The 2160 kms road trip to Gujarat - A journey of self discovery and spiritual enlightenment

The Road trip – 2160 kms in Gujarat over 5 days – Transformative experience

Cities covered:

 Thane – Rajkot – Nageshwar – Bet Dwarka – Dwarkadish – Somnath – Diu – Vadodara – Thane

It had been a long while since I went for a road trip and a vacation. Busy with a 10 month long mega technology transformation program that chewed away even the weekends and holidays, as we got closer to the go live date. Go-Live date happened smoothly beyond expectations, and the stabilization phase was going through with minimal disruptions.

It was time for the-holiday. With war clouds on the horizon, travel to anywhere in the Middle East for a short holiday was out of question.

The theme was to reach all the four corners of India before exploring other parts of the world. 2023-24 we were at Kanyakumari, 2024-25 we were at Kashmir. 2025-26 was the time for the West end of India.

The spiritual quests need to be quenched first. Time to visit the two jyotirlinga and the shaktipeet in the western India.

The planning for the trip started. The logistics are far easier when two like-minded wanderlust couple do the planning.

Did I say road trip? Yes.

1.  Car was serviced – Tata Nexon (Fearless Petrol DCA variant) completed 2 years, and the annual mega service was done in early Feb – oil change, air filter, AC servicing, spark plugs replacement. All done. 

2.Tyre rotation, wheel alignment and balancing done.

3.Car sunshades (winter was over and the sun was getting brighter) and neck pillows were bought from Amazon.

4.Car tyre inflator was charged fully. Even offline Google maps were downloaded in both of our mobiles. Redundancy!

N Now comes the route planning.

Shall I trave via ferry from Bharuch to Somnath first, then go to Dwarka and come back to Thane via Rajkot? Or do the opposite? Can I extend it to Pavagarh (shaktipeet) from Vadodara, Statue of Unity, blend in some watersports (scuba et al). Explored air, train, hybrid transport and finally settled for a 100% road trip.

Few ground rules were set.

1.      Wont drive for over 12 hours on any day. Taper off the driving distance with every day of holiday, so that the fatigue does not build up

2.      Strictly no/less night driving

3.      Stop wherever you please – bio breaks, food, refreshments. Explore places of interest nearby

4.      Emphasis on comfort than cost

5.      Wanderlust traveller mindset on a 4-wheeler.

Leaves applied and approved. Budgeting done. Hotels were booked. Packing done. Wifey packs like a Gujarati when traveling to Gujarat. Enough knickknacks to feed a small army.

Day 1: 26^th February 2026 – 6.30am - Hit the road from Thane to Rajkot (657kms  - 11 hr drive).

The skies were still dark. The holiday spirits were burning bright. Within 15 minutes of the start, we encountered a terrific traffic jam in Ghodbunder road. Took 30 minutes to get it cleared. By then sun was up.

Crossed Fountain and took the northward road to Gujarat. I was doing a lot of weaving through the heavy truck traffic all the way till Vapi. Entered Gujarat at Bhilad.

The concrete roads were bumpy. Not a pleasure to drive. The concrete roads had eroded at few places, prematurely. Could see evidently cost cutting in building the highway. Will it last 5 years?

After 2 hours and 30 minutes of driving, stopped for a breakfast at a traditional Jalaram Kathiyawadi hotel.

Filled the tank at Gujarat at a Jio-BP outlet. Jio-BP is running a Rs.2 discount for petrol between 10am to 5pm. Petrol at Rs.92 something is wow! Almost the same cost of diesel in Mumbai.

The expressway NE4 is a delight to drive. Wherever there is asphalt the roads are smooth. Concrete surfaces are the bumpy ones.

Lunch was at another hotel Giriraj Kathiyawadi restaurant near Anand. Recommended by Google Maps baba. Good, sumptuous food.

Took the left turn to Rajkot and we could see the traffic thinning superfast. The roads in Gujarat were super smooth unlike the Maharashtra sector, which were bumpy and uneven surface. Speed increased to 100kph from 80 something in NE4.

Topped up the fuel once again at Vadodara border. The real tank to tank mileage had been 17.1kmpl. Reached hotel in Rajkot by 5.45pm.

Even though the hotel was in the prime part of the town, there was nothing outstanding about it. Hotel Evergrand Palae was a never grand place! Went out to eat some street food basis my Rajkot native colleague’s recommendation. It was good, but we were not in a condition to enjoy them fully. 

We were so tired on the first day of the trip, we went to sleep superfast after dinner. 

Day 2: 27^th February 10am – Rajkot to Nageshwar, Bet Dwarka (227kms – 4h 30min; but it took 6 hours)

Up to Jamnagar the traffic was smoother. Thereafter there was massive congestion of pilgrims walking towards Dwarka.

Chaos, and the surrender

Pilgrims were choking the road – men, women, children, elders all dancing, blaring loudspeakers of bhajans, from their accompanying Boleros, traffic blocked every 100m.

