traditional
Gujarati rustic cuisine, coupled with the hospitality and warmth of the
local-folk gives tourists a once in a life-time experience at every stop on
the way. The traditional ukalo or herbal infusion flavoured with ginger
and black pepper is the nectar I constantly sipped along the way, sitting
outside the traditional huts of the bhils who have settled on the
outskirts of Ahmedabad.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 76

We were lucky to reach the temple exactly at the moment the first rays
of the morning sun were peeking behind a few scattered clouds. As the
darkness faded, we could see a monument sculpted in golden
sandstone. It is deeply moving to see this magnificent 10th century
creation appearing and disappearing as the sun played hide and seek
with the clouds on an overcast day. This grand temple at Modhera was
conceived, and built by King Bhimdev in 1026. As in the Sun Temple
at Konark, this temple was so designed that the rays of the Sun would
fall on the image of Surya at the time of the equinoxes. The torans in
the temple and the intricate carvings on the outside speak of the
splendour of this shrine, which still is home to the Modhera dance
festival featuring dancers in performance in a natural setting.

The walls of the temple are decorated with sculptures of the Sun-God.
The huge tank in front of the temple with its multitude of images is
bigger than many big sized swimming pools. In front of the temple is
a colossal tank, which was once known as Surya Kund or Rama Kund.
The tank has a series of carved steps leading to the bottom. Several
miniature shrines adorn the steps of the tank, which is an art gallery in
itself. The temple has a sanctum, a pradakshina patha and a sabha
mandap in front. This Sun Temple was built during the same period
as the Hindu temples at Mount Abu and the jyotirling at Somnath.

The Sun temple at Modhera is magnificent. The mandapa in front of

the sanctum has beautifully carved pillars with exquisite toranas
adorning the entrances. The exterior of this temple is intricately
carved. Innumerable gulmohar, asopalav and neem trees dot the
manicured lawns that surround this golden pagoda. The main idol of
the Sun- God at Modhera has a more than coincidental resemblance to
the ones at the Sun temples at Gaya and Konark.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 77

Sun temples were ancient sites for healing and health. It was believed
that the first rays of the rising sun had miraculous healing properties
and villagers with a variety of skin illnesses used to visit the temple to
bask in the first rays of the rising sun. However, scientific research also
points to the fact that the first morning rays have healing properties.
You can spend hours admiring the innumerable sculptures that dot
the temple or circumambulate the giant tank along its edges. If there is
one place which is a photographer’s delight it is here.

The endearing quality of this temple is the absence of guides,

professional photographers, antique sellers or hordes of tourists at this
relatively low profile Sun Temple located in a non-decrepit village in a
quiet corner of Gujarat. Thus for serious tourists wanting to get
transported into a bygone era, a visit to the ancient Sun temple at
Modhera promises to leave indelible imprints on your unconscious.

How to get there?:

The nearest international/domestic airport is at Ahmedabad.

Modhera is located 120 km. away from Ahmedabad Airport The 4
hour return taxi-ride costs approximately Rs. 3000/-

Where to eat?:

Traditional Gujarati cuisine is at its best at Charu Kathiawari. Several

restaurants offering Indian vegetarian cuisine are located around
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 78

Modhera. Several make-shift stalls selling idlis, dosas, khaman and

dhoklas are also found here. Dhabas serving Gujarati and Kathiawari
vegetarian fare are found both at Modhera and all along the highway
from Modhera to Ahmedabad.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 79

11. Dwarka – India’s Westernmost Tip

Holi is one of my favourite festivals and I try my best to return to India
for Holi. The best way to spend Holi is to be in Dwarka, on the
westernmost tip of India. The last rays of the sun fall on Dwarka! And
the beauty of the sunset here is etched in your mind. Apart from the
historic significance of this beautiful place, Dwarka is a hidden treasure
of natural beauty, waiting to be discovered. Dwarka is a quaint little
village, a 10 hour drive away from Ahmedabad through Rajkot and
Jamnagar. Holi at Dwarka is a once in a lifetime experience. The
picturesque beach, the golden sands, the azure sea and the surf rimmed
waves complete the colourful scene. The riot of colours is pleasing to
your eyes. The drive from Dwarka to Jamnagar is along the coast. The
weather is extremely pleasant as the humidity is very low. The cool
breeze and fresh air makes the return trip a memorable experience.

The Gomti River flows through Dwarka and merges into the sea here.
The river is shallow and you can wade across to relax at the several river
islands that are scattered across! The water rarely reaches the knee level
and the current is gentle as the incoming sea smothers the river. The
river islands of the Gomti River are a sanctuary to several species of
large waterbirds!

