Gandhinagar district General information
Gandhinagar district is one of the districts in Gujarat state, whose headquarters are at Gandhinagar, the state capital. It has an area of 649 km², and a population of 1,334,455 of which 35.02% were urban (2001 census). The district includes four taluks and 216 villages. Gandhinagar district is bounded by the districts of Sabarkantha to the northeast, Kheda to the southeast, Ahmedabad to the southwest, and Mehsana to the northwest.
As Maharashtra and Gujarat were parted in 1960 Ahmedabad was made a temporary capital of the state. Hence it was decided to develop a whole new town afresh, which would meet all priorities and parameters of a capital. The foundations of the new capital near Ahmedabad were laid in 1964-65. The planning was based on Chandigarh blue prints, the first ever-whole new town in post independence era, developed by French architect La Corbusier.
There are 30 sectors in the town. The secretariat, assembly, other government offices and residential complexes were built. The roads are broad enough. The electricity, water supply and other amenities have been established. A special care has been taken to avoid pollution. There are plenty of trees in the town. The parks of Gandhinagar have become tourist attractions. It seems that a whole new town has all of a sudden grown in agricultural fields.
Some of the villages around Gandhinagar have been included in the district of Gandhinagar. Adalaj near Gandhinagar is world-famous for its stepwell. The architecture of the stepwell is extra-ordinary. The multistoried stepwell has many underground rooms and each pillar is a piece of art.
Some more tourist attractions are also there in and around Gandhinagar. The deer sanctuary and serpent-house in Indroda, a nearby village is one of them. The festival of 'Palli' in Roopal village during Navaratri festivals is one more tourist attraction. Vasaniya Mahadeo at Vasan village is also worth a visit.
Tourist Place
Akshardham: Akshardham is the famous temple of "Swaminarayan Sect" which is the richest sect in the world. It is a unique cultural complex built in Gandhinagar in memory of Lord Swaminrayan. Inspired by H. D. Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Akshardham is a miracle worked by the service and devotion of thousands of volunteers. It is an intricately carved, majestic monuments of 6000 tons of pink sand stone awash with spiritual stillness. The entire monument was built without the use of steel. Besides a 7 feet gold leafed idol of Lord Swaminarayan and his holy relics, there are three exhibitions on Indian Culture with light and Sound shows, a multimedia show and an animatronic show. Games, rides and food refreshments are other attractions of Akshardham.
Capital Complex: In the heart of the capital, in Sector 10, is the well-laid-out complex of buildings housing the legislature and government offices. Vithalbhai Patel Bhavan, a magnificent domed building, stands majestically on a high podium in the centre of a circular lake and houses the Vidhan Sabha and the legislature offices. Flanking it, and linked by hanging corridors, are two modern multi-storeyed buildings. Sardar Bhavan, which is to house the various departments of the State Secretariat, and Narmada Bhavan, where the offices of all the heads of departments are situated. The Secretariat along with the offices of the heads of various departments are now located in a complex of three-storeyed buildings constructed to house the district offices, in sector 9.
Children's Park: A major attraction for children and holiday, makers of the Children's Park in Sector 28 has a mini train and a lake with boating facilities.
Sarita Udyan: In sector 9 and along the river front is the lovely Sarita Udyan, an ideal spot for picnickers. The entire area is being developed to provide full recreational facilities. Deer Park - Adjacent to Sarita Udyan, at Indroda village, on the outskirts of the capital city, is the sprawling deer park - a big draw for both children and adults.
Craftsmen's Village: Located near Gandhinagar, on the Sabarmati river back, is Pethapur village, only 7kms from the capital. Once famous for its colourful `Bandhani' saris, the village also used to export wooden printing blocks to Singapore. The wooden blocks, with exquisite patterns carved on them, are used for the hand-printing of cloth. They are still in demand in the major hand, printing centres of India like Ahmedabad, Bombay, Jetpur and Rajkot. The Pethapur craftsmen are mainly Gujjar Suthars. Architectural Marvel - Adalaj Stepwell, 15 kms from the capital on the National Highway, is famous for its unique architecture with a huge artistic edifice and a flight of steps that enables one to reach the water, whatever be its level. The Adalaj stepwell is considered to be the best of all stepwells in Gujarat.