Mehsana District Guide: Modhera, Vadnagar and Taranga

Mehsana is the heart of the north Gujarat heritage circuit and probably the single most rewarding district in the state for anyone interested in medieval architecture. Within an hour or so of the district town you have the Sun Temple at Modhera, the ancient town of Vadnagar with its Solanki torana and deep archaeology, the twelfth-century Jain temple on Taranga Hill, and the Bahucharaji Shakti Peeth at Becharaji.

It is also comfortable to travel in — flat, well-roaded, an hour from Ahmedabad — and it works well as a two-day base from which Patan and Sidhpur in the neighbouring district are equally accessible. Add Thol Lake for winter birding and Unjha's spice markets, and Mehsana justifies two or three days rather than the single Modhera stop most itineraries give it.

Why base yourself in Mehsana

For Modhera, first. The Sun Temple was built in the early eleventh century under Bhimdev I of the Chaulukya dynasty and consists of three elements — a stepped tank called the Surya Kund, a pillared assembly hall, and the shrine itself — arranged on an axis so that the sun aligns with the sanctum at the equinoxes. The kund is the thing people remember: a rectangular tank with tiered steps descending on all sides and dozens of miniature shrines set into the terraces. The carving throughout is superb.

And for the density around it. Vadnagar, about 50 km away, has a free-standing twelfth-century torana gateway, the seventeenth-century Hatkeshwar Mahadev temple, Sharmishtha Lake and excavations tracing some two and a half thousand years of continuous settlement including a Buddhist monastery, now presented in a large new archaeological museum. Taranga Hill, 55 km north, carries the 1121 Ajitnath Jain temple — Solanki marble of the first rank — reachable by road rather than a long climb. Becharaji is a significant Shakti Peeth with a distinctive devotional tradition.

An eleventh-century Sun Temple with a stepped tank, and it is only one of four major sites here.

What to see

1. Modhera Sun Temple — early morningAbout 25 km from Mehsana. Go at opening for low light on the kund and the carving. An evening sound-and-light show has operated at the site; check current arrangements.
2. Vadnagar — a half dayThe torana, Sharmishtha Lake, Hatkeshwar Mahadev, the old town lanes and the new archaeological museum built over the excavations.
3. Taranga Hill Jain temple55 km north near Kheralu. Check timings and midday closures, leave all leather behind, and walk on to the Digambar shrines and the Taranmata caves.
4. Becharaji (Bahucharaji)A major Shakti Peeth about 35 km from Mehsana, significant in its own right and notable for its association with the hijra community. Behave as at any active shrine.
5. Thol Lake for winter birdingA Ramsar wetland towards Ahmedabad, walkable from bunds at sunrise for flamingos, cranes and northern ducks between November and February.
6. Unjha and the spice tradeOne of India's major cumin and other spice markets. Not a sight as such, but a striking piece of agricultural commerce if you have an interest.

How to get there

Mehsana is about 70 km north of Ahmedabad, roughly an hour and a half by road, and it sits on the railway with services on the Ahmedabad–Abu Road corridor. Ahmedabad has the nearest international airport. Buses run constantly from Ahmedabad and around north Gujarat.

A car is close to essential for the district, because the four major sites are spread across it and none is served usefully by public transport for a day of multiple stops. Roads throughout north Gujarat are good and distances are short. Patan and Rani ki Vav are about 55 km from Mehsana, and Sidhpur is on the same road, which is why Mehsana works so well as a base for the whole circuit.

Where to stay

Mehsana town has a workable range of functional mid-range and budget hotels and is the standard base for the north Gujarat circuit — central, well connected and adequate rather than charming. Two nights here covers Modhera, Vadnagar, Taranga and Patan comfortably.

Patan, 55 km away, is the alternative and has the advantage of putting you at Rani ki Vav for opening. For anything genuinely comfortable, Ahmedabad is an hour and a half south with the full range including walled-city haveli hotels, and Balaram Palace near Palanpur is the best heritage stay in the region, about 90 km north. Taranga has Jain dharamshalas for pilgrims.

Best time to visit

October to March, with November to February the pick. Everything here involves walking in open sites with limited shade — Modhera's kund, Vadnagar's torana and excavations, Taranga's exposed granite hill — and winter mornings give both comfort and the best light for photography. Modhera in particular is transformed by low early sun on the tank.

April to June is hot and the sites become unpleasant by mid-morning. The monsoon greens the countryside and is atmospheric, but it interrupts walking and dulls the light. Two timing notes: Thol's birding is strictly a November-to-February proposition, and Modhera hosts a dance festival in January which is worth checking against your dates in either direction.

Practical tips

• Go to Modhera at opening; the low light on the Surya Kund is the reason to be there early.
• Confirm Taranga's opening hours and midday closure before driving out, and leave leather in the car.
• Check the archaeological museum's opening arrangements at Vadnagar before travelling.
• Base in Mehsana for two nights and add Patan and Sidhpur in the neighbouring district.
• Add a sunrise at Thol Lake between November and February on your way back to Ahmedabad.

Frequently asked questions

Mehsana is the best-value base in Gujarat for anyone who has come for architecture. An eleventh-century Sun Temple aligned to the equinox with a stepped tank of miniature shrines, a town with two and a half thousand years excavated beneath it, a twelfth-century Jain masterpiece on a granite hill you can drive most of the way up, and Patan's stepwell an hour away. Two nights, early starts, and a sunrise at Thol on the way home.