The view from the hillock in Dwarka is extremely colourful. The azure
waters, the golden sands, the light blue cloudless and spotless skies, the
rust coloured rocks, hundreds of colourful sea-birds and the crimson
sunset.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 80

The best way to get away from the Holi crowd is to wake up before
sunrise and wade through the river to some of the most isolated river
islands. Meditating here was a divine experience.

Coastal Gujarat is one of the windiest parts of the world and a

refreshing cool breeze is your constant companion throughout your
stay at Dwarka and all along the three hour drive from Dwarka to
Jamnagar. The most delightful part about Dwarka is that every place
of natural beauty is a short walk away from the centre of the town. The
Gomti River, the sun-set point, the river islands and the beach are all
within a kilometre of each other. The Dwarka temple is the nucleus
which is located at the centre. One of the most miraculous scenes at
Dwarka is a floating rock which floats like a thermocol on water
inspite of weighing a kilogram!

Wading through the Gomti river reveal innumerable fishes swimming

in synchronicity through the crystal clear waters. You can see several
species of crabs, as they crawl back to the safety of the sea after being
washed ashore by the relentless waves. Several species of cranes,
flamingos and sea-gulls can be seen at close quarters during one’s stay
at Dwarka. The expectation of watching a crimson sunset at the
westernmost tip of India is a magnet which draws you to the tiny
hillock which overlooks the sea.

Watching the last rays of the sun touch the westernmost point of our
country are as picturesque as watching the first rays of the sun touch
the easternmost point of Thailand (Khong Chiam in North-Eastern
Thailand). I have just returned to India after a long trip through
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Watching the changing
colours of the sun, the sea, the sand at Dwarka, is an ideal way to spend
the three days before Holi.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 81

I reluctantly prepared for the drive back to Ahmedabad. But before I

departed, I sampled the staple cuisine of Saurashtra, which included
Bajra (millet) Roti; shredded cabbage cooked in fenugreek and lightly
spiced roesti potatoes.

How to get there?:

Dwarka is well connected by road and rail. All trains bound for Okha,
stop at Dwarka station. One can drive to Dwarka through Jamnagar,
Rajkot and Ahmedabad. The drive takes approximately ten hours.
Regular buses ply between Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jamnagar and
Dwarka.

Where to stay?:

Many budget hotels ranging from Rs. 200/- to Rs. 500/- dot Dwarka.
Several guest houses offer free accommodation for pilgrims. The
Circuit House is an option for Government employees. Several banks,
companies and corporates operate holiday homes and guest-houses at
Dwarka. Advance booking is recommended during Holi.

Where to eat?:

Several restaurants offering Indian vegetarian cuisine are located

around Dwarka. Several make-shift stalls selling idlis, dosas, khaman
and dhoklas are also found here. Dhabas serving Gujarati and
Kathiawari vegetarian fare are found both at Dwarka and all along the
highway from Dwarka to Ahmedabad.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 82

12. Exploring rani ni vav stepwell at Patan

After having lived in Gujarat close to thirty years of my forty-six years
on this planet, I have travelled to the most interior pockets of Gujarat.
But however, last month I made a trip to Patan, which is only a six-
hour drive from Ahmedabad, but returned back with a treasure trove
of memories, having visited one of the most beautiful step-wells in
India. This step-well is called "rani ni vav" in Gujarati and is located at
Patan in North Gujarat. Patan is a 135 km. drive away from
Ahmedabad. The drive takes you through Mehsana.

I have just returned after a memorable trip to Patan, the ancient capital
of Gujarat. The visit lasted a few hours, but its memory will last a
lifetime. At Patan, I visited an ancient architectural wonder which I
would like to share with our esteemed readers. I visited "rani ni vav" or
(Queen's step-well in Gujarati), which is a million times more majestic
than any of the so called wonders of the world. I am extremely happy
that this ancient treasure is hidden from the cynosure of materialistic
tourists and offers a great experience to Indian families who want to
spend a blissful day away from the vagaries of stressful life and spend a
day in bliss. This is exactly what I experienced during my visit. The
most amazing part of my adventure is that I am more energized after
returning from this never ending journey.

"rani ni vav" is a famous step-well situated in Patan town in Gujarat in

India. Patan was called as Anhilpur Patan when King Siddharaj
Jaysingh was ruling and it was the erstwhile capital of Gujarat. Vanraj
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 83

Chavda founded Patan. This step-well was constructed during the

period of the Solanki or Chalukya. It is a richly sculptured monument.

