Palanpur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Palanpur (
Gujarati:પાલનપુર,
Hindi:पालनपुर) is a
city and a
municipality of
Banaskantha district in the
Indian state of
Gujarat. Palanpur is the largest city and the administrative headquarters of the
district.
Legend has it that Palanpur was first settled by a certain Prahladan, belonging to the
Paramara clan of
Rajputs, who received the surrounding area as appanage from his elder brother, who ruled the region of what is now
Mount Abu. It was known as Prahladanpur in
history of Jainism. Palanpur town later became the seat of the eponymous
princely state in
British India.
[edit] Geography and climate
Palanpur is located at
24°06′N 72°15′E / 24.10°N 72.25°E / 24.10; 72.25.
[1] It has an average elevation of 209 metres (685 ft).
[edit] Climate
Palanpur enjoys all types of weather. In Summer, it's hot and humid with an average temperature of 40 Degrees with hot sandy winds. In Winter, it's 5 to 15 degrees, which is quite cold as compared to other cities in Gujarat and in Monsoon Season, the average rainfall is about 20 to 30 inches per season.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001
[update] India
census,
[2] Palanpur had a population of 110,383. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Palanpur has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 61%. In Palanpur, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] History
The town was once heavily fortified with seven gates providing the only means of thoroughfare; these are now in ruins. Some of the gates known are called as follows "Shimla Gate", "Delhi Gate", "Meera Gate" and "Gathaman Gate(Darwaja)". Of much more recent vintage are the other monuments that dot the town: the "Keertistumbh" or "victory tower" was erected in the 1930s, as were the Jorawar palace(Currently used as Judicial Court) and the Balaram palace.
[edit] Princely Palanpur
Princely flag of Palanpur
Palanpur was the seat of a
princely state ruled by the
Lohani clan of
Afghans. While the earlier history of the family is obscure, the family has apparently lived in India since at least the 16th century; a forbear of the family is reputed to have wed the foster-sister of the
Mughal emperor Akbar and received Palanpur and surrounding areas as dowry. However, the family comes into historical prominence during the period of instability that followed the demise of
Aurangzeb in the early 18th century. It was overrun soon afterwards by the
Marathas; the Lohanis followed the trend of seeking recourse in the
British East India Company against them and finally entered the
subsidiary alliance system in 1817, along with all other neighbouring states.
The state encompassed an area of 1766 km² (682 mi²) and a population, in 1901, of 222,627. The town of Palanpur housed a population of only 8000 people that year. The state commanded a revenue of approximately Rs.50,000/- per year, and paid a tribute to the
Gaekwad, the
Maratha ruler of
Baroda, of Rs.2,564/- per year. It was traversed by the main line of the Rajputana-Malwa railway, and contained the British cantonment of Deesa. Wheat, rice and sugar-cane were the chief products. Watered by the Sabarmati river, the state was heavily forested in its northern reached (the present-day Jessore sanctuary) but undulating and open in the south and east. The country was on the whole somewhat hilly, being at the edge of the
Aravalli Range.
[edit] Politics
[edit] Palanpur Agency
Palanpur also lent its name to a political agency, or collection of native states, on the border between present-day
Gujarat and
Rajasthan. The agency oversaw some 17 princely states and estates in the area, encompassing an area of 6393 square miles (16,558 km²) and a population, in 1901, of 467,271.
[edit] Transport
The town being the headquarters of
Banaskantha district is well-connected by road and rail.
The nearest International
airport is
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at
Ahmedabad, located about 135 km away. Palanpur Airport has an airstrip but is yet to develop as a domestic airport.
Palanpur Junction Railway station comes under the administrative control of
Western Railway zone of the
Indian Railways. It has direct rail links on the broad gauge to the cities of
Chennai,
Thiruvananthapuram,
Mysore,
Bangalore,
Pune,
Mumbai,
Jaipur,
Jodhpur,
Delhi,
Dehradun,
Muzaffarpur,
Bareilly and
Jammu. It is connected to most of the cities and towns in
Gujarat such as
Ahmedabad,
Surat,
Vadodra,
Bhuj,
Rajkot,
Jamnagar and
Porbandar.
National Highway 14 connecting
Beawar in
Rajasthan with
Radhanpur in
Gujarat passes through Palanpur, thus connecting it with the cities of
Pali,
Sirohi and
Abu Road. State Highways SH 712, SH 132 pass through Palanpur and connect it with nearby towns in Gujarat. State Highway SH 41 connects it with
Ahmedabad.
[edit] City scape
Kirti Stambh is the historic symbol of Palanpur
Palanpur was known as "flower city" because of perfumes (Itar) available here. Palanpur is also known for its textile retail market. The major areas in the city are Station road, Delhi gate, Simla gate and Dhalwas. Kirti Stambh is a 22 m high historic tower located in Palanpur. It was built by a wealthy Jain merchant in the 12 century A.D. and is dedicated to
Adinathji, the first of the
Jain Tirthankaras.Palanpur is also known for diamonds.
[edit] Visitor attractions
One of the best hotel in Gujarat which is known as the Balaram Palace just away 13 km from Palanpur. The
Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary, a reserve forest sprawling over 180 km² is located in Jessore, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) away.
