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Siddhpur Sidhpur | |
---|---|
City | |
Nickname: Paris of Gujarat | |
Coordinates: 23°55′00″N72°23′00″E / 23.9167°N 72.3833°E | |
Country | India |
State | Gujarat |
District | Patan |
Region | North Gujarat |
Named for | Jayasimha Siddharaja |
Area | |
• Total | 20.26 km2 (7.82 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 61,867 |
• Density | 3,100/km2 (7,900/sq mi) |
Languages | |
• Official | Gujarati, Hindi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 384151 |
Telephone code | 02767 |
Vehicle registration | GJ-24 |
Siddhpur, also spelled Sidhpur, is a town, municipality and headquarter of Sidhpur taluka in Patan district, in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is a historical place located on the bank of the endorheic Saraswati River, [1] which is probably a remaining of the ancient Sarasvati River.
Siddhpur was historically known as Sristhal, [2] literally "a pious place".
The bard sings of it, [2]
Tirath bhumipavan Siddhakshetra subhasar,
Nirmal nir vahe Sarasvati sada mokshko dwar, ... —
"A Tirtha, a place to make holy, is the good Siddha Kshetra,
Where flows Sarasvati's pure stream — ever beatitude's door.
A city three worlds to purify, by Siddhs ever worshipped,
Gods, Rishis, and men cherish the desire to live there.
And there dwell devas unnumbered, as a tirtha regarding it, —
Of Kasi, Gaya, Godavari, and all other tirthas, the best ;
Where Kardam and Dehuti lived, and Kapila was born.
Here is Bindusarovar's pure fount, and Matrugaya;
Applied to the bodies of men degraded and fallen, it washes their myriads of sins.
Here is Prachi Mahadev, whose renown by Veda and Purana is sung:Of all Tirthas, the essence — it is named Kapilashram."
In tenth century (943 AD), Mularaja, the founder of Chaulukya dynasty, started constructing the Rudra Mahalaya Temple. [2] On completion of the temple, around 1140 AD, Jayasimha Siddharaja consecrated it and established the town as his capital. He changed its name to Siddhpur, literally Siddhraj's town. [2] The temple was dismantled by an army under Almas Beg (Ulugh Khan) and Nusrat Khan sent by Alauddin Khalji in 1298–99. [2]
During the Gujarat Sultanate, the town was under the rule of local dynasty ruling from Palanpur. In the 15th century, the town was brought under the Mughal rule by Akbar. Under the Mughal rule the Hindu heritage of the town deteriorated further and the Rudramahalaya temple fell into ruins.
Asaita Thakar, traditionally credited for the origin of traditional folk theatre Bhavai, in 14th century, lived in Siddhpur. [3]
The Dawoodi Bohras, a trading community, flourished in Sidhpur from the 1820s to the 1930s. [4] They built monumental mansions, made of wood, with stuccoed facades, ornate pilasters, trellised balconies and gabled roofs which have become identifying features of the architecture of this town. [4] The façades of these houses are in a hue of pastel colours - pink, lilac, lime green, peach, lemon, beige and the like and every house façade has an intricate monogram with the initials of the owners (in Latin text). [5] Sebastian Cortés has captured detailed photographs of these architectural marvels which were displayed at an exhibition in Mumbai, India. [6] On Sidhpur, Cortés said, "I would feel safe to say that it incorporates elements that span from neoclassical European, including art nouveau, and touching Indian Gothic. But if you begin to look closely, you can find other influences; this variety makes Sidhpur a marvel for the eye." [4]
As of 2001 census of India, [7] Siddhpur had a population of 53,581, of which 52% were male and 48% female. Siddhpur had an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 77%, and female literacy was 64%. In Siddhpur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Sidhpur is a constituency of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly within the Patan (Lok Sabha constituency). [14]
Bharuch, formerly known as Bharutkutccha, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District.
Somnath temple or Deo Patan, is a Hindu temple located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval in Gujarat, India. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites the Tirtha Kshetra for Hindus and is the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is unclear when the first version of the Somnath temple was built, with estimates varying between the early centuries of the 1st millennium and about the 9th century CE. The temple is not mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism; while various texts, including the Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana, mention a tirtha at Prabhas Patan on the coastline of Saurashtra, where the temple is presently located, there is no evidence that a temple existed at the site in ancient times.
Patan is the administrative seat of Patan district in the Indian state of Gujarat and is an administered municipality. It was the capital of Gujarat's Chavda and Chaulukya dynasties in medieval times, and is also known as Anhilpur-Patan to distinguish it from Prabhas Patan. During the rule of Gujarat Sultanate, it was the capital from 1407 to 1411.
