Tourist Places To Visit In Rajkot

Rajkot is a remarkably historic and one of the modern cities in Gujarat. It has several places of interest for tourists and locals. The city is filled with beautifully designed historic temples which have an amazing combination of traditional and modern architectures. Zoological parks, wildlife sanctuaries, museums, and ancient caves become the talk of the town and mesmerizing for sightseers. Let’s discuss some of the best places to visit in Rajkot.

At a distance of 42 km from Rajkot Junction, lies a dense woodland in the Khijadiya village known by the name Rampara Wildlife Sanctuary. Undoubtedly, it is the major tourist place in Rajkot. The best thing about this sanctuary is that it’s an alternate breeding center of the endangered species of big cats, Asiatic Lions. It harbors a large number of species of animals, birds, and plants. This sanctuary is famous for housing antelopes, Nilgai (Indian Bulls), wolves, hyenas, common foxes, jackal along with over 130 species of birds. This includes ringdove, partridge, purple sunbird, common peafowl, large gray babbler yellow-throated sparrow amongst others. A watch-tower within the vicinity offers a fantastic panoramic view of the entire sanctuary to the visitors.

At just about 2 km from Rajkot Junction, Kaba Gandhi No Delo is a famous museum in the city near Dharmendra road. It is an ancestral home of Mahatma Gandhi. It is said that he spent his early years of life from 1881-87 AD at this place which was later converted into a museum. The house was built in a typical Saurashtrian style of architecture. Arched gateways and courtyards add to the beauty of this place. If you follow Gandhi and his ideology, this is a must-visit place for history lovers. It has been declared as a national monument known as 'Gandhi Smriti'. Here, you can see various original items related to Mahatma Gandhi like his personal belongings, photographs, and other objects. There's also a small weaving school which is maintained to preserve Mahatma’s passion for handloom. It’s currently managed by the Non-Government Organization. So take a walk down to the history of India’s greatest leader.

Rotary Dolls Museum is one of the best learning spots for children in Rajkot. It is situated in Dr. Yagnik Road at a distance of 3 km from Rajkot Junction. This one-of-a-kind museum was started by Deepak Agarwal in the year 2001. He opened this for children as he wanted them to gain valuable insights about the world through dolls, in other words, fun and entertaining way.

It houses over 1,600 dolls from over 102 countries which are generously donated by the Rotary Clubs across the world to the museum. For the unique collection of dolls, this museum has earned a place in the Limca Book of Records. The primary attraction of the museum is the 'Rocking Zebra'. Besides dolls, permanent archives of documents related to dolls are maintained in the museum. So visit this place with your children and get fascinated by the things on display.

Named after the British Political Agent of Kathiwad, Colonel John Watson, this is yet another museum in Rajkot at a distance of 2 km from the railway station. It is one of the largest museums in Gujarat. It showcases the history of India and the colonial history of Rajkot. There are various sections in the museum namely, coins, sculptures, coins, paintings & manuscripts, wood-work, rocks and minerals, musical instruments, folk, and anthropology. Several copies of artifacts collected from the Saurashtra region that include the 13th- century carvings, Mohenjodaro, temple statues, and Indus Valley Civilization are preserved here. A huge marble statue of Queen Victoria of the 19th-century is one of the best things about this museum.

To add more value to the museum, you can spot several splendid photographs of Saurashtra's royal princes and prominent European dignitaries. Every year on the second week of January, the museum organizes a weeklong Bhartiya Shilp Samrudhi festival.

At a mere distance of 5 km from Rajkot Junction, you come to a famous zoo located on the bank of Lal Pari Lake known as Pradyuman Zoological Park. Spreading in an area of over 130 acres it’s one of the finest zoological parks in India that has modern amenities and provides a natural habitat to several animals, birds, and more than thirty-five thousand trees. Lions of Gir, white tigers, and leopards are the best attraction of the park. Besides, you can spot antelopes, sambhar, chinkara, crocodiles, blackbucks, and four-horned antelopes amongst other animals. You can also spot many migrating birds at this place.

This park is also a famous picnic spot for locals and tourists wit several facilities such as battery vehicles for aged and senior citizens, restaurants, drinking water, signboards, drinking water, lavatories, and comfortable seating arrangements.

Lal Pari Lake is a prime picturesque natural lake located at a distance of 6 km from Rajkot Junction. A popular picnic spot for travelers and locals, this lake offers an opportunity to explore the beauty of nature in a surreal way. This lake is an ideal place for bird-watchers and nature photographers as many birds visit this lake every year. Here you can spot black-tailed godwit, spoonbills, rosy pastors, common teak, purple moorhen, and pelican among many others. The sunrise and sunset at this lake offer an amazing view with the cool breeze enhancing the atmosphere and giving a tranquil feel to the visitors. The place is also very clean and well-maintained. So go along with your family and loved ones and take some cool pics.

Shri Swaminarayan is a Hindu temple located at a distance of 4 km from Rajkot Junction. It is one of the most popular and beautiful temples in Rajkot. The temple is constructed in accordance with the Ancient Vedic Shilpa Shastra techniques. Surprisingly, no contemporary building material was used in its construction. The whole temple is built with Pink marbles of Udaipur, Ambaji and Makrana marbles. There are three shrines inside the temple. The first is dedicated to Harikrishna Maharaj and other to Lord Krishna and Radha. Besides, there are several other idols inside the temple such as Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj, and Pramukh Swami Maharaj. This temple is renowned worldwide for different social and humanitarian services. It is run by a charitable trust that helps people during natural disasters, all over the world.

Jagat Mandir is a beautiful temple which was built in the year 1934. Located at a small distance of 4 km from Rajkot Junction, it’s a spiritual place situated in the serene premises of Ramakrishna Ashram in Rajkot. It is also known by the name Universal Temple which is carved out of red stones. Dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa the temple has a modern structure integrating different religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. There’s also an Ayurveda Center, a library, book store, a guest house and an exhibition that showcases the life of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa inside the Ramakrishna Ashram. An interesting place to be at.

A Syro-Malabar Catholic Church located at a distance of 7 km from Rajkot Junction is indeed one of the top religious places in the city and among the best places of sightseeing in Rajkot. Prem Mandir is a dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The remarkable feature of Prem Mandir is its architecture. The structure looks more like a traditional Hindu temple rather than a church. The cathedral has 5 domes that consist symbols of different religions and a pinnacle. Its arches and granite carvings appear to be inspired by Indian mosques. Imprints of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism are clearly visible and it is the only church where 'Aarti' is performed.