"Rani ni vav" was built in the memory of Bhimdev I (1022 A. D. to

1063 A. D.) son of Mularaja, the founder of the Solanki dynasty of
Patan in about 1050 A.D. by his widowed queen Udayamati. "Rani ni
vav" was completed by Udayamati and Karandev I a thousand years
ago. A reference to Udayamati building the monument is in the
'Prabandha Chintamani' composed by Merunga Suri in 1304 AD.

It was one of the largest and the most sumptuous structures of its type.
Almost all the intricate sculptures are visible now, including endless
rows of sculptured panels in the circular part of the well. The pillars
are proof not only of the elegance of its design but also a tribute to the
engineering abilities and visualisation skills of the artisans. I am certain
that the most advanced nations on this planet with present day
technology cannot build a step-well of this grandeur!

Ancient wisdom beats the left brained thinking of the present day.
That is why, we base our ZeNLP meditation workshops on ancient
wisdom. A part of the west well is extended from which it appears that
the wall had been built in brick and laced with stone. From this wall,
projections of vertical brackets can be seen. These brackets support the
different galleries of the well shaft. This bracketing is arranged in tiers
and is richly carved. There is also a small gate below the last step of the
step-well which has a 30 kilometre tunnel leading to the town of
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 84

Siddhpur near Patan. This tunnel was used by the kings as an escape
gateway in the times of defeat. Most of the sculpture is in devotion to
Vishnu, in the forms of his Avatars (Krishna, Rama and others),
representing their return to the world.

Around 50 to 60 years back there used to be lemongrass around this

area which made the water in the well alkaline. This alkaline
lemongrass flavoured water accumulated in " rani ni vav" is extremely
good for health. Visiting this step-well which is known as "The
Queen's step-well" is a once in a life time experience. Minute details are
visible in the finer features of each sculpture, be it that of " Vamana
Avatar", "Ram Avatar" or "Kalki Avatar ." After entering Patan city,
one encounters a fort with a wall running around the old city.

One has to drive along the wall to be led to this step-well. Giant trees
protect this monument like soldier's guarding a king. Lots of migratory
birds have made their homes on these giant trees and sing their flowery
tunes at dawn. The walk down the step-well offers a birds eye-view of
the well. But as we descend the steps we can

experience poetry etched in stone. Delicate sculptures of plants,

animals, gods, goddesses, nymphs and serpents decorate the walls of
this step-well in endless rows. As a photographer with an eye for detail,
I could click about 1000 high resolution photographs in the few hours
I spent exploring this treasure trove of sculpture. Every photograph
clicked resembled a picture post-card. Gujarat would do better to
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 85

showcase its tourism through "rani ni vav." rather than personality

cults. I have travelled to seven countries other than India but the
finesse in the sculptures at "rani ni vav", Khajuraho and Konark exceed
the skills of anything seen in Indonesia, China or Thailand. And this
anything includes all sculptures created by the west in the last 5000
years.

The story of Lord Vishnu's ten incarnations is sculpted in stone here.

Starting from Matsya (Fish) and ending with Kalki (on a horse with a
sword), destroying the forces of evil. Rani ni vav puts one into a mild
trance and transports you to a different world. Minutes turn into
hours as you get lost in the hypnotic world of sandstone sculptures. As
you descend the steps, you reach a short tunnel which leads to the
water. The step-well is seven storeys deep and it is mind boggling to
think , how this marvellous structure was constructed a thousand years
ago.

Step-wells are subterranean structures with steps leading down to

the water level and are found in large numbers in the arid regions of
Gujarat and Rajasthan . They started as simple structures, and in
course of time, these wells evolved to become complex, aesthetically
pleasing works of art. Rani ni vav at Patan, is the most beautiful
amongst all sculptures I have ever seen across the world.

No other vav or step-well in India is so profusely adorned as "rani ni

vav." More than 800 sculptures form a remarkable backdrop to what
was purely a functional structure. "Rani ni vav" forms the link between
a 'kunda' and the now classical step-well. This is due to the fact that in
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 86

addition to the straight staircase, it also has lateral staircases, along the
very broad, stepped corridors. The vav is laid out in an east-west
direction, with the entrance in the east and the well in the west. The
entrance, the side-walls of the stepped corridor, some of the mandapas
and the back wall of the well are majestic. Five lateral, staggered
staircases attached to these side-walls connect the various storeys.

The vav is very rich in sculptures. Each level is profusely adorned with
carved friezes and deities. Sculptures of deities in recessed and
projecting niches cover all sides of the well. The lower most level has
37 niches with rudimentary images of Lord Ganesh in the centre. The
images of Sheshashayi Vishnu in the central niches, on the upper levels,
are more elaborate. Also, on the upper levels, are impressive images of
Laxmi-Narayana, Uma-Mahesh, Brahma-Brahmi, and Kuber and
Ganesh, with their respective consorts. On the lower levels, are the
images of Vishnu's incarnations and 24 forms.

