Surat city is located in the state of Gujarat and it is the administrative headquarters of the district of the same name. Surat located on the left banks of the river Tapi is the second largest city of the state of Gujarat. It is also acknowledged as the third cleanest city in the country.
Surat which has a long history has also reference in the epic Mahabharata in which it is said that Lord Krishna is said to have halted at this place on his way to Dwarka from Mathura. Surat was an important port under the Mughal rule.
Surat is one of the most rapidly growing cities in India. It is an important commercial hub of Gujarat. The city owes much of its prosperity to the diamond and textile businesses. It is also known as the diamond capital of the world. Over 92% of the world’s diamonds are cut and polished here. The city is also anointed to the status of textile capital or Manchester of Gujarat. Because of the highest number of embroidery machines found here than any other city it is also known as the Embroidery capital of India.
The city is known for textiles, hand looms and handicraft industry and the Zari work of the city is famous. It has a vast textile market known for its fine silks and exquisite brocades. When in Surat sarees with gold thread embroidery, gold and silver ‘zari’ work and silk saris sarees are a must buy. Sarees adorned with works of Kinari and salma are also speciality of Surat. The city is also famous for diamonds and many jewellery shops are found in Surat.
There are several Places of Tourist’s interest in and around the city.
Old Fort
Old Fort at Surat was built by Mohammed bin Tughlaq in the 14th century as defense against attacks of Bhil tribes. The fort is now being used as the Municipal office of the city.
Surat Castle
Surat Castle is a magnificent castle situated on the banks of the River Tapti. It was built in the 16th by Khudawan Khan. Today it houses several government offices.
Dutch gardens
Dutch Garden or the Dutch cemetery located near Kataragam Gate is about 4 km from the heart of the city. This is an antique mausoleums built in the memory of British and Dutch officers who had landed in Gujarat for their business ventures and settled here. The biggest tombs here are of two English traders Christopher Oxenden and George Oxenden, who were in charge of English factory. The main attraction of the Dutch cemetery is the mausoleum constructed for Baron Adrian Van Reede. He was the director of the Dutch Company in India and he had died here in 1691.
Rangupavan
Rangupavan is the biggest open air theater in the country. Set up amidst beautiful garden this amphitheater is 18 meters by 10.5 meter in its size. It has an astonishing capacity of accommodating about 4000 spectators at a time.
Chintamani Jain Temple
Chintamani Jain Temple located in the Shahpor area of Surat is a highly revered temple by the Jains. This is a 400 hundred years old temple and was established during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. This temple is known for its beautiful vegetable dye paintings on the fascinating wooden walls of the temple. The temple also has some of the rarest paintings of Jain preacher Acharya Hemchandra, Solanki King and King Kumarapala. A sandalwood replica of Chintamani Jain Temple has been placed in London Museum some 90 years ago. Though the exterior of the temple is simple but the inner walls are beautifully crafted which are testimony to craftsmanship and artistry of the artists of the bygone era.
Mughal Sarai
Emperor Shah Jahan of the Mughal Dynasty built this most notable ancient monument during his reign in the year 1644A.D. Since Surat served as a major sea port during the Mughal rule, Mughal Sarai was used as a place to stay for the pilgrims headed for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. During the 18th century this building also served as a jail. Now this building is used as an office of the Surat Municipal Corporation.
Sardar Patel Museum
Sardar Patel Museum and Planetarium, known also as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sangrahalaya is situated in the Sonifalia area of Surat. The museum established in the year 1889 was formerly known by the name ‘Winchester Museum’. It was named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel post-Independence. The museum has a huge collection of specimen related to art and crafts which are classified into different section and exhibited in different galleries. Some of the exhibits here include traditional textiles, oil paintings, stuffed specimens of animal and birds, miniatures, old manuscripts and artefacts made of made of wood, metal, stone, ivory, terracotta, porcelain, sandalwood etc.
Vansada National Park
Vansada National Park is situated in the Valsad District which is 122 kilometres from Surat. Situated on the banks of River Ambikawas it was declared as a protected area in April 1979. Spread over an area of nearly 24 square kilometres this dense tropical moist deciduous forest houses a wide variety of animals such as tigers, leopards, python, four-horned antelope, pangolin, barking deer, rusty spotted cats etc. It is also home to a number of bird species as well as reptiles and insects.
Hajira
Hajira is located 28km from Surat. It is a blooming industrial hub of the country. This place is blessed with immense natural beauty. Hajira houses two wells, containing water rich in iron and sulphur. Also Hajira beach lined with palms and Casuarinas is a major tourist attraction.
Dumas
It is around 16 km off Surat. Dumas is a well-known health resort on the Arabian Sea. The palm and casuarina fringed beach is also very popular.
Suvali
Suvali is 22 kilometres from Surat. This is yet another beautiful casuarina fringed beach. The black sandy beach of Suvali attracts many tourists. This is also known to be the place where the historical ‘Battle of Swally’ was fought between Portuguese and British in 1612 AD.
Ubhrat
Ubharat lies 42 km south of Surat in the Valsad district. The place is known for its palm fringed beautiful and serene sandy beach.
Tithal
It is situated 108 kms from Surat. This place is renowned for its black sandy beach. Tithal is also noted for its Shri Sai Baba Temple and Shri Swami Narayan Temple.
Navsari
Navsari is situated at a distance of just 29 kilometres from Surat. This place has been the headquarters of Parsis ever since their settlement in Surat. This is the birth place of two great personalities- Dadabhai Navroji and the founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji Tata.
Bardoli
Bardoli is located at a distance of 34 km from Surat. This place has great historical significance. It is at this place that Gandhiji launched farmer’s satyagrah popularly known as the Bardoli satyagrah in 1921-22. This protest was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Swaraj Ashram has been built in memory of this historic event and today it is one most visited tourist destination here.
Ukai
Ukai is about 94 kilometres from Surat. This is considered to be the largest reservoir built in the state of Gujarat.
Dandi
Dandi is a small hamlet situated along the coast line near Surat. It is famous for the Dandi March organized by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi had organised the Dandi march in 1930 to protest against the salt laws imposed by the British Government.
Saputara
Saputara literally means the ‘abode of serpents is a well-planned hill station situated in the Dang district, at a distance of 170 kms from Surat. This hill station is located in the dense forest area of the Sahyadri range, at an altitude of 1,000 m. There are several tourist places in Saputara like Saputara Lake, Lake Garden, Step Garden, Rose Garden, Hatgadh Fort, Vansda National Park, Sunrise Point, Nageshwar Mahadev Temple and a museum which exhibits tribal ornaments and musical instruments.
How to Reach Surat
Surat has a domestic airport which is located approximately 11 kilometres towards the south-west of Surat City. However the nearest international airport is at Ahmedabad which is around 268 km from Surat. Surat is one of the major stations in the Western railways network and is well connected to the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vadodra etc. by rail. Surat has an excellent road network and plenty of buses are available from several cities within the state as well as neighboring states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Accommodation
Since Surat is a thriving commercial hub a good number accommodation options are available in the city. Tourists have the option to choose from luxury hotels with all amenities and inexpensive budget hotels according to their budget and requirement.