30 Aug

LIST OF THINGS & PLACES SURAT IS FAMOUS FOR

What Surat is Famous For

Diamond and Gold Jewellery

Jewelry Shopping in surat

Of course, right? Surat is widely known for its diamond industry.The people here have mastered the art of cutting and polishing of diamonds.You can find a lot of gold shops selling diamonds or jewelry as you pass by the streets of Surat. Some of the famous shops from where you can buy are Ratnasagar Jewelers, Charu Jewels, Hira Panna Shopping Mall, Diam Jewels and Hardeep Jewelers.

Cleanliness

The clean streets of Surat

Surat is one of the cleanest cities in India. While a few decades ago, the city of Surat was extremely unclean, this began to change after the city was struck by plague in the early nineties. The municipal commissioner of the time, S R Rao, introduced several steps to ensure that the city was kept clean. The result? The city of Surat has consistently been ranked as one of the cleanest in the country for the past 20 years.

Unique Street Food

Surti Locho

Gujarati cuisine is highly underrated. From Locho to Khamani to Ponk Vadas and Fafda, there are several stellar street food items. And the Gujaratis of Surat do like to head out late into the night for a good snack. Some of our favourite places to go are Gopal Locho Khaman House, Madhi Ni Khamni and Lashkari (on Dumas Beach). While not available on the street, another must-try while here is Undhiyu, a dish made using at least eight vegetables. Few places that serve best undhiyu are Gordhan Thal and Jalaram Khichdi.

Beautiful Silk Sarees

Silk saree shopping in surat

Surat is known as the textile city of Gujarat. Shopping is never complete without buying a silk saree in Surat. They offer good quality, finely fabricated and different varieties of skill sarees such as Kinkhab, Gajee and Tanchoi. The city has both private and government emporiums. Surat is also famous zari manufacturing in the country. And definitely shop garments with the embroidery work of salma, kinari and zari.

Handicrafts

Surat is well known for its art and handicrafts. They offer different types and varieties of handmade arts and crafts which have their own taste or style. They have various collection of wooden, tiny, ivory and many more other types of handicrafts available for sale. For wooden items at reasonable prices, Government Emporium is one of the places to visit. For antiques or decorative items, Shanivari Market near Makai Pul is one of the largest flea markets.

Sandy Beaches

Dumas Beach in Surat

The beaches are a popular spot for locals to hangout at all times of the day. While Surat has several beaches, its Dumas, Dandi and Suvali beaches are most famous. The Dumas beach has black sand and is, therefore, called a haunted beach (though it was also widely used to cremate the dead). Dandi Beach, you may recall, as the place Mahatma Gandhi and his followers began their march for freedom.

Surat Castle

Surat castle or Surat fort is a 16th century old monument built by Khudawand Khan. This was constructed to defend the city from frequent attacks. This place bears a significant relevance to history and was thus renovated for the visitors, it now stands as an epitome of hard work and brilliance.This place is open for visitors only during the day and that is the time you can get the best out of it.

Sardar Patel Museum

Also known as the Sardar Sangralaya, this museum was established in 1889. The museum has a mixture of rich history and culture of Surat. If you are interested in the Indian history this place should be on your bucket list. It also stands as a memorial to the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhai Patel. The museum is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and remains closed on Mondays.

Jagdishchandra Bose Aquarium

Located in the Pal region of Surat, this wonderful aquarium has over 100 species of aquatic creatures. The entire beauty of these creatures can be witnessed in the 52 tanks that are created; each tank has its own ecosystem. This will be a delightful outing for children. The aqua life includes exotic species like angel fish, freshwater Piranhas, turtles and jellyfish. The aquarium is a great entertainment spot for outsiders who love catching a glimpse of aquatic ecosystems.

The Dutch Garden

The Dutch Garden or the Dutch cemetery is located in Nanpura and is a popular attraction of Surat. Besides being the beauty it is, this garden has historical significance, too. The well-planned and well-maintained European style garden is a refreshing getaway from city life. The Dutch Garden is also the resting place of certain English and Dutch explorers who landed and settled in Surat. The most remarkable mausoleum is that of Baron Adrian Van Reed.

Adventure Parks

Blues Adventure

Blues Adventures is a complete recreational and fun place, offering water-sports, an amusement park and restaurants for the people. It has well-maintained rides and good food, making it an ideal place for a picnic. The place has amazing adventure activities like jet skiing, zip through Tapi river and much more. This adventure park is open everyday of the week from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Temples

Ambika Niketan Temple

There are many religious places of great significance in Surat. The Ambika Niketan Temple and ISCKON Temple are certainly the first that come to mind, particularly given that the latter is spread over a whopping 13,600 square feet. But there are a bunch of others, too, such as an ancient Jain temple, Chintamani Jain Temple, which features carved designs on wood and vegetable dye paintings of the Jain preacher Acharya Hemchandra.