Kuch din bitao Gujarat mein.... Part 4

Our last and final day in Gujarat... 

It has been a great trip to so far and all of us are looking for a fantastic closure. Today our destination is Vadodara,  112 km from Ahmedabad.  It took us about 2 hours to reach and the first place we visited was Dakshinamurti temple inside the military campus. The uniqueness of the temple is that aluminium waste sheets from aircraft, etc. were used to erect the structure. This temple is situated in the compound of EME School of Indian Army at Vadodara. Being dedicated to Lord Shiva, the idol is seated in south-facing position. The structure of the temple was built in 1965 in the shape of Geodesic dome with the help of Aluminum waste sheets from Aeroplane etc. 

The temple conceived and designed by Brig AG Eugene and the architectural pattern represents five religions- the 'kalash' on the top of the dome signifies Hinduism, the 'dome' signifies Islam, the 'tower' represents Christianity, the 'golden-structure' on the top of the tower represents Buddhism and the entrances to the temple with their respective shapes signifies Jainism. The Indian Army takes up the entire organizational work. 

Dakshinamurty Temple made from aluminium waste

The Shiv Lingam surrounded by Banyan trees is wrapped in a air of calmness and stillness. The temple is an ideal place for meditation.The whole area is sprawled with statues of hundreds of years old collected by army men. There is a miniature replica of an artificial cave, modeled on the famous Amarnath Gufa(Cave). The darkness, the dipping water, the snow(refrigerated) covered lingam and the continuous Shiva Mantra chanting makes it really fascinating experience.

Amarnath Cave replica

After the temple, we went to the Laxmi Vilas Palace which is the house of Raja Sayajirao Gaekwad.  Still the residence of Vadodara’s royal family, Laxmi Vilas was built in full-throttle 19th-century Indo-Saracenic flourish at a cost of 6 million. The most impressive Raj-era palace in Gujarat, its elaborate interiors boast well-maintained mosaics, chandeliers and artworks. It’s set in expansive park like grounds, which include a golf course. The palace is a majestic structure with beautiful ornaments and display of luxury. We were provided with an English audio guide that helped us through the ground floor rooms. While trying to capture the entire palace in one frame,  I slipped and fell, damaging one of the fountain which was actually hilarious.

Laxmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara

After that, we quickly finished lunch and started for Anand which is the birthplace of Amul and houses the Milk Factory. Did you know that Amul stands for Anand Milk Union Limited. I was very keen on visiting this factory although it meant we were driving 50 km further down from Vadodara to Anand. What made it trickier was that the plant allowed visitors only between 2pm and 4pm. So, not only were we driving to another city for just one attraction but also racing time to arrive between fixed visiting hours. But I was willing to go the extra mile (quite literally) to visit a factory that brought White Revolution in India and changed the way dairy farming was practiced in the country. Also, made the country the world’s largest producer of milk and milk products.

Entrance to Amul Factory and Museum

The guards performed a security check at the entrance and assigned gate pass for the group. Also, strict instructions were given for "No Photography" inside the premised. As it was already past 4 pm, the dairy museum was closed. Hence, we directly went to the factory which currently produces butter and milk, milk powder.  On the way, we were captivated by the sight of huge milk silo units which quickly become the best feature of our entire visit. Inside the factory, an assigned employee acted as our guide and took us through some of the departments, mainly, Quality control, Processing and Packaging of Amul butter and the process of making skimmed milk powder. We could see these huge machineries at work through large glass windows. Also, we could see the history of Amul in the backdrop of visually attractive collage walls. The guide threw light on interesting facts like the factory runs 24 hours and employees work on rotational shifts. Also, the entire factory is machine run and these heavy duty machines can produce and pack up to hundreds and thousands of standard products in a minute.

The Amul parlors inside the premises sell its products at the same cost as that available in the market. This makes no sense for visitors who like to purchase stuff from locations they go visiting as a token of remembrance. However, we did end up purchasing some memorabilia for friends and families. In front of the dairy museum was a statue of the Amul Girl. Amul girl refers to the advertising mascot used by Amul. The advertising often been described as one of the best Indian Advertising concepts because of their witty humour. The Amul girl dressed in a polka dotted frock with blue hair and a half pony tied up has always been my favorite cartoon character. I convinced one of the guards to allow me to click a photo of the statue.  

Amul Girl in front of the dairy museum

The visit did not live up completely to the expectations as it has limited to offer. Having said that, I wasn’t very disappointed with my Amul factory visit. I reckon, this is because it was a treat to be at a place which is the ultimate example of rural organization that not only brought a national change in dairy practices but also became one of the largest food brands in India.

While my days in Gujarat came to an end, this travel diary would be incomplete, if I do not talk about one of the unique transportation system that I noticed in Ahmedabad. The Bus Rapid Transit System [BRTS] is a concept that details out of a dedicated traffic lane for the movement of public transport buses. In a BRT system, since the vehicles travel in exclusive lanes, they avoid the congestion on the road. At the same time, other motorized traffic is benefited due to shifting of buses to dedicated lanes. I wish other state governments implement similar model to improve the traffic system.

BRTS Bus Stand in Ahmedabad

After spending the last 10 days in this beautiful state, I can also easily say that the diversity demands a must visit from all travelers. Personally, I would cherish my memories for a very long time. I am already planning a second trip to cover the remaining places that I missed - Bhuj, Dwarka and Greater Rann of Kutch!!

To view more photos, visit Flickr Gujarat