Much of Indian historical heritage is biased towards the Gangetic plains but, as Champaner proves, there is much to see in parts of India you don’t expect to find much history at. This is an ancient land and there is something at every corner which we will discover during the third edition of Hyundai India’s “Great India Drive.”

Flagged off at the Statue of Unity near Vadodara by Hyundai India Managing Director SS Kim, we intend to explore some of Gujarat’s impressive historical sites such as Champaner, Rani Ki Vav, the Modhera Sun Temple and the historic centre of Ahmedabad. Gujarat has some of the most impressive historical sites in India, which are usually off the tourist trail but need to be exposed to the driving holiday circuit.

The Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India’s first Home Minister who effectively brought in the 550 disparate princely states into the Union, is extremely impressive. Built over five years, between October 2013 till its inauguration in October 2018, it is the tallest statue in the world at 192 metres. Clad in over 6,500 bronze plates weighing 1,700 tonne, the statue overlooks the equally impressive Sardar Sarovar Dam and the reservoir behind. The dam, which was highly controversial, is the second largest cement dam in the world and has the world’s third largest reservoir behind it. Not only does the reservoir water the parched lands of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, it also generates 1,450 megawatts of clean energy.

After the flag-off, The Pioneer team was joined by Talish Ray, lawyer and history buff, and travelled to the less-visited site of Champaner, the one-time capital of the Gujarat sultanate and before that of the Chavda empire and the Rajputs afterwards. Champaner is a fascinating site and is the only surviving example of a pre-Mughal Islamic city. It was recently added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This less-visited site is preserved to perfection and the city, as we know it today, was built by Mehmud “Begadha” in the mid-15th century. It was sacked by Mughal Emperor Humayun after his defeat by Sher Shah Suri.

The hill of Pavagadh that overlooks the city is the only major elevation for miles around and as such was a strategic perch as controlling it meant controlling the plains to the east leading to the prosperous Malwa region. There are several buildings built on the Pavagadh hill that date back to the 1400s and it is topped with an ancient Kali Mandir, which is believed to have existed since circa 600CE.