[edit] Temples
Palanpur city has several temples dedicated to
Hinduism and
Jainism. It is famous for its relation to Jainism. The Motu
Derasar and Nanu Derasar are the Jain temples which are especially famous in Jains. The Pallaviya Parshwanath Temple (Mota Derasar) was built by King Prahaladan (Founder of Palanpur city). It's the Temple of 23rd Lord of Jainism, Lord Parshwanath. This place comes under 108 Parshwanth Temples, which gets special attention to the devotees of Jainism. The Pataleshwar Mahadev Temple dedicated to
Lord Shiva, is an ancient temple situated near Keerti stambh. It is believed to be the birth place of King Siddharaj Jaisinh, who've ruled Gujarat from Patan. Mota Ramji Mandir, dedicated to Lord Rama and Ambaji Mata Mandir are the famous temples located in the city.
Ambaji temple located in
Ambaji is believed to be one of the 51
Shakti Peethas and is located about 55 km from Palanpur. Kedarnath Mahadev Temple, located in Jessore, about 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Palanpur and Balaram Mahadev temple, located about 14 km from the city are famous temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. A famous temple of Dharmata, who is a kuldevi of Sundhiya family is situated near Balaram Mahadev Temple on the Virampur road.
[edit] Education
- Schools
- Smt. M.M.Mehta.English Medium School,
- Vidyamandir School,
- Vinaymandir,
- Jain Shishu Shala,
- Rajmani Primary School,
- C. K. Mehta Practicing School,
- Mamtamandir ( Group of schools for disable),
- Nutan School,
- K. K. Gothi secondorySchool,
- Swastik HighSchool,
- Swastik balmandir & primary School,
- Sanskar School,
- Shri M.B. Karnavat High School,
- Saraswati School
- Shri V.R.Vidhyalay,
- Gujarat High School,
- Sant Shri Rajaram School
|
- Colleges
- D.D. Chokshi College for secondary and Higher Secondary Education
- C.K. Mehta College for Primary Education
- K. J. Mehta College for Pre-Primary Education
- B.Ed. College for Special Education
- C.l.Parikh College of Commerce,
- R.R.Mehta College of Science,
- G.D.Modi college of Arts,
- Zala B.Ed. College,
- Govt. Engg. College,
- Polytechnic College,
- Hitech junior science college,
- Bhanumatiben Kantilal Mehta I.T. Center B.C.A & PGDCA College
vikashben b.c.a. cllege
|
[edit] Famous people associated with Palanpur
Palanpur is closely associated with
Jainism. It is also the ancestral birthplace of the majority of India's diamond trading families. India's modern diamond cutting industry was founded by several Jain families of Palanpur who, in 1909, met to devise a means of lifting their village from poverty, eventually settling on the diamond trade. Because of its remote location, the families started their businesses in Bombay (now
Mumbai) and later
Surat. However, they still maintain close ties to their ancestral home. India's diamond industry, still dominated by Palanpuri Jains, now processes the majority of diamonds used in jewellery. Earlier Palanpur was well known in
Gujarati literature with its shayars like Shunya Palanpuri, Agam Palanpuri, Shail Palanpuri. The famous Gujarati columnist
Chandrakant Bakshi also hails from Palanpur. The great Jain saint Jagadguru Shri Hirsurishwarji was born in this city. His house was located just opposite to Mota Dehrasar. Also born in this city was the famous Jain saint Acharya Shri Somsundarsurishwarji, who was the main inspiration behind world famous Jain Temple of
Ranakpur, which is known for its architecture.
This city is also the birth place of several personalities such as,
- Mr. Shankarbhai Godadbhai Patel, founder of Swastik Highschool & President of Solgam Leuva Patidar Pragati Mandal Palanpur. He is President Of Banaskanth District ShalaSanchalak Mandal, Banaskantha,
- Gulabchand.K.Chaudhary,Rtd.Asisstant Police Commissioner Gujarat State.He got Rastrapati Award (National IndiaLevel) and win above 800 awards from the Police Department Of Gujarat State.He has Studied in palanpur and belonging to Takarwada village near palanpur city.
- Hardik Modi, the franchisee owner of coxandkings Palanpur hails from Palanpur
- Pranav Mistry, the inventor of SixthSense and Quickies hails from Palanpur.
- Bharat Shah, a Bollywood film producer,
- B.K Gadhvi (A former Member of Parliament and finance minister of Gujarat),
- HariBhai Chaudhary, a Member of Parliament (Bharatiya Janata Party) and
- Kamlesh Joshi, a famous zoologist who belongs to jungalles group of Gujarat.
- Rohit Jivanlal Parikh, mathematician, logician and philosopher, was born in Palanpur. He holds the position of distinguished Professor at Brooklyn College, New York (1982–present).
- The family of Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad hails from Palanpur.
- A large proportion of people working in India's and Antwerp's diamond industry are native to Palanpur.
- Dr. K. S. Mogra, District President B.J.P.
- Mr.V.D.Hathi pioneer of Voctoriya Jubilee Library and F
- Shri. Parthibhai G Bhatol, a school teacher became the successor of India's Father of White revolution - Dr. V Kurien, became GCMMF Chairman in year 2006. Also he lead the Banas Dairy as Chairman since 1991 to 2010 - two decade & today Banas Dairy is the largest Dairy Cooperatie in INDIA under the popular Brand name called AMUL - The Taste of India.
[edit] Heading text
Founder member of Arts and Science college.
[edit] Gallery
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