Where to stay?:

Patan is a religious place and there are several pilgrim shelters, where
one can stay the night. Budget hotels ranging from Rs. 500/- to Rs.
1000/- are found near the bus station.

How to get there?:

The nearest airport to reach Patan is at Ahmedabad. The 135 km. drive
between Ahmedabad to Patan takes about 180 minutes. Patan has a
railway station and is also connected by trains.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 87

Where to eat?:

Lots of small restaurants serving Gujarati cuisine are found in Patan

and all along the highway from Ahmedabad to Patan. Hot bajra
(millet) rotis are served with potatoes with fenugreek and brinjals
cooked in a mild gravy flavoured with cumin. Macrobiotic vegans can
get a variety of fruits and vegetables at the local market.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 88

13. Exploring the silver desert of Kutch

In February 2016, I undertook a journey to the only home of the Zat

tribals in the "Great Rann of Kutch", located in Bhuj District of
Gujarat State. The village of Dhordo is located 70 km. away from Bhuj
town. The terrain is barren and covered with thorny shrubs. Wildlife
including jackals, blue bulls, wild camels and chinkaras can be found
on the fringe areas of the desert. Dhordo is located 40 km. away from
Khavada, which is the entry point into the Banni grasslands.

One has just returned after a seven-day safari through the "Great
Indian Wild Camel sanctuary". One of the most tranquil spots to
meditate in Kutch is inside the Silver crusted desert at Dhordo.
Dhordo which is a two-hour drive away from Bhuj. is home to wild
camels, who live around the barren deserts that surround Dhordo. The
ideal time to visit Dhordo is between December and February. Wild
camels are shy creatures and it takes great effort to sight one in the wild.
One needs lots of faith and patience while trying to spot the elusive
wild camels in Kutch. After trekking through the knee-length grass for
several kilometres, one has to wait under a tree for hours, keeping a
steady eye on the wide expanse of the cactii, searching for any unusual
movement. The clear blue skies and the silvery desert sands offer a clear
contrast to the rusty brown camels and after a six hour wait, we were
able to sight three camels behind a giant tree. We slowly moved
towards the camels on all fours, crouching behind the cactii. After
about an hour we could make the faint outline of the camel but one
more step and the camel with its keen eyesight could feel our presence,
and flee. However, tracking wild camels through the deserts of Kutch,
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 89

is an adventure in itself and one should not get too attached to the
results.

The wild camels feed on the thorny shrubs that surround Dhordo.
Wild camels are extremely sensitive to human presence and dart off at
supersonic speed if they hear human footsteps. So, all you can see is the
camel disappearing into the desert before you can click the record
button of your camera. However, tracking them on foot through the
silvery sands is exciting. During my weeklong stay at Dhordo, I could
spot the wild camel thrice. Dhordo is one of the coldest places in
Gujarat during the peak of winter and temperatures can go down to 2
degree Celsius in January.

The wild camel is an endangered species and conservation efforts of

the local forest officers is working out and the number of wild camels
in Kutch may cross three digits in the years to come. All the officers I
met were highly motivated and made an extra effort to see that the wild
camel population is undisturbed.

Dhordo gets partly inundated by about 2 feet of water in the monsoon

months (July-September). Once below sea level, this area was raised by
earth movements which cut it off from the Gulf of Kutch, and was
broken up by later earth movements into the flat saline areas (where
people can be seen making salt), and higher grounds with sandy, salt-
free soil. The wild camel depends on the soft grass and thorny scrub of
the higher ground area for its feed. The other wildlife to be found in
Kutch, include blue bulls, antelopes, wolves, bustards, blackbucks,
hyenas, desert foxes, jackals, desert cats, and caracals.

The local population of Kutch are extremely hospitable to strangers

and are always smiling while living in one of the world's harshest
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 90

environments, where men and women have to trek several kilometres

each day to find fresh water. They wear colourful clothes and take part
in community gatherings where music and dance are an intricate part
of their life. Kutchi embroidery is extremely delicate and beautiful.
Kutch is an ideal shopping destination for mirrorwork kurtas, bags and
hand embroidered skirts.

