Siddhpur, also spelled Sidhpur, is a town,

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and headquarter of Sidhpur taluka in Patan district, in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. It is a historical place located on the bank of the

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

Saraswati River The Sarasvati River () is a deified river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a physical river, i ...

, which is probably a remaining of the ancient

Sarasvati River The Sarasvati River () is a deified river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a physical river, i ...

History

Siddhpur was historically known as ''Sristhal'', literally "a pious place". The bard sings of it, In tenth century (943 AD),

Mularaja Mularaja () was the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty of India. Also known as the Chalukyas of Gujarat or Solanki, this dynasty ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Mularaja supplanted the last Chavda dynasty, Chavda king, and founded an independe ...

, the founder of

Chaulukya dynasty The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

, started constructing the

Rudra Mahalaya Temple 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 AD by Mularaja and completed in 1140 AD by Jayasimha Sid ...

. On completion of the temple, around 1140 AD,

Jayasimha Siddharaja Jayasiṃha ( ), who assumed the title Siddharāja (), was an Indian king who ruled western parts of India. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Solanki) dynasty. Jayasimha's capital was located at Anahilapataka (modern Patan) in pres ...

consecrated it and established the town as his capital. He changed its name to Siddhpur, literally Siddhraj's town. The temple was dismantled by an army under Almas Beg (

Ulugh Khan Almas Beg (died c. 1302), better known by his title Ulugh Khan, was a brother and a general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He held the iqta' of Bayana in present-day India. Ulugh Khan played an important role in Alauddin's asce ...

) and Nusrat Khan sent by

Alauddin Khalji Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over lar ...

in 1298–99. During the

Gujarat Sultanate The Gujarat Sultanate (or the Sultanate of Guzerat), was a Medieval Indian kingdom established in the early 15th century in Western India, primarily in the present-day state of Gujarat, India. The dynasty was founded by Sultan Zafar Khan Muza ...

, the town was under the rule of local dynasty ruling from

Palanpur Palanpur is a city and a municipality of Banaskantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Palanpur is the administrative headquarters of Banaskantha district. Palanpur is the ancestral home to an industry of Indian diamond merchants. Ety ...

. In the 15th century, the town was brought under the Mughal rule by

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. 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 Bhavai, also known as ''Vesha'' or ''Swang'', is a popular folk theatre form of western India, especially in Gujarat. Etymology ''Bhavai'' may derive from the Sanskrit word ''Bhava'', meaning expression or emotion. It is also associated wit ...

, in 14th century, lived in Siddhpur.

Architecture

The Dawoodi Bohras, a trading community, flourished in Sidhpur from the 1820s to the 1930s. 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. 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). Sebastian Cortés has captured detailed photographs of these architectural marvels which were displayed at an exhibition in Mumbai, India. 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."

Demographics

As of

2001 census of India The 2001 Census of India was the 14th in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1871. The population of India was counted as 1,028,737,436 consisting of 532,223,090 males and 496,514,346 females. Total population increased by 18 ...

, 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.

Places of interest

File:રૂદ્રમહલ.jpg, Ruins of Rudramahal File:Bindu Sarovar in Siddhpur 02 (Matrugaya).jpg, Bindu Sarovar (Matrugaya) File:Havelis or medieval homes of Dawoodi Bohra at Siddhpur.jpg, Havelis (mansions) of Dawoodi Bohra community File:Clock Tower Siddhpur 06.jpg, Mohamedally Tower File:Shristhal Sangrahalay (Siddhpur Museum) Siddhpur 03.jpg, Shristhal Sangrahalay (Siddhpur Museum) *Sidhpur has two protected national monument under

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

(ASI) namely: Ruins of

and the Jami Masjid. *Bindu Sarovar: It is a small artificial tank, even mentioned in Rig-veda and considered pious by Hindus. According to Hindu theology, there are five sacred lakes; collectively called ''Panch-Sarovar'';

Mansarovar Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The l ...

, Bindu Sarovar,

Narayan Sarovar Narayan Sarovar or Narayansar is a village and place of pilgrimage for Hindus on the Kori Creek. It is located in Lakhpat taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat, India. The ancient Koteshwar temple lies only 4 km away. Temples The temples, th ...

Pampa Sarovar Pampa Sarovara is a lake in Koppal district near Hampi in Karnataka. To the south of the Tungabhadra River, it is considered sacred by Hindus and is one of the five sacred ', or lakes in India. According to Hindu theology, there are five sacred ...

and Pushkar Sarovar. They are also mentioned in Shrimad Bhagavata Purana.
Encyclopaedia of tourism resources in India, Volume 2 By Manohar Sajnani It is the only place where Matrushraddh, Śrāddha, Shraddh ritual for mothers, is performed thus thousands of people visit it annually to perform the rituals for their dead mothers, in Kartika month of Hindu calendar. *Bohra

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', mean ...

s (mansions) in European influenced architecture are largely belonging to

Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. Their largest numbers reside in India, Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa, and the Middle East, with a growing presence across Europe, North America, South ...

trading community and spread over 18

mohalla is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations. History Historically, mahallas were autonomous social ins ...

s or neighbourhoods in Najampura and Hassanpura. They are known for their wooden architecture and interior decoration. *Arvadeswar Shiva temple is an ancient place of

Natha Sampradaya Nath, also called Natha, are a Shaiva sub-tradition within Hinduism in India and Nepal. A medieval movement, it combined ideas from Buddhism, Shaivism and Yoga traditions in India.Mohamedally Tower, a clock tower, built by Bohra businessman Mohamedally Hararwala at the cost Rs. 15000, inaugurated on 4 April 1915, during the rule of Gaekwad. * Shristhal Sangrahalay (Siddhpur Museum)

Politics

Sidhpur 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, which is probably a rem ...

is a constituency of the

Gujarat Legislative Assembly Gujarat Legislative Assembly or Gujarat Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Gujarat, in the state capital Gandhinagar. Presently, 182 members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected from single-member cons ...

within the

Patan (Lok Sabha constituency) Patan ( gu, પાટણ લોકસભા મતવિસ્તાર) is a Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituency in Gujarat state in western India. Vidhan Sabha segments Presently, Patan Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven Vidhan Sabha (l ...

Transport

* Siddhpur railway station * Sidhpur Bus Station

References

External links

* {{Authority control History of Gujarat Cities and towns in Patan district Tourist attractions in Patan district Siddhpur