Situated on the banks of River Sabarmati in central Gujarat, Gandhinagar is the second planned city of India, only after Chandigarh. Surrounded by land from all the four sides, this newly made city is also a district on its own.
As the name suggests, it is named after the great patriot of the Indian freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi, the son of the soil. Gandhinagar came into being only after the unification of the Gujarati speaking places during the birth of the state of Gujarat as its proposed capital. Hardly 32 kms away from the erstwhile capital city of Ahemedabad, Gandhinagar is meticulously planned to become the capital of the state. A well planned architectural unit with lots of greenery on the river side definitely gives a fresher look for a capital than the previous capital, the claustrophobic Ahemedabad.
Because of the historical importance attached to Ahemedabad, it is very often mistaken as the capital of the state. But more recently Gandhinagar hit the headlines for the terrorist attack on the Swaminarayan sect temple, the Akshardham temple.
Gandhinagar has seen rapid growth and development in the recent years and now this small self made political capital of the state is ready to change its face and is turning into a trade centre. Efforts to establish the electronic industries near Gandhinagar are on which may make the change over.
Sightseeing: Other than the city itself and the beautiful temple of the Swaminarayan sect, the Akshardham temple, there is hardly any thing that may attract the tourists to this place. The temple is an imposing structure,. The ten storied structure is a magnificent piece of architecture of today's age. It is intricately carved and has a golden idol of the Lord and founder of the Swaminarayan faith. Made in pink sandstone the majestic structure was brutally attacked by terrorist in 2002 September.
A Deer sanctuary and serpent-house in Indroda, a nearby village is worth a mention.
