Junaraj (Old Rajpipla)
Rajpipla's original capital stood on this hill. Scattered ruins in forested country south of the modern town, for history-minded explorers.
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb
- Time needed
- ~3 hr
- Entry
- Free
- Hours
- Open area
- Effort
- Hard
Before Rajpipla was Rajpipla, the Gohil capital sat in the safer hill country to the south. Junaraj, 'the old realm', whose scattered remains (gate fragments, wall lines, temple and stepwell traces by local account) sit in forested terrain that has largely reclaimed them. The state shifted its seat to the present town centuries ago; the old site kept the name and lost the roofs.
This is an explorer's entry: what stands, how far one walks, and how findable the remains are all need ground verification, and local guidance from the nearest village is essential. The draw is atmosphere, capital-turned-forest, and the drive through genuinely pretty country beyond Karjan reservoir. Dry months only; expect nothing in the way of facilities, signage or company.
Highlights
- ◆Site of the Gohil dynasty's original hill capital
- ◆Ruins being reclaimed by forest
- ◆Explorer-grade outing beyond Karjan reservoir
History & lore
Rajpipla's Gohil rulers held their early capital in these defensible hills before moving to the plains-edge site of the present town; Junaraj kept the name, 'old realm', and local memory keeps the map of what stood where.
Traveller tips
- →Combine with the Karjan reservoir drive, same direction
- →Ask at Rajvant Palace's museum about Junaraj first; context transforms the ruins
Safety
- ⚠Go in a group with a local guide; terrain and remains are unmanaged
- ⚠Old masonry is unstable, no climbing
- ⚠Carry water for the full outing
Where it is
Area-level pin, somewhere in the circle; ask locally · 21.7800, 73.5500
Directions to Junaraj ↗Getting there
Road · Country roads south of Rajpipla toward the hills; final directions from local villages
Rail · Ekta Nagar station (~40 km)
Air · Vadodara (~90 km)
Last stretch · Forest walking of unverified length from the road end; local guide essential
Practical detail
- The road
- Rural tar then dirt; dry-season territory
- Parking
- Village clearing at best
- Season
- Dry, cool months only; monsoon closes the forest tracks.
- Visiting
- Unmanaged site, daylight-only, group visits with local guidance.
- Photography
- Ruin-and-root frames in raking morning light; carry everything in a daypack.
- Food
- None, provision fully in Rajpipla
- Toilets
- none
- Guides
- Arrange in the nearest village, non-negotiable
Where to sleep
Vishal Khadi Eco Campsite
A five-room forest camp on the Rajpipla–Netrang road, roughly 20 km south of Rajpipla, hemmed in by the Karjan and Dediapada forests. The practical bed for the Rajpipla-side waterfalls if the palace hotel is beyond budget.
Forest Department portal lists 3 rooms from ₹1000 and 2 tents from ₹500 a night. Small site, the whole place books out on long weekends.
Rajvant Palace Resort, Rajpipla
Sleeping in the 1910 palace is the quiet way to do the SoU circuit, 25 min from the campus without its hotel crush.
Direct booking with the resort; ~14 rooms, so weekends and film-shoot periods block out fast
Data confidence: Explorer-grade · not yet verified against sources · 5 field(s) awaiting verification
- Junaraj-Gujarat-India.jpg, Commons photo (geotagged in the Karjan belt) showing the site's temples part-submerged in the reservoir backwater, Wikimedia Commons / Urvish Chaudhari