Sidhpur

Not to be confused with Sidhpur, Himachal Pradesh.
Sidhpur
Siddhpur
city
Sidhpur

Location in Gujarat, India

Coordinates: 23°55′00″N 72°23′00″E / 23.9167°N 72.3833°ECoordinates: 23°55′00″N 72°23′00″E / 23.9167°N 72.3833°E
Country  India
State Gujarat
District Patan
Population (2001)
  Total 53,581
Languages
  Official Gujarati, Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 384151
Telephone code 02767
Website www.siddhpur.com

Siddhpur or Sidhpur is a city and a municipality in Patan district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Siddhpur 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. Siddhpur is the taluka headquarters of Siddhpur taluka.

History

Siddhpur 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 Dadhyanca or Dadhici had donated his bones to God Indra here at Siddhpur. Siddhpur is also believed to be located at the junction of two rivers Ganges 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 Siddhraj Jaisingh built his capital at Siddhpur, thus the name Siddhpur 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 Muhammad Ghori destroyed the town on his way to Somnath. Around 30,000 people were killed in the raid, and the Solanki empire was destroyed.

During the Sultanate time the place was under the rule of local dynasty ruling from Palanpur. Later on in the 15th century the place was brought under the Mughal rule by Akbar. Under the Mughal rule the town developed and flourished.

Climate

The climate of Siddhpur 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.

Demographics

At the 2001 census of India,[1] 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.

Visitors' attractions

Elevation of Kirtistambh, Rudra Mahalaya
Plan of Rudra Mahalaya with one fourth of the surrounding structures, restored.
Main Portal of the Ruins of the Rudramala at Sidhpur in 1905

* Tower of Sidhpur, (Est : 04/04/1915) built by Mr. Muhammadali Hararwala (RajRatna) in April'1915. That time built cost of tower was Rs. 15000.00 during ruler of Gayakwad. Mohammad Ali Road in mumbai is belong to Mr. Muhammadali Hararwala.

Sidhpur has two protected monument under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) namely: Ruins of Rudra Mahalaya temple and the Jami Masjid.[2] The city is also known for his havelis in hacienda architecture largely belonging to Dawoodi Bohra community and spread over 18 mohallas or neighbourhoods.[3]

Muktidham

Muktidham (MORTUARY) called as the place where humans left the world leaving their family behind. This place is famous for holy funeral process of human body after death. People from about 85 villages in Siddhpur taluka come for funeral process after anybody died in their village. This is the "gandharv smashan". In India Gandharva Smashan like 1. Ujjain 2. Kashi 3. Prayag 4. Siddhpur you can watch the live agni sanskar from the muktidham.

It is said that to muktidam pepole from various towns and places come and it is said that if we want MUKTI then you should come here after death.

Politics

Sidhpur is a constituency of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly within the Patan (Lok Sabha constituency).[4]

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 Siddhpur.

1. By train : 19707 : Aravali Express train which arrives from Mumbai, Maharastra by 9.00 am in the morning and the other list of trains are below:

16507 Ju Banglore Exp Jodhpur Jn Bangalore Cy Jn 12:18 12:20 2 min 19105 Haridwar Mail Ahmedabad Jn Haridwar Jn 12:43 12:45 2 min 19565 Uttaranchal Exp Okha Dehradun 18:07 18:09 2 min 19566 Uttaranchal Exp Dehradun Okha 04:50 04:52 2 min 19708 Aravali Express Jaipur Bandra Terminus 18:56 18:58 2 min 19223 Adi Jat Express Ahmedabad Jn Jammu Tawi 13:21 13:23 2 min 19224 Jat Adi Express Jammu Tawi Ahmedabad Jn 12:40 12:42 2 min 19106 Hw Adi Mail Haridwar Jn Ahmedabad Jn 13:46 13:48 2 min

2. By road : you can use the western express highway to reach there.

See also

References

  1. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  2. Alphabetical List of Monuments - Gujarat.Rudra mahalaya is a very unique place to visit to see the spectacular crafts on sandstones but as the issue is pending in court about the religious authority, the entry is restricted in area of rudra mahal. Archaeological Survey of India.
  3. "Ghost town of Gujarat". Indian Express. Jun 29, 2003. Retrieved Jan 25, 2013.
  4. "Gujarat election results: List of winners". Jagran Post. 20 December 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2013.

External links