Home › Aravalli › Malpur
HERITAGE TOWN · STEPWELLS · ARAVALLIMalpur
A quiet Aravalli heritage town — Malpur, with its old stepwells, ancient temples and the unhurried pace of a district town that hasn't been discovered by tourism.
A quiet heritage town
Malpur is a heritage town in Aravalli district — small, quiet and possessed of the kind of understated charm that comes from genuine age: old stepwells, carved stone temples, the 19th-century street layout of a Gujarati market town. The Malpur vav (stepwell) is one of the most interesting in the district — a multi-storey structure with carved columns and a sequence of descending platforms that brings visitors progressively closer to the water below.
The town is not a tourist destination. It functions on its own rhythms — the morning market, the temple bell, the afternoon quiet — and this makes it precisely the kind of place that rewards the curious traveller who arrives without expectations. (Self-guided; all free. Ask locals for the vav.)
Illustration — Malpur, Aravalli.
From a riverside experiment to the road to freedom
Illustration — Malpur vav.
Malpur grows as an early settlement in the Aravalli foothills of North Gujarat.
The town's multi-storey vav is carved during Gujarat's great stepwell era.
Malpur settles into the rhythm of a 19th-century Gujarati market town.
It remains a quiet, undiscovered heritage town away from the tourist trail.
Reasons to make the time
Heritage stepwell
Malpur vav.
Quiet
No tourism.
Old town
Gujarati market.
Explore
Self-guided.
History
Ancient Gujarat.
Photography
Unphotographed.
What to look for inside
The stepwell
Multi-storey carved.
Malpur
Gujarati heritage.
Carved stone
Ancient temples in carved stone.
Old streets
The old Gujarati market-town street plan.
Descend the vav
Cool, carved platforms drop to the water.
Undiscovered
A genuinely quiet, untouristed stop.
How to spend an hour or two
Find the vav
Ask locally — the Malpur vav sits off the main street, away from any signage.
Descend the stepwell
Step down the cool, carved platforms that drop toward the water below.
Walk the old town
Wander the market streets and the 19th-century lanes of the old town.
See the temples
Seek out the town's ancient temples and their carved stone work.
Visit the market
The morning market is the liveliest hour — come early for the best of it.
Sit quietly
Slow down and take the town at its own unhurried pace before moving on.
Illustration — Malpur stepwell.
Malpur vav — a carved stepwell
The Malpur vav is a multi-storey stepwell with carved columns and descending platforms — a quiet example of Gujarat’s magnificent stepwell tradition, hidden in a heritage market town. (Illustrated emblem shown; ask locally; all free.)
Malpur vav — multi-storey carved stepwell
Old Gujarati market-town street plan
Ancient temples; carved stone
No tourism — a genuinely quiet stop
When to go
Cool & clear — ideal. The most comfortable window for unhurried wandering.
Lush and green, but roads may flood. Mornings are fresh and uncrowded.
Hot and dry. Still doable if you keep to early mornings.
⏰ October to March is ideal for Aravalli.
Timings & entry
- Open daytime hours
- Cool season best
- Morning ideal
- Check locally
- Free; open access
- Good road connections
- Pair with Shamlaji
- Cool months best
Getting there
By Air
Ahmedabad airport is the nearest major gateway, about 130 km away by road.
By Rail
The closest railheads are at Himmatnagar and Modasa, both a short drive from the town.
By Road
Reach Malpur via NH-48 and Modasa — good road connections from across North Gujarat.
Capturing Aravalli
ARAVALLI HILLS
Malpur
What to shoot
The stepwell — its carved columns and descending platforms.
Old town
The market streets and 19th-century lanes of the old town.
Best time
Morning, when the market is busiest and the light is soft.
Temples
The carved stone of the town's ancient temples.
Know before you go
More to see close by
Where to eat around the ashram
Gujarati Thali
Hearty home cooking.
Farsan
Gujarat's famous snacks.
Street food
Local dhabas in Aravalli.
Adivasi cuisine
Millets and forest produce from Bhiloda — the tribal flavours of the Aravalli foothills.
Malpur FAQ
What is Malpur?
A heritage town with stepwells and old temples.
Where is the vav?
Ask locally — it's off the main street.
Entry fee?
Free.
When?
October to March.
How long?
2–3 hours.
Is it touristy?
No — entirely local.
Related places across Gujarat
Chotila
A hilltop Chamunda Mata shrine
Meshvo Lake
A calm dam-lake beside the Shamlaji temple
Anjan Kund Shrine
A sacred forest pool by the falls
Eastern Gir Trails
Quiet forest roads far from the tourist gates
Sidi Saiyyed Jali
◐ Morning · backlit
Girmal Falls
The tallest waterfall in Gujarat
WHERE TO STAY
Find your stay in Gujarat
Compare live prices across the big booking sites and reserve in a few taps. Booking happens securely on the partner's site — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
SHOP THE REGION
Bring home Gujarat — & travel essentials
Hand-picked crafts and trip gear, available on Amazon.