Pilgrims’ vehicles were parked on the left lane – offering water, refreshments, food, leaving just a single lane for the rest of the traffic to flow. Traffic was indeed crawling for km after km. Utter chaos! 

Google maps said, there is a 55-minute congestion until Nageshwar.

On a hot noon time, this was causing lot of irritation and bad mood. No one cares for honks. Find a gap, zoom past, right or left. Does not matter. It was stressful indeed. Who on earth thought of half of Gujarat walking their way to Dwarka for Holi? 

In the turbulence of mind, a sudden Aha! moment occurred. If so many people, of faith, were traveling by foot in a hot day, without complaints, with total surrender, here is you, YOU, whining and complaining in the cool AC comfort of your car! 

Who has better devotion – you or them?  There are Muslim brothers fasting in the holy month of Ramzan. What sacrifice are you making for yourselves? Is my feelings worth it? Were not I superficial and shallow?

The Aha moment vaporized the irritation. The ego melted away making the heart surrender to the devotion of Krishna. The mindset shift helped me keep a cool, calm and equanimous composure for the rest of the journey.

Detour

Google suggested to go through Dwarka through a detour of 20-30 kms. The coastal road from Dwarka to Bet Dwarka was practically empty and scenic too. Beautiful smooth road where one can do 100kph easily.

Had great darshan at Nageshwar – the first Jyotirling in our journey.

After Nageshwar we went to Bet Dwarka, which was an island.  Now there is a beautiful bridge connecting the island with the main land.

Since there were lakhs of pilgrims expected to the town, all the touristy places were closed. Took darshan of Bet Dwarka temple and scooted to Dwarka city for our hotel.The roads were blocked for the pilgrims, and it took a while to reach the hotel. We lost our way in the small bye lanes of Dwarka.  The hotel sent someone in a e-rickshaw to pilot us back to the hotel. The Grand Dwarika hotel, right on the banks of Gomti river, very near the Triveni Sangam is recommended for stay. Very courteous staff.

As soon as we reached the hotel, we refreshed ourselves and got into the line for the darshan of the Lord.

Krishna indeed does his magic in his kingdom, and he energized both of us. The travel tiredness just vaporized. We also learnt we had the darshan on an Ekadashi day.

1. Like Thaipoosam at Palani, Pournami girivalam at Arunachala lakhs of devotees travel to Dwarka around Holi by foot. Never knew it earlier.

2. Men, women, children, elderly - all walk singing songs and bhajans unmindful of the sun (temperature around midday was 28 C and a hot bright sun)

3.  For the padyatri (pilgrims on foot) there are a whole bunch of volunteers who provide water, refreshments, food, tents to rest, including mattresses) all along the highway at every kilometre. There were not many trees to give shade along the highway. We were witnessing this, in not just 10-15 kms but the major part of the 130kms journey between Jamnagar and Nageshwar. Must have crossed several lakh pilgrims on foot.

4. There were no Government signages (including Modi's), or any visible Government support for this. All services done by seva organizations, mitra mandals in a self-regulated way. Society was designed and aligned for this.

5.  No movie songs converted to Bhakti songs were played. All were original folk songs. Some sounded like the traditional Garbha renditions during Navratri.

6. No movie poster anywhere in Gujarat. 

7. The temples in Dwarka, Somnath have no ticketing system for entry. Or Government selling tickets and pocketing revenue. Everyone gets in the same queue.

8. No one jumps queue or fights their way for darshan. Short cut entries were minimal.

9. Even the cops doing the security duty, crowd control were kind, smiling and helpful.

10. Food was abundant (almost everywhere unlimited food) and inexpensive.

That brings the moot point. When a system works without rules, laws and in a self-regulated way, it is the culture of the place and the population, that binds it all together. 

Swadharma is always > BNS

Day 3: Dwarka to Somnath (235 kms – 4 hours drive)

The next day after breakfast, we decided to leave as lakhs of pilgrims were reaching Dwarka for Holi. After some initial crawl navigating pilgrims on foot, we reached the highway that takes us to Somnath.

Scenic empty stretch of very good road – Arabian sea on the right, windmills on the left it was a flowing landscape. A delight to drive.

During the drive, took a detour for Jambavan caves – a natural limestone cave with religious significance. A must visit place.

Reached Somnath by lunch time.

Stayed in Hotel Aditya Man Singh about 1.5 kms from the temple. Recommended place to stay. Food is expensive though.

Took a rickshaw on hire to see all the places of importance (costs Rs.800 to cover most of the points)

After visiting all the places – Krishna was injured by a hunter at Bhalka Tirth), Triveni Sangam, the Chandrabhaga devi shakti sthal and few others.

Reached Somnath temple around 7pm. It took a while to get the lockers to deposit bags, mobile phones, smart watch and remote keys.

Reached the temple just in time after the arti (we could hear the arti being performed while we were just outside the main temple precincts)

Excellent darshan of Lord Somnath in his beautiful temple abode.  We could not get the ticket for the laser show as there was a lot of wait time.