Kutch is virtually an island. The villages of the Kutch region have long
been renowned for their distinctive and high-quality handicrafts
(especially exquisite, mirrored embroidery). The Gulf of Kutch divides
Kutch from the Kathiawar peninsula. To the north, it is separated
from the Sind region of Pakistan by the Great Rann of Kutch. The salt
in the soil makes this low-lying marsh area almost completely barren.
The bandhani (tie and dye) hand printed sarees and exquisite gold and
silver ornaments are some of the traditional crafts of this region. Bhuj
is the main town of Kutch. Bhuj derives its name from the Bhujiyo
Dungar a hill, overlooking the present day Bhuj town. Rao Khengarji
of the Jadeja dynasty, ruled over Kutch for more than 400 years and
founded Bhuj in 1548 AD. The oldest museum in Gujarat is situated
in Bhuj. Bhuj is known for its small, meandering streets, palaces and
temples. Lakhpat is the last town situated at the western end of India.
This ghost town is 151 km. from Bhuj airport and boasts a beautiful
landscape. Lakhpat is fortified town with high walls, several gates and
bastions made out of hard stone. Due to the harsh climatic conditions,
most people have deserted the town. The town has a few old temples,
gurudwaras and mosques.
Dholavira is a pre-Harrapan site located on the Bhuj-Ahmedabad
route and is home to several shivalingas excavated from an Harappan
village which existed in Dholavira, 5000 years ago.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 91

Mandvi, founded in 1581 A.D. is an ancient seaport. The town has a

very pleasant climate throughout the year and is a summer retreat.
Mandvi is situated about 78 Kms. from Bhuj. Mandvi Hawa Mahal is
also imposing, and is reminiscent of similar palaces of royal traditions
of Rajasthan. Mandvi is also a 400-year-old shipbuilding centre. The
Vijay Vilas Palace has its own private beach maintained in an eco-
friendly manner to preserve its pristine beauty. Kutch is famous for
chinkaras and the Narayan Sarovar Chinkara Sanctuary is about 210
Kms. from Bhuj. This sanctuary is the home of the chinkara or Indian
gazelle. Other animals found in this sanctuary are blue bull, spotted
deer, wild boar and a rich variety of smaller wildlife.

Koteshwar, an important pilgrimage centre for the Hindu religion, is

at a short distance from Narayan Sarovar. Koteshwar-the western most
tip of Gujarat, houses an ancient Shiva temple which overlooks the sea.
It stands as a sentinel on the seashore, rising boldly from the sea that
washes its western parts. The view of the sunset is excellent from here.
The brass Nandi of the temple is an exquisite piece of art. Dholavira
(discovered in 1967) lies in the northwest corner of khadir, a large
island surrounded by the Rann of Kutch

The endless desert inspires the local people to innovate. In Kutch one
will come across master craftsmen who are experts in their traditional
art. Banni is the last village on the border. Kutch is full of quaint little
villages suspended in time. There is a flamingo colony in Kutch which
can be approached from Khavda by road and thereafter on foot. A
homestay at the Banni villages to experience tribal life of Kutch like
Meghawal, Zat, and Mutva is highly recommended. The villages to
visit during your visit to Kutch include Hodko, Dhordo, Khavda,
Ludia, Bhirandariya, Nirona, Jurah and Sumrasar.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 92

During the winter, several species of migratory birds visit Dhordo

which is in the heart of the Banni grasslands on the edge of the silvery,
salt crusted desert. The most unbelievable fact about Dhordo is the
existence of several unnamed Zat villages inside the desert, which are
populated by Zat tribals who once lived deep in the Thar desert and
who migrated to Kutch after partition. The India-Pakistan border is
very near Dhordo.

Meditating inside the silvery desert was soothing as this place is a giant
storehouse of cosmic energy. One has to stay in mud-huts just outside
the silver desert and enjoy the magic of watching the moon play on the
silver sands during full moon nights. After spending a week trekking
inside the silvery desert one is rejuvenated and recharged with energy.

The crimson sunsets, the moonlit nights and the beautiful landscape
coupled with the colourful dresses of the locals and their warm
hospitality ensures that the excitement never stops at Kutch. One
wishes to return to this place, to re-experience the magic. Hamirpur
lake in Bhuj offers the most colourful sunsets and opportunity to sight
migratory Brahminy ducks from Tibet at close quarters.

Kutch is a year-round destination with beaches, palaces, temples, pre-

Harappan sites, wildlife, birds and palaces. One can easily spend a
month in Kutch and experience a new thrill every day. Be it watching
the sunset at Hamirpur lake or sunrise at Mandvi beach or trekking up
Kala Dungar, or swimming in the placid waters of Narayan Sarovar
lake, near Koteshwar Shiva temple.

