Best time to visit : September to March
Historical and cultural heritage is continually defeating time at Veraval, the city that forms a part of Gujarat’s Junagadh District. Founded and inhabited throughout by royals and Nawabs, the city still retains its royal legacy in the form of old forts and palaces. In addition to cultural tours, this west India destination is also a destination of repute among pilgrims because of its close proximity to a number of religious sites. Beach tourism also keeps this port city busy with the tourist activities. Useful tourist information has been summarized in the following sections of Veraval city guide.
Facts
Veraval was founded as a fortified town and fort walls can still be explored on a trip to the city. Royal features blended with gothic elements make different old structures of the city interesting and worth exploring. Once a popular trade port and gateway for Mecca pilgrimage from India, Veraval today is one of the country’s most significant fishing ports. Traditional boat making industry of the place has managed to survive, despite of the fact that no specialized machines are used in the process. It is fun to watch the expert boat makers busy in their task near the sea shore. The city experiences extremely hot and humid weather during summers and high rainfall during monsoons.
There are two completely distinct types of restaurants one can find in Veraval. For being close to Hindu pilgrimage sites, there are restaurants that serve purely vegetarian cuisines. Sukhsagar is among the best choices for tasty menus and hygienic environment. On the other hand, there are places that offer scrumptious seafood because of the city being a beach destination. Hotel Park has a barbeque restaurant, one of the best in the region.
There is nothing much interesting to buy in Veraval. Few stores offering handicrafts and others offering religious items can be accessed while moving towards Somnath Temple.
Nearby Places:
- Somnath (about 5 km.): Popular for Somnath Temple which is a highly revered Jyotirlanga (one among 12 located in different parts of India) dedicated to Lord Shiva and located on a beautiful beach. The place also has many other popular temples like Gita Mandir, Sun Temple and Lakshminarayan Temple.
- Triveni Ghat (about 9 km.): The place where three sacred rivers Kapil, Hiran and Saraswathy meet and make their way to sea.
- Prabhas Patan (about 8 km.): It is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna (an avatar of Lord Vishnu) left Earth for his abode after fulfilling various aims for which he took the avatar.
- Chorwad (about 25 km.): A quaint coastal village with an outstanding beach and a relaxing environment.
- Gir National Park (about 40 km.): The only left home to Asiatic Lions, the park also has many other wild species living in their natural habitat.
- Kodinar (about 48 km.): The place where original Dwarka (called Mul Dwarka) is located, Kodinar is also famous for the signs of Harrapan Civilization and Bapeshwar Shiva Temple.
- Junagadh (about 84 km.): Once a princely state, Junagadh now is popular as one of the historic tourist places in Gujarat with attractions like forts, Buddhist caves, temples and holy hills of Girnar.