Description:
Anand:
A small township at half an hour distance form the city of Baroda, Anand, now has become a synonym to AMUL and operation flood. The milk town of India, Anand is probably the largest milk cooperative of the world. It produces more than one million tones of milk daily, out of which nearly 70% is sent to nearby cities and states.
A noteworthy effort by Dr. Varghese Kurien, known as the father of the operation flood, Amul was derived by walking on the lines of Sardar Patel and Tribhuvandas Patel. India has the largest cattle population in the world, has overtaken the US and also is the largest producer of milk in the world.
The cooperative was based on a simple theory of cutting off the middlemen who made the farmers and the milkmen sell their products on their terms. This was a torture for the farmers and the middlemen would be the only beneficiaries. With people like Dr. Varghese Kurien and Tribhuvandas Patel leading the mantle, the farmers joined hands and the simple start has come up as the largest milk cooperative of the world.
Today Amul is famous for its various milk products like cheese, butter, curds, chocolates and many more. Anand has huge factories producing and recycling all these products. The cooperative has given the farmers all that they had wished for. Anand makes worth for visit to have a look at the world's largest milk cooperative and pay tribute to the vision of Sardar Patel.
Champaner and Pavagadh:
Just 47 kms from Baroda is the town of Champaner an ancient capital of Sultan Mehmud Begada in 1484. Here he built a citadel and outer city walls and a magnificent Jama Masjid which ranks amongst the finest architectural edifices in Gujarat. In Champaner the principles of Islamic architecture were successfully combined with local Jain traditions and workmanship to create a style of exceptional elegance and beauty. Champaner lies at the foot of Pavagadh Fort, nearly a 2 km distance. The Pavagadh hill rises in three stages. The two points on the hill are named after goddesses Bhadra Kali and Maha Kali.
Other than this Pavagadh is also famous as the birthplace of the famous musician, Baiju who preceded Tansen.
Bharuch:
Bharuch district town on the banks of Narmada is around 70 kms from Baroda. Although it has had a long history hardly anything of that, other than a massive fort, remain in this ancient town. It was known as the Kanam Pradesh, due to the uniquely black coloured soil which produces cotton.
