Champaner Fort Gujarat : Champaner Fort or Pavagadh Fort or Fort is located in Pavagadh, Gujarat. Pavagadh, situated on the hills here, is considered to be a famous place during the reign of Chauhan kings. This fort is situated on a mountain named Mauliya Plateau.
Champaner is located at a distance of about 40 kilometers from Vadodara in Gujarat. Champaner has been the medieval capital of Gujarat, whose name was Champanagar or Champaner, but at present a city named Pavagadh is situated here. Pavagadh is known as a prominent pilgrimage site for Hindu and Jain religions.
चंपानेर किला गुजरात | Champaner Kila in Hindi
History – Champaner Fort Gujarat
Chavda Dynasty – Champaner Fort Gujarat
Champaner Fort was built by the rulers of the Chavada dynasty. Champaner or Pava, below the Pavagadh mountain, was their capital. Champaner was founded by King Vanraj Chavda of Anhilwad Patan. At that time he shifted the capital of his kingdom from Patan to Champaner.
It is popular about Champaner that King Vanraj Chavda of Patan had established Champaner in the memory of one of his generals whose name was Champa. Champaner was settled by Vanraj Chavda about 1000 years ago. The Chavda dynasty ruled here for about 500 years but no evidence of any construction work done during that time can be seen here. Historians believe that the Chavda rulers were attacked by the Khichi Chauhan rulers and took this place under their control.
Chauhan Dynasty – Champaner Fort Gujarat
After the rule of Chavda kings, the Kheri Chauhan dynasty ruled here, who are considered to be the descendants of Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan. Chauhan rulers ruled here for about 200 years. At that time, construction work of many buildings, forts, ponds, ponds etc. was done with great enthusiasm in the Champaner Fort. Champaner was famous far and wide during the time of Chauhan dynasty. Chauhan is considered to be a very powerful ruler of that time.
War – Champaner Fort Gujarat
During the rule of Chauhan dynasty, Champaner had Mandu on one side and Ahmedabad on the other side. At that time this place was situated between the states of two Muslim rulers. At that time Ahmedabad was under the control of Mahmood Begada. Situated between Ahmedabad and Mandu, Mahmud Begada wanted to take control of Champaner and for this he laid siege to Champaner. Mahmud Begada was defeated in this war.
Champaner Fort was considered a very safe and strong fort from security point of view. At that time Champaner’s army attacked the enemies by making huge catapults of stones, setting them on fire and throwing them at the enemies. It is said that after waiting for 20 months, Mahmud Begada had procured cannons and ammunition from Iran. Champaner’s army could not stand for long against these weapons and they were defeated in the war.
Mahmood Begda – Champaner Fort Gujarat
In this way Mahmud Begada came under control of Champaner. After winning the war, Mahmood Begada destroyed this entire fort. Later he built a new city below Pavagadh mountain which came to be known as Mohammadabad.
Humayun – Champaner Fort Gujarat
The third descendant of Mahmud Begada was Bahadur Shah. Bahadur Shah had attacked Chittor. At that time the queen of Chittor was Rani Karmavati. Queen Karmavati had invited the Rajput kings to fight for her kingdom by sending Rakhi but no one accepted it. While roaming around this Rakhi reached Humayun and this was an opportunity for him. Bahadur Shah and Humayun were enemies of each other and through this Rakhi, Humayun got a chance to fight with Bahadur Shah. At that time this war took place in Masor area of Madhya Pradesh. Bahadur Shah was defeated in the war. Champaner was conquered by Humayun and he completely demolished all the buildings of Champaner.
It is said that at that time poison was also mixed in the ponds there so that no one could use it. Humayun had demolished everything there except a few mosques. Champaner was under the control of the Mughals for about 150 years.
Champaner is a major historical attraction in the Panch Mahals district of Gujarat.
Architecture – Champaner Fort Gujarat
Champaner Fort is built in a circle of about 12 miles. The fort was constructed using sandstone and includes many beautiful balconies. There is also a temple of Mahabali Mata Kali on Pavagadh hill. There are many mosques in this fort. The temple of Mata Kali built on the Pavagadh hill is a very ancient temple. It is believed that Maharishi Vishwamitra had established it, due to which the river originating from this hill was called Vishwamitri River in the name of this sage.
To reach Champaner Fort one has to cross 7 gates. Jain temples start from the fifth gate and at the sixth gate there is a milky pond. After this milky pond, a series of Hindu temples begin here.
Pavagadh Kalika Mandir – Champaner Fort Gujarat
A large number of devotees come here throughout the year to have darshan of the Mother Goddess. To reach the temple of Mahakali one has to climb about 250 stairs. Mahakali Mata Temple is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths. You can see complete information about Pavagadh Kalika Mata famous temple by clicking here.
Garba Dance – Champaner Fort Gujarat
Garba dance is organized in the courtyard of Kalika Mata temple on the occasion of Navratri. There is a very popular story about this. People believe that a woman used to dance here during Garba during Navratri. Raja Rawal Patai Jai Singh, the last (9th king) of Khichi Chauhan dynasty proposed marriage to the lady which she rejected. When the king did not agree, she became angry and the woman cursed that soon your kingdom would be destroyed and it soon happened. People believe that she was not an ordinary woman but Kalika Mata herself.
World Heritage Site – Champaner Fort Gujarat
Pavagadh was also included in the list of World Heritage Sites in 2004. There are 11 different buildings inside the Pavagadh Archaeological Park, which include many mosques, temples, courtyards, walls, verandahs and food stores.
Among the ancient sites of Champaner, Ek Minar Mosque, Kabutar Khana, Kamani Mosque, Jami Masjid, Kevada Mosque, Leela Gumbai Mosque and Pava Valley are prominent. This place is also known as Champaner Valley.
Kevada Masjid holds a very important place among the mosques of Champaner. This mosque is known for its special architecture. Apart from this, Jami Masjid is also important among the ancient mosques of Champaner. The pillars of this mosque have intricately carved artwork which makes it a special attraction for the tourists coming here.
One of the ancient mosques of Champaner, Minar Mosque, is also considered to be one of the oldest mosques of Gujarat. Only one minaret was constructed inside this mosque due to which it is called one minaret mosque.
Nagar Architecture Style
The construction work of all the temples here was done in Nagar style, which also includes the entrance gate, pavilion and garbha graha. Champaner Fort, which was under the control of many Hindu and Muslim rulers, is an example of Hindu-Muslim architecture.
Best time to visit Champaner Fort Gujarat
Winter is considered the best time to visit the ancient city of Champaner. Due to high temperature during summer, one has to face a lot of problems, hence it is better to come here during winter season.
How to reach Champaner Fort Gujarat
The nearest railway station to Champaner is Champaner Station which is connected by rail to major cities of India. The distance from here to Godhra and Vadodara Railway Junction is about 37 kilometers.
The nearest airport to Champaner is Vadodara Airport. The distance from Vadodara to Champaner is 42 kilometers which can be covered by rented car, taxi, state transport bus, private bus or train.
If you want to reach here by road then Champaner is well connected by road. You can reach here by driving yourself or by state transport or private tourist operator’s bus.
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