Sidhpur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sidhpur | |
| State - District(s) |
Gujarat - Patan |
| Area | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Population (2001) - Density |
53,581 - |
Sidhpur is a city and a municipality in Patan district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Sidhpur is an historical place, located in North Gujarat, India. It is located on the bank of Sarasvati River, considered to be the branch of lost Saraswati river. Sidhpur is the taluka headquarters of Sidhpur taluka.
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[edit] History
Sidhpur is also known as Sri-sthal or a "pious place". It is mentioned in the Rig Veda to be existing at that time as the Dashu village. The legend is that the great sage Vyashya had donated his bones to God Indra here at Sidhpur. Sidhpur is also believed to be located at the junction of two rivers Ganga and Saraswati. Even in the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, it is mentioned that the Pandavas had visited the place while they were in exile. During the 4-5th A.D a large number of people settled in this part. They were Gurjara people from Iran.
Around the 10th century, under Solanki rulers, the city was at the zenith of fame and glory. The ruler Sidhraj Jaisingh built his capital at Sidhpur, thus the name Sidhpur which literally means Siddhraj's town. He built a temple dedicated to Shiva, and also beautiful palaces and one huge tower, some say of 80 metres long. He also brought large numbers of Brahmins from Mathura and had them settled here. During the 12th century Muhammed Ghori destroyed the town on his way to Somnath. Around 30,000 people were killed in the raid, and the Solanki empire was destroyed. A large numbers of Brahmins were converted to Muslims.
During the Sultanate time the place was under the rule of local dynasty ruling from Palanpur. Later on in 15th century the place was brought under the Mughal rule by Akbar. Under the Mughal rule the town developed and flourished.
[edit] Climate
The climate of Sidhpur is continental. The summer season is hot and dry, with temperature in the range of 40s. While in winter it is pleasant with temperatures in 20s. The average annual rainfall is 40-50 inches.
[edit] Places
Sidhpur has many places to see,
- Rudhramahalaya:It is an old Shiv temple built by Siddhraj jaisingh in 10th century A.D. Today it is mostly in ruin.
- Bindu-sarowar:It is a small artificial tank, even mentioned in rig-veda and considered pious by Hindus.
- Saraswati bank:Sidhpur is the only place in India where matru-shradh is being carried out, thus thousands of people come here annually to perform the rituals for their dead mothers.
- Bohara havelies:This are the magnificent and beautiful havelies or medieval homes of Bohra traders. They are famous for their delicate wooden architecture and interior decoration of medieval style of India.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Sidhpur had a population of 53,581. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sidhpur has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 64%. In Sidhpur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Transport
It has the 4-lane state highway passing through it connecting Ahmedabad with Palanpur. The broad gauge railway line connecting Mumbai to Delhi passes through Sidhpur.
