Janki Van
Ten sacred groves, a tribal hut and tens of thousands of trees at Bhinar near Unai, on ground where Sita is said to have stayed.
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- Best months
- Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb
- Time needed
- ~1.5 hr
- Entry
- Free
- Hours
- 10:00–18:00
- Closed
- Mondays
- Effort
- Easy
15.66 hectares of social forestry at Bhinar village, planted on the belief that Janki, Sita, once lived in this stretch of the great forest. Janki Van extends the Dandakaranya story onto the Waghai–Vansda road. Opened in 2015 for Gujarat's 66th Van Mahotsav, it organises its plantation into ten named groves (Ashok Van, Panchvati Van, Amravan, Chandan Van, Rashi-Nakshatra Van, Navgrah Van and the rest), so the walk doubles as a tour of sacred botany, from wedding-ritual species to the trees of the astrological calendar.
Locals call it a 'tree library', and that is the honest register: tens of thousands of labelled trees, an interpretation centre, a tribal hut and a children's park rather than rides and stalls. It slots perfectly between Vansda National Park and the Waghai gardens as the quiet hour of a Waghai-belt day, and Unai's railway station, and its famous hot-spring temple, sit six kilometres away.
It keeps forest-department hours, ten to six, and takes Monday off for maintenance, worth remembering before detouring.
Highlights
- ◆Ten Ramayana-and-astrology themed groves in one walk
- ◆The 'tree library', labelled species by the tens of thousands
- ◆Interpretation centre, tribal hut and children's park
- ◆Six kilometres from Unai's hot-spring temple and station
History & lore
The garden's premise is the region's oldest story: this belt of Dandakaranya is held to be where Janki (Sita) stayed during the exile, and the ten groves plant that geography, Ashok Van and Panchvati Van included, as living collections.
Traveller tips
- →Pair with Unai's hot-spring temple 6 km away, or fold into the Vansda NP–Waghai day
- →Skip Monday: it is the maintenance closure
- →Read the grove boards, the Rashi and Navgrah plantings reward slow walking
Safety
- ⚠Carry water for the full grove circuit in warm months
Where it is
Approximate pin. The circle is the margin · 20.8000, 73.3330
Directions to Janki ↗Getting there
Road · Between the Vansda–Vyara (NH-953) and Vansda–Chikhli roads at Bhinar; signed from the Unai side
Rail · Unai station (~6 km) on the Bilimora–Waghai heritage line's broad-gauge feeder side
Air · Surat (~95 km)
Last stretch · Level garden paths from the gate, the easiest walking surface in the belt
Questions people ask
Is Janki Van worth a special trip?
As a detour on the Waghai–Vansda–Unai run, absolutely; as a standalone destination it is a quiet themed garden, not a spectacle. Tree-lovers and mythology-minded visitors get the most from it.
Practical detail
- The road
- Tarred throughout
- Parking
- Lot at the entrance
- Season
- Greenest in and after the rains; pleasant through winter; hot and dusty by late spring.
- Visiting
- Forest-department run; hours flex with the light.
- Photography
- The grove name-boards and canopy avenues are the frames; soft monsoon light suits the understorey.
- Food
- None inside. Unai and Vansda have the nearest food
- Toilets
- basic
- Guides
- Interpretation centre staff orient visitors when present
Where to sleep
Kilad Nature Education Campsite
The gentlest forest stay in Dang and the perfect base for an early Vansda NP gate slot, Ambika river steps from the cottages.
Forest Department portal prices by tent grade and party size: white-house tents from ₹600 for two, forest tents from ₹650, deluxe from ₹1000, twin bungalow from ₹1950, Asopalav bungalow from ₹2400. School groups block-book in season.
Padam Dungari Eco Campsite
Popular with Surat weekenders, book cottages over tents in monsoon; the Ambika river air soaks canvas.
Forest Department portal lists AC cottages from ₹1800, non-AC from ₹1000, tents from ₹800 and a 14-bed dormitory at ₹3500, plus a ₹20-50 entry fee. Technically in Tapi district but part of the same forest circuit.
Data confidence: Researched · facts last verified 2026-08-10 · 4 field(s) awaiting verification