Siddhpur


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 remaining of the ancient Sarasvati River.

History

Siddhpur was historically known as Sristhal, literally "a pious place".
The bard sings of it,
In tenth century, Mularaja, the founder of Chaulukya dynasty, started constructing the Rudra Mahalaya Temple. On completion of the temple, around 1140 AD, Jayasimha Siddharaja 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 and Nusrat Khan sent by Alauddin Khalji in 1298–99.
During the Gujarat Sultanate, the town was under the rule of local dynasty ruling from Palanpur. In the 15th century, the town was brought under the Mughal rule by Akbar. 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, in 14th century, lived in Siddhpur.
Siddhpur is associated with performing śrāddha for mothers, and several Puranic accounts are connected with this. According to Puranic tradition, Kapila's ashram was in Siddhpur, and his mother Devahutī turned to water after receiving brahmajñāna from Kapila. Another account states Paraśurāma bathed in Kaplilāśrama's Bindu Sarovar and conducted his mother Reṇukā's śrāddha and thus became cleansed of the sin of decapitating her on the order of his father. The city has a high population of Śaiva Siddhpuriyā Brahmins and Vorā people. Pilgrims bathe in the Sarasvatī river, Gyānvāpi, Alp Sarovar, and Bindu Sarovar. Excepting the monsoon season, these bodies of water are dirty. Bindu Sarovar rather than a sarovar is actually a kuṁḍ and is surrounded by a few small temples. Alp Sarovar is also actually a kuṁḍ.

Architecture

Sidhpur is called the Paris of Gujarat because it has a Bohra mansion whose architecture is as amazing as Paris.
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. 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, 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

is a constituency of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly within the Patan .

Transport