← GPSC syllabus
GPSC (Gujarat)Stage 2: Main Examination
Gujarat: Pilgrimage, Heritage and Tourist Places
What the official syllabus says
GPSC Main Examination, Paper IV: General Studies-I, (B) Cultural Heritage.
- Pilgrimage, Heritage and Tourist places of Gujarat.
Topics in detail
Sort places by type and by region, and know why each is significant. Mains questions may also ask about heritage conservation and tourism as an economic activity.
Hindu pilgrimage
- Somnath (Prabhas Patan): first of the twelve jyotirlingas; rebuilt after Independence and inaugurated in 1951
- Dwarka: Dwarkadhish temple, one of the Char Dham; Bet Dwarka; Nageshwar jyotirlinga
- Shakti shrines: Ambaji (Banaskantha), Pavagadh (Kalika Mata), Bahucharaji, Chotila
- Dakor (Ranchhodraiji), Shamlaji, Virpur (Jalaram Bapa)
- Swaminarayan temples: Ahmedabad (Kalupur), Vadtal, Gadhada; Akshardham at Gandhinagar
Jain, Buddhist, Islamic and Parsi sites
- Jain: Shatrunjaya (Palitana), Girnar, Taranga, Shankheshwar
- Buddhist: caves at Junagadh, Talaja and Sana; Devni Mori; excavations at Vadnagar
- Islamic and Sufi: Sarkhej Roza, the shrines at Pirana and Unava (Mira Datar)
- Parsi: the Atash Behram at Udvada; Sanjan and the Parsi arrival
World Heritage and major monuments
- Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004), Rani ki Vav (2014), Historic City of Ahmedabad (2017), Dholavira (2021)
- Lothal, Modhera, Uparkot fort (Junagadh), Laxmi Vilas Palace, Kirti Mandir (Porbandar)
- Freedom struggle sites: Sabarmati Ashram, Dandi, Bardoli
Nature and wildlife tourism
- Gir National Park and the Asiatic lion
- Wild Ass Sanctuary in the Little Rann; Velavadar blackbuck park; Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kachchh
- Wetlands: Nal Sarovar, Thol, Khijadiya
- Saputara hill station, Polo forest, the white desert of the Rann of Kachchh
- Beaches: Mandvi, Shivrajpur; the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia)
Issues
- Heritage conservation in living cities (the pols of Ahmedabad)
- Pilgrimage infrastructure, crowd and disaster management
- Tourism, livelihoods and the environment; community-based tourism
Key places
| Place | District | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Somnath | Gir Somnath | First jyotirlinga |
| Dwarka | Devbhumi Dwarka | Dwarkadhish temple; Char Dham |
| Ambaji | Banaskantha | Shakti shrine |
| Palitana | Bhavnagar | Shatrunjaya Jain temples |
| Udvada | Valsad | Parsi Atash Behram |
| Champaner-Pavagadh | Panchmahal | World Heritage Site; Kalika Mata |
| Rani ki Vav | Patan | World Heritage stepwell |
| Dholavira | Kachchh | Harappan World Heritage Site |
Museums and memorials
- Kutch Museum, Bhuj, the oldest museum in Gujarat
- Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery; Watson Museum, Rajkot; Calico Museum of Textiles, Ahmedabad
- Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya at Sabarmati; the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial at Dandi
Pilgrim and heritage circuits
- Coastal circuit: Dwarka, Porbandar, Somnath
- Jain circuit: Palitana, Girnar, Taranga, Shankheshwar
- Buddhist sites: Junagadh, Vadnagar, Devni Mori, Taranga
- Shakti circuit: Ambaji, Pavagadh, Bahucharaji, Chotila
- Freedom struggle circuit: Porbandar, Sabarmati, Dandi, Bardoli
Overlaps
- Prelims General Studies: pilgrimage and tourist places of Gujarat.
- Parks and sanctuaries also come under environment in General Studies-III.