MAHABAT
MAQBARA
A striking example of the beauty of ancient
mausoleums, the Mahabat Maqbara was
erected by the Nawabs of Junagadh. Mahabat
Khanji began its construction and his successor
Bahadur Kanji completed it in the 19th century.
Located in Chitkana Chowk, it’s one of the iconic
landmarks of the city, an exquisite example of
19th-century art and architecture. Take a tour of
this masterpiece and visit the tombs of Mahabat
Khan and Baha-ud-din, the minister of Nawab
Rasul Khanji, and stop by the Jami Masjid and
Vazir's Maqbara on either side.WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT: To admire the
architecture that showcases an impressive
combination of Hindu, Islamic and Gothic
influences in the form of pillars, windows, arches
and stone-carved walls. The maqbara’s most
striking features are the staircases encircling
the minarets with domes of different sizes,
and the abundance of silver at the portals
combined with intricate carvings; the onion-
shaped dome simply adds to the beauty
of the entire spectacle.ASHOKA
ROCK
EDICTS
On your way to Girnar Hill, make a stop
at the Ashoka Rock Edicts, which date
back to 250 BC. The huge white building
houses 14 edicts of Emperor Ashoka,
carved out of large granite stones with
inscriptions in ancient languages such
as Pali and Brahmi. If that leaves you
wanting more, trek to the top of the hill
to catch a glimpse of the large black
granite slab, complete with major rock
edicts written by Ashoka, showcasing the
history of his life and how he came to be a
Buddhist (www.gujarattourism.com ; 8am- 6pm; entry: ` 5).
WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT:
To understand the inscriptions on the
stones that speak of Ashoka’s philosophy- respect for all religions, developing
a positive attitude, kindness towards
everyone and resistance to greed and
animal sacrifice. The edicts impart
a message of peace, tolerance and
communal harmony, proof that people
of the area were once under the influence
of Buddhism. For all history buffs,
this is an important place to visit!
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ADI KADI VAV
Builtinthe15thcentury,theAdiKadiVavis
astepwellcarvedentirelyoutofhardrock,with
anarrowflightof 120 stairsthatcutsthroughthe
stonetomeetthewellshaft.What’sfarmore
intriguingarethetwolegendsbehindthename.
Onelegendsaysthatthekingorderedastepwell
tobebuiltinthearea;asworkersexcavatedthishard
stone,theyrealisedthattherewasnowater.
Theroyalpriestsaidthatwaterwouldonlybefound
iftwounmarriedgirlsweresacrificed.AdiandKadi
weretheunluckyoneschosen.Theotherstory,
lessfantasticbutprobablymorelikely,claimsthat
AdiandKadiwerethenamesoftheroyalservantgirls
whofetchedwaterfromthewelleveryday.Either
way,peoplestillhangclothesandbanglesonatree
nearbyintheirmemory(www.gujarattourism.com).WHYYOUSHOULDVISIT:Toexplore
thelegendarywellanddigdeepintothehistory
behinditsname.2
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PHOTOGRAPHS: AJAY KADAM