Rupang Bhatt, Ahmedabad: Diwali vacation is here and scores of Gujaratis would chose to drive to Udaipur, Eklingji, Shrinathji for a break. Though there’s a rail service and daily flight service too connecting Ahmedabad to Udaipur, most Gujaratis chose to drive because driving on this highway is literally a fun experience. Also if you go by road with your own vehicle, you can smoothly reach your favorite resort, tourist spots and extend your travel to nearby EKlingji, Shrinathji, Kumbhalgadh or even Chittorgarh. While the train on this route is not an express train(and therefore gives no advantage of cut in journey time), the flight doesn’t suit check-in time of hotel and the airport of Udaipur is at some distance from the central town areas. So here are some takeaways from a recent road-trip to Udaipur (in November 2023).

Through Gandhinagar or bypassing it?

So if you travel from Ahmedabad to Udaipur by road you need to first make sure what road you want to catch. If you are from Eastern Ahmedabad, you can travel through Airport road – Naroda – Chiloda and bypass the Gandhinagar town. If you are from Western part of the city, you may calculate and decide whether you want to take Sarkhej – Gandhinagar highway route and travel further through Gandhinagar or take Naroda – Chiloda stretch.

The highway has bettered

The highway from Ahmedabad to Udaipur and beyond is well constructed and much faster, better and safer than in the past when there were lesser lanes and too many cross-roads. However at around five places you can spot stalled construction-work of flyovers. Around three upto Himmatnagar and two more between Himmatnagar and Shamlaji. There are side-lanes created but one in Himmatnagar is worst. Once you cross Shamlaji, the highway is fully constructed upto Udaipur and beyond without any pending or ongoing work or missing link. You just can’t end journey without thanking the government for building such a great highway. Point to be noted that if you want to travel to Nathdwara Shrinathji or Eklingji, you should use a newly constructed bypass. More details on that bypass can be found here.

Hygienic halts

There are many highway-side restaurants available throughout the route, but if you want clean and branded hotel experience, you should chose ‘Honest’ restaurant’s branches that are located near Prantij on Ahmedabad to Himmatnagar direction and just before Shamlaji on Rajasthan to Shamlaji direction of journey.

Ignore fake eunuchs

At almost every speed-breaker and railway crossing (you get one on Himmatnagar-Shamlaji stretch) or toll plaza passage, you find eunuchs standing in a group. They try to stop your vehicle or sometime even find success to stop it. You just need to ignore them. These are fake eunuchs who sometimes in the dark, turn nastier to enter into argument if you don’t pay them. However most of them would not do anything if you keep AC on, windows shut and continue to drive ignoring them.

No FASTag? Pay double!

If you have not glued FASTag sticker on the front glass of your car, you need to pay double amount of toll tax in cash at toll plazas. So better you have FASTag attached to front window. There are tented counters ahead of most toll plazas where you can get your FASTag. That would take your few minutes for procedures.

Have a break, visit Shamlaji Mandir

If you drive at reasonably well speed of 60 to 80 km/hour or little more than that, you may reach Shamlaji in around two hours. You can have darshan of Trivikram Vishnu’s beautiful black-stone made tall size murti at Shamlaji mandir and have a break there before you move towards Udaipur. If you are dressed in half pent or such revealing dresses, there’s an instruction outside the mandir informing that you are not allowed to enter. Inside the mandir you can also see a beautiful black stone Garuda murti just infront of Trivikram Vishnu’s murti. In Shiv mandirs there’s Nandi murti in front of Shivalinga. Likewise in Vishnu mandirs there’s a tradition of having Garud murti in front of Visnhu’s murti. Shamlaji mandir has some excellent sculptures on the outer periphery of mandir. You can spot many interesting sculptures including erotic and dharmik ones here. Better you take interest and spend some time watching them. Outside the front gate of Shamlaji mandir, there are large statue of two elephants that are also good.

Shop for cheap at Shamlaji

At a little distance outside Shamlaji mandir, just on the highway side there are vegetable shops that offer vegetables for much much cheaper cost compared to the city. Don’t forget to purchase lot of vegetables at cheaper cost from tribal farmers who sit in the market here to sell their fresh farm products. If you want to have some food, local gota/bhajiya/batata vada with kadhi and chilly is good choice. There are many highway-types food joints.

Mathematics of Mileage

So if you travel between Ahmedabad and Vadodara at an average 80 kms per hour speed, you find your car’s mileage drastically increased compared to what you get during driving inside the city. I got 18 km/liter mileage on Ahmedabad – Vadodara expressway compared to around 10 that I get when driving within city. However on Ahmedabad – Udaipur highway, especially after Shamlaji you will get lesser mileage ( I got around 14) compared to Vadodara expressway and that’s due to presence of lots of flyovers. The car engine needs to work extra to climb the slopes of various flyovers and therefore Ahmedabad – Udaipur highway gives lesser mileage than flat surfaced Ahmedabad – Vadodara expressway. Of course compared to within-city driving, you will get far more mileage on highway.

Remember those liquor shops?

A few years ago, on Rajasthan side of the Ahmedabad – Udaipur highway you would notice number of liquor shops greeting and welcoming you with their signboards in Gujarati. However due to lot of flyovers and new alignment of the highway, lesser number of such liquor shops are visible now. Also due to enforcement of government rule that no liquor shop can exist right on the highway side (they are pushed 220 to 500 meters away from highway side). So you don’t see liquor shops right on the highway side unlike past, and lesser sign boards.

Vande Bharat Express on Udaipur route when!

Well, well, the Railways will probably start Vande Bharat Express on Ahmedabad – Udaipur route, once electrification of entire railway line stretch connecting two is completed. The electrification work is ongoing at fast pace at present. The railway line on Ahmedabad – Udaipur route is recently converted to broad gauge. Next is electrification. After that, eventually you will probably find Vande Bharat Express train running on this route as faster and smoother alternate to a road trip. Ahmedabad and Udaipur are already connected by air on daily basis. DeshGujarat