Day 4: Somnath to Vadodara (473 kms – 8 hours 30 minutes)

Day 4 we went to the temple early in the morning – it was not at all crowded and we could have multiple rounds of darshan of Lord Somnath as well.

After breakfast we departed to Vadodara.  Another 8 hours of smooth drive along the coastal road from Somnath with a short detour to Diu - a small union territory.

Thought it will be vibrant like Pondicherry or Goa, but it was no where near so. Went to Pandava Gufa, right on the banks of Arabian sea. Ideally the shivlings supposed installed by Pandavas during their 14-year exile period, are submerged in the sea water. Due to low tide, the sea had receded quite a bit.

The landscape after crossing Bhavnagar became flat lands, devoid of trees and the road was arrow straight for kilometers together. However, I was not in a mood to drive hard.

By evening we reached Vadodara. Stayed in Hotel Effotel by Sayaji, a nice hotel. Recommending this too.

Went for some shopping in Raopura road. What is a road trip without some shopping for the best half who has put up with the monotony of the road trip?

Day 5: Vadodara to Thane (385kms – 6 hours)

After a heavy breakfast, departed Vadodara at 1030 hours expecting traffic in the notorious Ahmedabad – Mumbai national highway. What can be a 6-hour drive, can become a 9-hour drive as well, depending on traffic conditions just outside of Mumbai.

Speed set to 110kph in cruise control in the NE4 stretch. However, NE4 on the return leg, felt bumpier. The sweet spot for this road for a Nexon is somewhere 85-90kph in this stretch, despite the tyres filled with Nitrogen.

Topped up the tank right outside of Gujarat border (petrol is damn expensive in Maharashtra. The three-digit figures are psychological mind block)

Had lunch between Virar and Vasai and the day had been hot – 36 deg Celsius.

Finally reached home at 4.30pm ending the 2160kms road trip. I must compliment Tata Nexon for making a gem of a car.

1.  Rides well. Suspension and vehicle dynamics are fantastic. It is a highway mile muncher.

2.   Holds composure even in bumpy roads and potholed roads with aplomb.

3.   The 7 speed DCA is a breeze in stop and go traffic too.

4.   Engine has enough grunt to drive in 3 digit speeds all day. The engine is at 1700rpm at 80kmph in the 7^th gear and barely cross 2200 rpm at 110kph.

5.   While the road speed limit is 120kph, I was not going beyond 110kph for two reasons:

a.      The road is damn too bumpy in the MH sector when compared to GJ sector

b.     The incessant beeps on reaching 118kph is a nuisance.

6TThe best mileage (tank to tank) I ever got was 18.1kmpl when driven at 80-85kph in the Somnath – Vadodara sector and in the Rajkot to Jamnagar stretch.

7.  When pushed beyond 100kph to 110kph the mileage drops to 16.6kmpl. (tank to tank filling before and after a NE4 run)

8.   Most of the ride was in cruise control on NE4 highways. The cruise control downs a notch and accelerates much harder than my style of driving.

9.   The overall 2160km drive had a MID mileage of 18.9kmpl. In real world it could have been 17 -18 kmpl easily.

OK. What changed during/after the trip?

During very long drives, the body runs the car. The mind freezes on its own and reboots itself at some point in the drive.

You are in the Now without any thought. Just being one with the car, everything, everyone around. Alert yet restful.

Wifey complained that I was in some dazed state. Not talking, not listening. Just be!

And a spiritual tour to holy places comes with its own energy changes. Stresses and complaints of daily life vaporize to nothingness. The mind stops chattering and at some point, it stops and goes through a reboot.

Fresh perspectives emerge for the same daily situations. Gaps emerge between thoughts and response.

Flow state is restored. Mind aligns to the natural rhythm of Life. Peace!

Soma (moon) controls mind. Somnath brings in peace of mind never experienced before.

The deities reveal themselves at those holy spaces. Surrender, gratitude, magnanimity, thankfulness to the grandeur of life that has been given. That shall be given.  For this body, the earlier bodies – ancestors, family members, protector angels and everyone.

No complaints or prayers asking this and that. Just be.

I had to lose myself, to find my new self.

End old stories to rewrite new chapters from fresh new pages.

The smartwatch reported deep sleep of 2 hour plus (never had this much deep sleep before), and sleep was sound, as the body was tired. However, I was not oversleeping on any day, as the mind was fresh, with less thoughts to drain it.

Refreshing the mind when the body is tired is quite paradoxical, is it not?

Prelude – To the book “The road more travelled”

The roads are eternally waiting with some lessons. 

Only for those travellers who have the curiosity, courage, initiative and the drive. 

Travelers come and go, all the time. 

Trading distance for memories, relationships, lessons of life. 

I will not be able to see the whole road until my destination. The vision stops at the horizon, at a distance. 

What lays beyond is I won't know. 

I need to travel only to the distance what I can see. On reaching the point what I saw earlier as the horizon, the road opens up some more. Another set of  new experiences until the next horizon. And it keeps doing, until I stop or the road ends.

Does not matter, wherever the road takes you, keep walking.