Travels in Western India

James Tod is known for his classic work Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. The present work, Travels in Western India contains the narrative of his journey and the places Tod visited on the way to his return to England. Starting his journey from Udaipur in Rajasthan to Mandavi in Kutch, he traversed Surashtra and Kutch from where Chandravati, Anhilvad Patan, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Khambhat, Bhavnagar, Valabhi, Palitana, Somnath, Junagarh, Dvaraka, Bhuj and several other places. This account is replete with facts and first-hand information about the places he visited. Particularly fascinating is his account of the Jaina temples at Dilwara, Palitana and the Girnar hills and the ancient remains at Chandravati, Anhilvad Patan, Ahmedabad, Junagarh, Bhuj and other towns. Equally important are the traditions, sects and beliefs, palias or hero-stones which Tod could understand and explain with felicity on account of his first hand experience in Rajasthan. Included in this account of travels is an appendix containing translations of inscriptions referred to by Tod in the book. This account also contains fine wood-cut illustrations of monuments, plans of some of the places as well as drawings of sundry items observed by Tod. This book, which was published posthumously, has also a fairly detailed memoir on its author Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod, which brings out the personality of this memorable person. James Tod’s Travels in Western India is an extremely valuable work for the scholars as well as lay reader interested in knowing about peoples and places.