Tirtha is a Sanskrit word that means "crossing place, ford", and refers to any place, text or person that is holy. It particularly refers to pilgrimage sites and holy places in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Patan district is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state in western India. Its main city is Patan. This district is located in northern Gujarat and bounded by Banaskantha district in the north and northeast, Mehsana district in the east and southeast, Surendranagar district in the south and Kutch District and the Kutch nu Nanu Ran in the west. The district occupies an area of 5792 km2.
Dabhoi is a town and a municipality in the Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India.
Prabhas Patan, historically named Dev Patan, is a locality in Veraval, Gujarat. As the site of the Somnath temple and its associated Jyotirlinga, it is an important place of Hindu pilgrimage.
Pehowa is a town and a municipal committee in Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is an important sacred Hindu pilgrimage site, related to Krishna and Mahabharata, within the 48 Kos Parikrama of Kurukshetra. The Hindu genealogy registers at Peohwa, Haryana are kept here at the Pruthudak Tirath on the banks of Sarasvati river.
Vadnagar is a town and municipality in the Mehsana district of the state of Gujarat in India. It is located 35 km (22 mi) from Mehsana. Its ancient names include Anartapura and Anandapura. It was a location visited by Xuanzang in 640 C.E. The founder and the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Alexander Cunningham, had identified Anandapura with the town of Vadnagar. Vadnagar is also the birthplace of Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India.
Jyotisar, on the bank of Jyotisar Sarovar wetland, is a Hindu pilgrimage site in the city of Kurukshetra in Haryana state of India. According to Hindu tradition, Krishna delivered the sermon of Bhagavad Gita – the doctrine of Karma and Dharma to his wavering friend Arjuna to guide him to resolve his ethical dilemma and revealed his vishvarupa to him.
Samvedis or Samvedi Brahmins are an Indian Hindu Brahmin community, originating from a group of classical musicians and classical dancers. They follow Sama Veda and believed to have been originated from Odisha, India.
Sahasralinga Tank or Sahasralinga Talav is a medieval artificial water tank in Patan, Gujarat, India. It was commissioned during Chaulukya (Solanki) rule, but now it is empty and in a ruined state. It is a Monument of National Importance protected by Archaeological Survey of India (N-GJ-161).
Jayasiṃha, who assumed the title Siddharāja, ruled the Kingdom of Gujarat between 1092 and 1142. He was a member of the Chaulukya dynasty.
Adi Badri, also Sri Sarasvati Udgam Tirath, is a tourist site of archaeological, religious and ecological significance in a forest area in the foothills of the Sivalik Hills in Bhabar area, situated in northern part of Yamunanagar district, of the north Indian state of Haryana. There are remains of many Buddhist stupas and monasteries, which are about 1500–2000 years old, and there is also a group of Hindu temples from the 9th century. Based on the multiple archaeological excavations undertaken here, archaeologists have sent the proposal to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to include this site in the list of protected heritage site. Several popular annual festivals are held here, including the five day long National Saraswati Festival in January, Adi Badri Akha Teej Mela in Vaisakh around April–May, week-long Adi Badri-Kapal Mochan Kartik Purnima religious mela around November.
The Rudra Mahalaya Temple, also known as Rudramal, is a destroyed/desecrated Hindu temple complex at Siddhpur in the Patan district of Gujarat, India. Its construction was started in 943 CE by Mularaja and completed in 1140 CE by Jayasimha Siddharaja, a ruler of the Chaulukya dynasty. The Hindu temple was destroyed by the Sultan of Delhi, Alauddin Khalji, and later the Sultan of Gujarat, Ahmed Shah I (1410–1444) desecrated and substantially demolished the temple, and also converted part of it into the congregational mosque of the city. Two torans (porches) and four pillars of the former central structure still stand along with the western part of the complex used as a congregational mosque.
The 48 kos parikrama is a parikrama of various Mahabharata-related and other Vedic-era tirthas around the holy city of Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana, India.
Māru-Gurjarat architecture or Solaṅkī style, is the style of West Indian temple architecture that originated in Gujarat and Rajasthan from the 11th to 13th centuries, under the Chaulukya dynasty. Although originating as a regional style in Hindu temple architecture, it became especially popular in Jain temples, and mainly under Jain patronage later spread across India, then later to diaspora communities around the world.
Shristhal Sangrahalay, also known as Siddhpur Museum or Bindu Sarovar Museum, is a museum located near Bindu Sarovar in Siddhpur, Gujarat, India. Opened in 2017, it has three galleries presenting religious and ritual significance as well as history and society of the region.
Mohamedally Tower, also known as Juna Tower or Shaikh Sharafali Tower, is a clock tower in Siddhpur, Gujarat, India. It was inaugurated on 4 April 1915.
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