Both sunrise and sunset are colourful at Kutch. The memory of

watching the full moon inside the silver desert is one of the most
touching moments of one's visit to Kutch.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 93

How to get there?:

The nearest international Airport is at Ahmedabad. Bhuj is a 330 km.

drive from Ahmedabad. Dhordo is located 100 km. away from Bhuj
and nearly 40 km. off the Bhuj-Khavda Highway. Non-stop driving
from Ahmedabad to Bhuj should not exceed eight hours. The White
Desert is located 20 km. away from Dhordo. The final kilometre has
to be made on foot.

Where to stay?:

The Forest Guest house at Kala Dungar is an affordable and

comfortable place to stay. Bookings need to be made in advance and
costs Rs. 500/- per night. The accommodation is comfortable and the
food is basic. The forest department arranges homestays with the local
Zat tribals at Rs. 500/- per night for basic accommodation and
traditional Kutchi breakfast . The homestay is comfortable, as the
tribals provide thick traditional quilts and hot water for baths.

Where to eat?:

Lots of small restaurants serving North Indian and Gujarati cuisine

dot Khavda. All restaurants offer simple but delicious vegetarian fare.
The bajra rotis, with bhindi masala and Gujarati dal is delicious and
melts in the mouth.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 94
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 95

14. Exploring Poshina Hills near Ambaji

The mystery of travelling to an unknown destination is like learning a

new language. One reads numerous dictionaries, books and even
"Learning Languages for Dummies". After mastering a few short
sentences, you locate a native speaker to practice speaking and start
parroting your rehearsed lines. As your sparring partner stares blankly
at your monologue, you do not know how your accents have turned
out to be and if what you said was what was understood or whether
you made a complete fool of yourself by mispronouncing niceties as
insults! One is writing this from the cool confines of one's garden
facing room at Darbargadh Poshina Homestay at Poshina, in the state
of Gujarat. Poshina is located 185 km. away from Ahmedabad. The
non-stop drive from Ahmedabad to Darbargadh Poshina should not
exceed 240 minutes.

The terracotta horses of Poshina are located on the mountain ridge

which separates the Ambaji Hills. It is situated on the Gujarat-
Rajasthan border and covers an area of 400 square kilometres of dry
deciduous forests and is dotted with several lakes.

is a dusty road that leads to ancient tribal Adhya Shakti temples,

believed to be almost five thousand years old. Some of these lead to
rust coloured rivers, underwater caves and limestone cliff formations
along the river bank. Some of the wildlife found at Poshina includes
wild boar, mongoose and blue-bulls.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 96

One passes through a river during one's jeep safari from Poshina to the
terracotta horses. Mr.Harendrapal Sinh (Hanu) Poshina, manages this
heritage homestay and also arranges a jeep safari for their guests. The
terracotta horse temples are located 4 km. away from Darbargadh
Poshina and can be covered in 30 minutes. Guests who drive down to
the terracotta army are provided packed lunch by the team at the
homestay and guests can drive down in the morning, relax by the water
bodies on the fringes of the forest and enjoy an outdoor lunch under
the canopy of trees while listening to the chirping of the birds flying
around the forest.

Darbargadh Poshina is the private residence and a boutique heritage

homestay owned by Gopal Sinh Poshina. The weekend package
offered by Darbargadh Poshina includes a two-night stay for a couple
at their heritage suite (inclusive of all meals). Guests who want to
explore the terracotta horse temple are provided with a packed lunch
and can spend the first day driving through Poshina village and return
to the Darbargadh by 2 p.m. and watch the crimson sunset from their
heritage suite, and drive to Ahmedabad, the next day after lunch.

One starts one's jeep safari from Darbargadh Poshina to the river after
waking up to the chirping of sparrows, mynahs and parrots that reside
in the tall trees that vie with each other for space outside my cosy room.
Breakfast is served at the royal dining room where the chef offers a
multi-cuisine breakfast which includes alu-parathas, khaman, khakras
and theplas. Vegans can opt for fresh fruits and lime juice. The chefs
at Darbargadh Poshina homestay offer vegan food on request, if
informed before-hand.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 97

We start from Darbargadh Poshina at 10 a.m. and reach the terracotta

horses in thirty minutes. The jeep winds its way up the slope. After
thirty minutes of non-stop driving, one comes across several giant slabs
of granite, flanking both sides of the road. As one crosses the river, the
number of rock formations continue to decrease and soon we are
driving through the greenery, which signifies that we have reached our
destination. In a few minutes, we sight terracotta horses under a giant
sacred tree.

The giant tree is symbolic of the Mother Goddess Adhya Shakti which
is revered by the Garasiya tribals. They gather under this sacred grove
for communal dances and make wishes for protection from natural
calamities, good harvest and personal boons too. Once their wish is
granted, they return to the tree and offer a terracotta horse as a symbol
of their gratitude. The thousands of terracotta horses seen under the
tree confirm the power of their faith. We pass several beautiful rock
formations at Poshina while returning from our jeep safari to visit
Garasiya tribals.

