Lunavada
| Lunawada લુણાવાડા | |
|---|---|
| city | |
  Lunawada Location in Gujarat, India | |
| Coordinates: 23°08′00″N 73°37′00″E / 23.1333°N 73.6167°ECoordinates: 23°08′00″N 73°37′00″E / 23.1333°N 73.6167°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Mahisagar |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 33,381 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Gujarati, Hindi, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 389230 |
| Telephone code | 02674 |
| Vehicle registration | GJ 35 |
Lunavada or Lunawada is a taluka and city in the Mahisagar, former Panchmahal District, in the Northern part of Gujarat state of India.
Lunawada is the administrative headquarters of the Mahisagar district. Lunawada was formerli a Taluka, administrative subdivision, in the Panchmahal district up to 15 August 2013. The name Lunawada is derived from Luneshwar Mahadev, a temple of Lord Shiva. Lunawada is surrounded by water, the sources being the Panam river, Vasant Sagar, Kishan Sagar, Kanka Talav, Veri, Mahisagar and Darkoli Talav lake.
History
Lunawada was established by the ancestors of Maharaja Vir Bhadra Singh as the state of Virpur, then it returned to the state of Lunawada. Before the town was established, the area was controlled by the princely state of Santrampur, ruled by Puwar Rajputs. The border of Santrampur state is near Koyli Vaav known as Mandvi Bazar. The last ruler of Lunawada was Maharaja Vir Bhadra Singh. The best known historical place near Lunawada is Kaleshwari where there are Pandav chori, foot prints of Bhima, ancient water kund (small bodies of water sometimes sanctified), several vaavs (large wells with accessible steps to the water level) and the Lord Shiva temple.
During the British Raj, Lunavada State was one of the princely states under the Rewa Kantha Agency of Bombay Presidency. Lunavada State was founded in 1434.[1] It was a second class state in the Rewa Kantha Agency. One important ruler was Wakhat Singhhji (1867–1919) a Solanki Rajput Maharana of high linage. The capital was Lunavada town, said to have been founded in 1434 CE. The 1901 census records that the population had a decrease of 28% in the previous decade, due to famine.[2]
Col. HH Maharaja Sri Virbhadrasinhji Ranjitsinjhi 1929/1986, born 8 June 1910 in Lunawada, invested with full ruling powers on 2 October 1930, Member of the Chamber of Princes, married Maharajkumari Manher Kunwari [HH Maharani Kusum Kunwari of Lunawada], daughter of Capt. HH Maharana Raj Saheb Shri Sir Amarsinhji Banesinhji (Gangubha) of Wankaner, and had issue. He died in 1986.
Tourism
Visitors can reach Lunawada via Godhara and Halol from the city of Vadodara. It is located 120 km from the city of Vadodara and 120 km from Ahmedabad. Places that the visitor can see are: Luneshwar Temple, Ramji Mandir, Hanumaan ni Veri, Kakachiya Triveni Sangam, Panam Bridge, Panam River Check Dam, Fateh Baug, Fuvara Chawk, Indira Gandhi Stadium, Jahavar Garden, and Kalka Mata ni Tekari.
Visitors can also see places like the Panam Bridge in the evening. Another place to visit is the King's Palace of historically significance in the State of Gujarat. Near Lunawada there is a village named Limadiya where the palace is situated.
Temples
Lunawada is known for the temple of Luneshwar Mahadev. This ancient temple of Lord Shiva has a lot of religious importance as it is said that the Pandavas dwelled at this temple during their stay in the forest. The statue of Lord Shiva Lingam is of white stone found in the quarries of Madhya Pradesh. There is a Saint Kabir Ashram opposite to this Shiva temple. All the walls of this Ashram are engraved with the Dohas of Saint Kabir. Another ancient temple of Bhairavnath Mahadev is situated near the Luneshwar Mahadev temple. This temple has a statue of Bhairav and one of Lord Shiva.
The next attraction is the temple of Melia Mahadev, which is 2 miles away from Lunawada. The local people come here to pray to fulfill their wishes and desires. A temple named Mitha Ganesh ni deri situated in mandvi bazar (beside pipli fali) is famous. Every year the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi is held here.
People
The town contains people of every kind of religious persuasion, Hindus, Jains, Sindhis, Muslims and Dawoodi Bohras. It has Hospitals and clinics for surrounding Talukas. The town has facilities like a Gymnasium, a Town hall,theater, Javahar Garden, public schools, a Religious school, and restaurants.
Lunawada people have made achievements in fields of business, education, banking, literacy, and health. Lunawada has a large NRI population thriving in different foreign countries like Kuwait, UAE, Canada, Oman, and the US. There is a saying "At least one person from a house in Lunawada is in a foreign country."
About 70% of Gujarati PTC teachers are from Lunawada Taluka. As Lunawada is growing rapidly, there is a TIN Facilitation center at nearby Chokdi.
Lunawada Taluka has secondary schools that people from regional areas go to for higher education.
Industries
(1) Industries in Lunawada, Tirupati oil industries: (1996) It's products: groundnut oil (peanut oil) known as singtel in Gujarat. This factory's oil sales are the main source of income for farmers of the Panchmahals, Sabarkatha & Vadadara districts who intensively farm ground nuts (mafali) (mungfali). They have been producing peanuts & seeds (singdana) for 10 years.
(2) Balaji food industries. (2005): this is the sister company of Tirupati oil industries. This factory exports 90% of its products out of India.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.- Bruce Colin.R. Deyell, John. S, Rhodes Nicholas, Spengler Wlliam.f. The Standard Guide to South Asian Coins and Paper Money since 1556 AD, Krause Publications Wisconsin USA 1981