Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park was declared a
World Heritage Site in 2004 and is now a popular tourist destination in the Panchmahal district of
Gujarat. The present day Champaner is a walled town, located on the foothills of the
Pavagarh hill. In the past it was once briefly the capital of Gujarat too, and looking at the ruins its not difficult to imagine that. It was also known as
Muhammadabad for a while when the Sultan of Gujarat attacked and captured the town.
The ruins of this majestic town are scattered all around, and they are all highly impressive. However, there are five mosques which especially stand out, none of these are functional though.
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Jami Masjid
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Sahar ki Masjid
Sahar ki Masjid is located within the walled (fortified) town of
Champaner. There is a huge open space lying just outside. You can purchase an entry pass which is valid for all the other heritage monuments in and around Champaner. Katie was aghast when was charged Rs. 250 as entry fee while everyone else was only asked for Rs. 10; of course we divided the money equally amongst us, but it failed to pacify her. Soon all this was forgotten while we climbed up the mosque and took all sorts of pictures, none disrespectful or inside the praying area.
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| The floating people |
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| Sahar ki Masjid |
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| Vikram collecting duas at the Sahar ki Masjid |
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| Sahar ki Masjid |
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| Nona at Sahar ki Masjid |
Jami Masjid
One of the most imposing amongst these is the
Jami Masjid, located very close to the walled town. The scale and the beauty of the place is unmatched, especially considering its almost obscure location. There is also a huge step-well just outside which should not be missed. The Masjid has one of the most ornate carvings every to be seen anywhere.
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| Jami Masjid |
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| Jami Masjid |
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| Jami Masjid |
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| Jami Masjid |
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| Jami Masjid |
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| Jami Masjid |
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| Jami Masjid |
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| Jami Masjid |
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| The tank outside the Jami Masjid |
Kabutarkhana Pavilion
The next was
Kabutarkhana Pavilion on the north bank of Wada Talao near Khajuri Masji. Its an almost dilapidated monument but still very charming. The pond near-by is dry, but everything else around is beautifully green. We climbed up the monument and clicked away to glory!
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| Manoj and Katie on top of the Kabutarkhana |
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| Towards the greenery |
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| Katie - the Tarzan woman! |
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| Niren posing |
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| Manoj and Katie again |
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| Kabutarkhana from top |
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| Kids at the Kabutarkhana |
Kevda Masjid
The best place to see was reserved for the end -
Kevda Masjid. This is located a short distance behind the Jami Masjid and one can easily walk down to it. Since it was monsoon and there were intermittent rains, our journey to the place became memorable. We crossed bushes, water logged roads and many thorns to reach our destination. But the place was completely worth it. We climbed up the minarets and could see all over the area, and were completely blown away by the sheer beauty of the greenery around. We walked, talked and rested at the mosque and took many many pictures as well.
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| On the way to Kevda Masjid |
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| Kevda Masjid |
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| Kevda Masjid |
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| Kevda Masjid |
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| Kevda Masjid |
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| Kevda Masjid |
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| Niren and Nona at the Kevda Masjid |
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| Kevda Masjid |
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| Manoj, Niren and Nona at Kevda Masjid |
Missing lunch and eating almost no breakfast ensured that we skipped all the other heritage monuments at Champaner and decided to return back. Food was disappointing but we all hogged due to the sheer call of our individual hunger.
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| Looking through the lens |
Hi sid,
ReplyDeleteInformative post and great pics. I am planning to visit gujarat for kite festival. Itinerary already planned..but Just now came to know about this interesting places now I am just wondering how I could modify my itinerary to cover this place.. So it would be helpful if u can help me with following queries.. approximately how many hours are required for this trip? Will there be any English speaking guides available or can we find these places on our own?
Does it involves more of walking between places? (bcoz there will be two senior citizens with us.. So wondering will it be suitable for them)
Anticipating ur reply :-)
I would suggest an entire day for the place. As for the guides, I am not sure if they are available there itself. We had someone in the group itself who knew the place a little, and we used google to locate places. Check if you can find a good travel agent in Ahmedabad who can organise this for you...
DeleteWOW! These photographs are such a delight. So glad you got to climb the minarets and have such a delightful view of the surroundings. Great post, as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks Shubham :)
DeleteGreat! All pictures you shared here are really awesome, special thanks for jami masjid and kevda masjid images that's awesome. Your travel guide are really helpful.
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing travel guide and article
ReplyDelete