Lakhpat: An offbeat travel destination in Gujarat

Lakhpat is a stunning fort-town located on the western edge of India in Gujarat. The word Lakhpat is derived from Lakhpati (literally meaning millionaire) and was once a town of millionaires; currently its more of a ghost town, not even an image of its lush past. Hardly anyone lives here anymore, with most of the houses locked and the roads devoid of any living souls.

The majestic gate to the town

Fort walls around

A desolate building

Few more houses, deserted

History suggests that Indus (locally Sindhu) used to flow right next to the town and connected the fort-town to the near-by sea. An earth quake changed all that and the river changed its course, and this triggered the town's descent into oblivion.

From a major trading point when the river was around, the town couldn't develop other means of sustenance and withered away. Makes me think how important water was back in the days, not just for life to develop and grow but also for business to flourish. Its true even now, but perhaps not as much with water pipelines and dams helping cities grow and thrive.

With our host

The car that bought us here

The fort walls

The fort walls

Meenu with the host

Where Indus once flowed...

A small temple

The fort walls enclose the whole town, with a huge gate welcoming any visitors (rare) inside. There is little to be seen once you get in except shrubs and a few houses and trees, but somehow the fort walls keep you excited till you reach them. It was already early evening and we were late for the day, but I was insistent on climbing the walls and our host as well as Muzayun relented. I regret not being able to walk all around the town on the wall, it would have been fantastic. A local friend-cum-guide bragged about how Abhishek Bacchan's opening sequence in the movie Refugee was shot here.

The next stop in the town (after the wall climbing) was the Gosh Mohmad Kuba followed by Auliya Allah Hazrat Dargah. The Dargah is especially admirable, adorned with intricate stone-work, most of it covered with white lime now. We were lucky to have found it open even so late in the evening. Muzayun was especially happy to be close to her God. The silence of the place stays with you even later.

We prayed for a while and sat to see the sun go down. It was a beautiful and a sad sight, sad because to the wonderful town which was in ruins now.

Kuba door

Intricate kuba carvings

The overall Kuba structure

Auliya Allah Hazrat Dargah

Auliya Allah Hazrat Dargah

Auliya Allah Hazrat Dargah.

Auliya Allah Hazrat Dargah.

Inside the Auliya Allah Hazrat Dargah.

The Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib is the most famous of the town's landmarks. Guru Nanak stayed here on the way to his journey to Mecca. Read more about his historic journey here. Some of Guru's relics are also stored here. The beautiful gurbani adds even more serenity to the sacred space, especially as the sun sets over the fort walls and a relaxed calm falls over the place. The Gurudwara is a simple mud structure with little adornments and has remained so from the time it was built. We had our dinner at the Gurudwara at the open langar, I especially loved the halwa made with desi ghee; I ate Muzayun's share as well and took another helping later. The few sikhs who run the place are extremely helpful and forever smiling, also willing to answer many of my questions.

The plaque outside the Gurudwara

The only image I could take of the mud Gurudwara

It was already dark by the time we crossed the once formidable gate on our journey backward. I cannot quite understand it, but the few hours I spent in the town were very impactful.

Where to stay?

I always intended to revisit the town and stay there for a couple of days, there is a Gujarat Tourism guest house which can house any travelers. I am still hopeful I shall do it someday, hopefully soon.

Read more on Lakhpat at the Gujarat Tourism website here.

How to go?

You can take bus from Bhuj, hire a cab or drive down. Its a long drive and can get terribly hot during summers. 

Here is a map if you want to drive down to this lovely dead down:


View Larger Map

p.s. Apologies for the pictures, they are disastrous at best. Had a really old camera which ran out of batteries, and Muzayun's camera wasn't working well that day either.