The forest trail now begins to appear and one has to drive through a
small rivulet to reach the road which winds up the hill. Fortunately,
the drive over the flowing water takes no more than five minutes and
soon we see some giant hills covered in dense green vegetation at the
distance. This river is rain-fed and the water dries up in the summer
months. The most exciting part of the drive to this temple is the
existence of two giant trees believed by locals to be more than 500 years
old. Only locals can guide you to these temples and our host, took us
directly to both the sacred trees surrounded by innumerable terracotta
horses.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 98

Darbargadh Poshina dates back to the 12th century. The rulers of

Poshina were descendants of the Chalukyas, who ruled Gujarat and
Central India. This marvellous Darbargadh was once the pride of the
dynasty. The architecture comprise huge gateways, a massive dome,
numerous pillars and arches, courtyards, gardens, and terraces.
Looking out to the beautiful views of the Aravalli hills, the ancient fort
walls narrate the stories of the past.

After the attraction of the beautiful Darbargadh has worn off, one can
go for a village walk in the bylanes nearby and watch terracotta horses
being handsculpted at the potter's hut, which is a short walk away
from our cosy abode. After returning from the potter's hut, one can
curl up with a book, or take a walk around the Darbargadh or browse
through the heritage photographs, which have been preserved by the
family. Darbargadh Poshina with its meticulously maintained period
furniture offers a palace experience, a heritage experience with local
cuisine and a jungle experience spread over a short stay of two nights.

Darbargadh Poshina also offers their lawn for weddings and one can
have a royal wedding on the manicured lawns of Darbargadh Poshina.
The ambience at Darbargadh Poshina is natural and simple unlike the
plastic wedding destinations of Thailand and Indonesia. More and
more young Indians should make their weddings memorable by
getting married at unforgettable venues like Darbargadh Poshina.
Darbargadh Poshina is a delight for art lovers and sculpture
enthusiasts, as one can come across several antique paintings and
sculptures throughout one's walk through the corridors.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 99

How to get there?:

The nearest international airport to reach Poshina is at Ahmedabad.

There are several options for Indian tourists to get to Poshina from
Ahmedabad.

By flight:

The easiest way to get to Ahmedabad is by flight. Ahmedabad is

connected to Chennai, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Mumbai and New
Delhi by direct flights. The easiest way to get from Ahmedabad airport
to Poshina is by car. This 185 km. trip should not exceed four hours

Where to eat?:

The vegetarian lunch at Darbargadh Poshina includes hot phulkas

served with traditional Gujarati baingan bhartha with spices and
vegetable pulao with raisins, cardamoms and cinnamon alongwith
Gherkins cooked in mild gravy. Vegan food is served to vegans on prior
request. There are several Kathiawari vegetarian restaurants on the
Ahmedabad-Ambaji road who dish up simple fare like rice, sev-
tamatar ni sabji, roti, dal etc. Fresh fruits including bananas, papayas
and tender-coconuts are available at streetside kiosks outside Poshina.
The packed lunch provided by the chefs for the jeep safari is delicious.
Personally, I found the food healthy and lip-smacking, especially the
baingan bhartha.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 100

Where to stay at Poshina?:

Darbargadh Poshina Homestay at Poshina is an affordable place to

stay. They are extremely affordable by Indian standards. A standard
double-room costs approximately. Rs.4500/- per night (inclusive of all
meals for 2 persons). Foreign tourists frequent this eco-friendly resort
at this time of the year. The suite is spacious and can comfortably
accommodate a family of four (including two children under ten).
The bathrooms are luxurious, with hot water showers. Herbal soaps,
shampoos and conditioners provided by the resort are natural and eco-
friendly. Extra beds with all three meals are charged Rs. 1000/- per
extra bed. Please call Harendrapal Sinh Poshina on +919427609927
for more information about Darbargadh Poshina Homestay.

