Patan, Gujarat

Patan was established by the Chavda ruler Vanaraja in the ninth century as "Anahilapataka".[1] During 10th-13th century, the city served as the capital of the Chaulukya dynasty, who succeeded the Chavdas.

Coin of the Chaulukyas of Anahillapataka (Patan), King Kumarapala, c. 1145 – c. 1171.[2]

Muhammed of Ghur's general and later Sultan of Delhi Qutb-ud-din Aybak sacked the in 1197, and it was destroyed by the Allauddin Khilji in 1298. The modern town of Patan later sprung up near the ruins of Anhilwara. During 1304 to 1411, first Patan was the Suba headquarter of Delhi Sultanate and capital city of the Gujarat Sultanate after the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate at the end of the 14th century. A new fort was built by these Subas, a large portion of which (along with a few of the gates) is still intact. The old fort of the Hindu kingdom is nearly vanished and only a wall can be seen on the way from Kalka to Rani ki vav. In 1411, Sultan Ahmed Shah moved the capital to Ahmedabad.

Patan was part of the Baroda state from the mid-18th century until India's independence in 1947, when Baroda became part of Bombay state, which in 1960 was separated into Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Rani Ki Vav

During the period of the Chaulukya dynasty or Solankis, the stepwell called the Rani ki vav or Ran-ki vav (Queen's step well) was constructed. It is a richly sculptured monument, built by Udaymati in memory of her husband, Bhima I (1022-1063).[3]

It was probably completed by Udaymati and Karna after his death. A reference to Udaymati building the monument is in the 'Prabandha-Chintamani' composed by Merutunga Suri in 1304 AD.

Richly carved nymphs from the walls of the Rani ki Vav, a 1000 year old stepwell

It was one of the largest and the most sumptuous structures of its type. It became silted up and much of it is not visible, except for some rows of sculptured panels in the circular part of the well. Among its ruins one pillar still stands which is proof of the elegance of its design and an excellent example of this period. A part of the west well is extant from which it appears that the wall had been built of brick and faced with stone. From this wall project vertical bracket in pairs, this supported the galleries of the well shaft proper. This bracketing is arranged in tiers and is richly carved.

There is a small gate below the last step of the step well which has a 30 km tunnel (now it has been blocked by stones and mud) which leads to the town of Sidhpur near Patan. It was used as an escape gateway for king who built the step well in the times of defeat.

This stepwell is the oldest and the deepest among the 120 other stepwell in Gujarat. The sculpture of Rani ki vav depicting Lord Vishnu's avatars, Hindu Goddesses, Jain idols and their ancestors.[4] Most of the sculpture is in devotion to Vishnu, in the forms of his avatars (Krishna, Rama and others), representing their return to the world.

It was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on 22 June 2014.[5]

Patola Sari

The patola sari is one of the finest hand-woven sarees produced today. This is a specialty of Patan. It is famous for extremely delicate patterns woven with great precision and clarity. A patola sari takes 4 to 6 months to make, depending on how complicated the designs is and if the length is 5 or 6 metres. This saris are totally colored with vegetable colors. Costs start from Rs. 20,000 which may go up to Rs. 20,00,000 even depending on the difficulty of work as many times gold threads are included during its weaving process.

There are only two families making Patola saris. They don't teach this art to other family members. Only their sons are eligible to learn.

Salvivad, a place where Patolas are woven along with places where traditional clay toys are made are worth visiting. Many annual religious fairs act as tourist destination.

It is an ancient art and needs to be preserved as well as nurtured. Local folks in Gujarat always praises the "Patan Na patola" being most costly item for the women to afford in Gujarat.

Remains of the walls of new fort.

Sahasralinga Talav

Water Inlets

Platform

Canal of Water tank (Lake)

Sahastralinga Tank

There are many tourist attractions including forts, vavs (step wells), talavs (lakes) and places of worship. The main tourist attractions are the Rani ki vav (World Heritage Site) and patola saris.

The remains of Old City of Patan are a very small portion of Old Fort near Kalka on the outskirts of the New City is of historical and archeological importance. So is the case with the remains of the walls of new fort and the Darwajas (gates) of the new fort which are fast disappearing. The administration and a majority of local people show little interest in preserving these heritage places which are shrinking at a rapid pace. The inner fort of Bhadra with its gates is preserved well.

Step wells include Rani ki vav and Trikam Barot ni Vav. Lakes include historically and archaeologically important Sahastralinga Tank, Anand Sarovar (Gungadi Talav) and Khan Sarovar.

Two famous architectural monuments have gain the status of national monuments. One of them is Sahastralinga tank and other one is Rani ki vav stepwell. Rani ki vav is an intricately constructed stepwell situated in the town of Patan in Gujarat, India. It is located on the banks of the now dried-up Saraswati River, which was a seasonal river even during its best period.[7]

Bagwada, Chhidiya, Mira, Aghara, Kothakooe, Phatipaal (Fatipal), Ghoonghdi, Kanasda (also known as Kalika), Khansarovar, Motishah, Bhathi, Lal, 12th is door and 1 window (in middle of city is called Ganesh Bari).

There are many places of significance on religious, historical or architerctural grounds. Being the state capital of Gujarat for long time the city has heritage associated with religious places as well. The spread of Jainism in Patan can be understood that the city stands third in number of Jain Derasar (Temples) after Palitana and Ahmedabad (Rajnagar).

As of 2001 India census,[8] Patan had a population of 112,038. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Patan has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 65%. In Patan, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Hindus are the largest religious community of the city. other minority religious communities includes Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Jains. About 87% of the population is Hindu.

The history of Patan indicates that it was one of Jainism influenced state.

Patan is a constituency of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly within the Patan (Lok Sabha Constituency).

• Kumarapala (Chaulukya dynasty)
• Hemachandra

• Prof. K.A. Nizami, ‘Foundation of the Delhi Sultanat’ in A Comprehensive History of India-Vol-V part one.
• Chandler, Tertius. 1987. Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census. St. David's University Press.

• Patan District Panchayat

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patan.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Patan, Gujarat.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Patan (Gujarat).