Weather in January:

The weather in January ranges from pleasant to cold, especially during

the night. For sonorous sleep at Darbargadh Poshina, the Jaipuri
cotton quilt comes in handy, if you plan to sleep for eight hours or
more. I slept at 9 p.m. and woke up at 5 a.m. I must not fail to mention
that the staff at Darbargadh Poshina are a helpful lot and one can have
a refreshing hot shower and have a power nap, before watching the sun
go down. Darbargadh Poshina is a picturesque wedding destination
for foreign couples interested to get married in a palace setting in
traditional Rajput style.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 101

15. About the author

Murli Menon is the President of phenoMenon consultants inc,

Ahmedabad, which conducts stress management workshops for senior
managers based on Indian, Buddhist, Zen and Tibetan scriptures.
These are often week-long workshops on stress management which are
attended by senior management, company directors and CEO’s.
Conceptualised and conducted by Murli these workshops are result
oriented with a focus on stress management using creative
visualisation, tribal trance music and trance forming tribal meditation.
phenoMenon’s clients include Jubilant Organosys Ltd., Trident
Group, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizer Company Ltd., Zydus
Cadila, Recon Healthcare, Ultratech Cement Ltd. and Narmada
Chematur Petrochemicals Ltd. among numerous others. Murli
addressed delegates at the TAAI convention at Genting, Malaysia, in
September’2003 and FHRAI convention at Kolkata, in
November’2003 about “Practical ways to manage stress”. Murli has
conducted ZeNLP workshops for teachers and students of “Madras
Dyslexia Association” at Chennai, in 2006. Murli Menon set up
tips4ceos.com in 1995 which offers online stress management tips to
clients across the world. tips4ceos.com has many national and
international clients including Fortune 500 listed companies. You can
visit tips4ceos.com by pointing your browser to tips4ceos.com and
register for a free 30-day trial.
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 102

phenoMenon consultants inc also conducts week-end, outdoor

residential stress management workshops at beach resorts, country
clubs, hill stations or forest rest-houses for corporates. These can also
be conducted at plants, factories and project-sites with residential and
conferencing facilities. Tailor-made workshops are conceptualised and
conducted for clients with specific training needs. Murli’s other
interests include eco-friendly trekking and he has successfully trekked
up to “Om Parvat” in Kumaon. Murli reached “Om Parvat” on 2nd
June’2004.

Murli holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from St. Xavier’s

College, Ahmedabad and an MBA with specialisation in marketing
from Institute for Management Development and Research (IMDR),
Pune. He is currently engaged in advanced research on the effect of
tribal trance meditation on the unconscious mind and conducts
ZeNLP workshops for teachers, housewives and corporates. Before
founding phenoMenon consultants inc in 1995, Murli worked as a
Product Manager with leading multinationals including Astra-IDL
Ltd.

Murli is also a poet, environmentalist and storywriter. His travelogues

regularly appear in Hindu Metro Plus, Jade and “By The Way”
magazine. His articles on travel to Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand,
Malaysia and Tibet have also been published in Power Politics,
Tourism Asean, India Today (Tourism Special) and Business Line
among others. He is also the author of an anthology of poems titled
“Environment Friendly Poetry”. Murli’s first book titled “ZeNLP-the
power to succeed” has been published by Response Books (Sage
Publications) in June’2004. Murli’s second book titled “ZeNLP- the
power to relax” has been published by Sterling Publishers (New Dawn
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 103

Press) in June’2005. Murli has successfully completed solo treks to

Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet in 2004 and again in 2006. He completed
the inner kora and outer kora (circumambulation) on foot.

Murli is presently working on a cookbook on ZeNLP vegan recipes

titled “ZeNLP and the science of vegan cooking”, a manager’s
handbook titled “Management Lessons from Nature” and a
travelogue about stress management destinations in Cambodia,
Malaysia, Thailand and Tibet titled “Tranquil Travel Destinations”.

Murli is the author of twenty ZeNLP- travel Guides on Rajputana,

Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Cambodia, Thailand,
Malaysia and India. Murli conducts Travel Storytelling Workshops
online for corporates at Bell Guest House, Sayla.

Murli also consults on tribal vaastu which is based on the ancient,

traditional tribal knowledge of building science which teaches the art
of generating positive vibrations. He can be contacted over email at
zenlp@rediffmail.com
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 104

Also available in this series of Travel Guides on Kindle

Books/amazon/Google play books:

(By the same author)

• ZeNLP Travel Guide – India

• ZeNLP- Travel Guide – India - 2
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - South India
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - Thailand
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - South East Asia
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - Rajputana - 1
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - Rajputana -2
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - Rajputana -3
• ZeNLP- Travel Guide - Rajputana- 4
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - Rajputana -5
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - Kerala
• ZeNLP- the power to succeed
• ZeNLP- the power to relax
• ZeNLP- learning through stories
• ZeNLP- learning through stories -2
• ZeNLP- learning through stories of CSR
• Environment Friendly Poetry
• Environment Friendly Poetry -2
• Uttaranchal - a droplet of tranquillity
• Compassionate Cooking -Vegan recipes
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - Thailand
• ZeNLP Travel Guide - South East Asia
ZeNLP Travel Guide - Gujarat 105