Vadnagar
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Vehicle registration | GJ-02 |
Vadnagar is a town and municipality in the Mehsana district of the state of Gujarat in India. It is located 35 km (22 mi) from Mehsana. Its ancient names include Anartapura (the capital of Anarta) and Anandapura. It was a location visited by Xuanzang in 640 C.E. The founder and the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Alexander Cunningham, had identified Anandapura with the town of Vadnagar.[2] Vadnagar is also the birthplace of Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India.
History
The archeological excavations presented sequence assigned from 4th-3rd century BCE to the present period.[3] Recent excavations, in six trenches, consider the beginning of the site to be around 800 BCE, (ca. 2754 calibrated years before present).[4]
Archaeologists found seven cultural periods of continuous human presence: 1) Pre-
Several ancient inscriptions and literary sources mention a town called Anartapura or Anandapura, identified as the area in and around the present-day Vadnagar. The epic tale
The
Vadnagar has also yielded an image of
Geography
Vadnagar is located at 23°47′N 72°38′E / 23.78°N 72.63°E. It covers an area of about 7.08 km2 (2.73 sq mi) and has an average elevation of 143 m (469 ft) above the
Climate
The climate in Vadnagar is generally cold during winters and hot in summers, with temperatures varying from 14 °C (57 °F) to as high as 42 °C (108 °F). The average annual rainfall is about 670 mm. Relative humidity is generally high, especially in the monsoon and post–monsoon months, because of the interiorly location of the town.[11]
Demographics
As of
Economy
Almost the entire population of Vadnagar is engaged in agriculture and primary sector, because it is relatively isolated from the rest of Gujarat, as compared to other towns and cities like Mehsana, and developmental stages related to secondary and tertiary sectors are yet to be done. The primary sector accounts for around 40% of the total workforce. Another important industry on which the population is dependent is tourism, because in and around the town, there are many tourist attractions. Thus, it has a large potential yet to be tapped.
Languages
Places of interest
There are many tourist attractions in and around Vadnagar, as follows:[13]
- Sharmistha Lake: It is a lake with a small island amidst, and is connected by a 7 km long inlet canal. The island has been developed into an urban park. It includes an open-air theatre as well.
There are scores of temples dedicated to almost every god:
- Buddhist Monastery: The recent excavations have brought to light a Buddhist monastery belonging to the 2nd-7th century AD, within the fortified area of Vadnagar. The monastery had two
- Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple: It is a 15th-century temple, and is the most significant of the numerous Shiva shrines. He is the family deity of the
- Sitala Mata Temple: It is ornately carved with figures of celestial beings. Its door frames and ceilings depict the Rasmandala, portraying Krishna dancing with milkmaids.
- Kirti Toran: The town is famous for its Makara (a griffin), from which spring arches. A number of standing female figures also ornament the top. The one to the east is in better condition and has been used as a symbol of Gujarat in recent times. Initially, one torana was intact while the other was ruined. The ruined one was re-erected in 2007 by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).[16] The toranas might have served as an entrance to a large temple complex, but no remains of such have been found till date.[17]
- Narasinh Mehta, a renowned poet-saint of Gujarat, honored as the first poet, or Adi Kavi, of the Gujarati language, who lived temporarily in the 15th century.
Other places include Tana-Riri garden and shrine, Gauri kund, Pancham Mehta's Vav (stepwell), Janjanio well, Baithakji of Gusaiji, an ancient library and a directional stone from the Solanki period.[18]
-
Hathi Jain temple
-
Tana-Riri garden and shrine
-
Gauri kund
-
Pancham Mehta's Vav
Education
- Schools
- Anarth Shikshan Kendra
- Shri B. N. High School
- Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
- Navin Sarva Vidyalaya
- Pattharwali School
- Royal English Medium School
- Saraswati Vidya Mandir
- Sarvajanik Vidyayalaya, Vaghasi
- Vadnagar Girls High School
- Colleges
- Arts and Commerce College, Vadnagar
- GMERS Medical College, Vadnagar
- Government ITI, Vadnagar
- Government Polytechnic, Vadnagar
- Government Science College, Vadnagar
Healthcare
- Hospitals
- Bhavna Hospital
- Drishti Hospital
- GMERS Medical College & Civil Hospital
- Sadbhavna Hospital
- Sardar Patel General Hospital
- Vadnagar Nagrik Mandal Hospital
- Vasant Prabha Hospital
Transport
Road
The Gujarat State Highway 56 (SH-56) passes through Vadnagar, that connects it directly with Mehsana, Visnagar and Ambaji.
Rail
The Vadnagar railway station lies on the Mehsana-Taranga line, that directly connects Vadnagar with the rest of the state and beyond through Mehsana Junction railway station.
Bus
The Vadnagar bus station is located within the centre of the town. Buses are available from here to all major towns and cities in Gujarat and neighbouring states, that operate under Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), private and tourism operators.
Air
The nearest airport is
Notable people
- Narendra Modi, 14th and current Prime Minister of India
- Shankar Chaudhary, politician, current speaker of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, former Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Environment (All Independent charges) and Urban Development, Government of Gujarat
- Asit Kumarr Modi, Indian TV producer and actor, known for Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
- Vasant Parikh, Indian politician
See also
- North Gujarat
- Anarta
- Vadnagar archaeological site
- Mauryan Empire
- Vedic period
- Western Satraps
- Rudradaman I
- Chalukya dynasty
- Gujarat under Delhi Sultanate
- Gaekwad dynasty
- Tourism in Gujarat
- Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation
References
- ^ "Census of India: Search Details". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- Sir Alexander Cunningham, p.493-494
- ^ Rawat, Yadubirsingh (2011). "11. Recently Found Ancient Monastery and Other Buddhist Remains at Vadnagar and Taranga In North Gujarat, India". Bujang Valley and Early Civilisations in South East Asia, Malaysia: 209–232 – via Academia.
- ^ Sarkar, Anindya, et al., (2024). "Climate, human settlement, and migration in South Asia from early historic to medieval period: Evidence from new excavation at Vadnagar, Western India", in: Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 324, 15 January 2024, 108470: "Radiocarbon chronology of mollusc carbonates, charcoal and drill core sediments, retrieved from six trenches suggest that the settlement began at ~2754 years B.P. contemporary to Late-Vedic/pre-Buddhist Mahajanapadas or oligarchic republics of ancient India" (Conclusions).
- ^ Sarkar, Anindya, et al., (2024). "Climate, human settlement, and migration in South Asia from early historic to medieval period: Evidence from new archaeological excavation at Vadnagar, Western India", in: Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 324, 15 January 2024, 108470.
- ^ "Tirtha Mahatmya Nagara Khanda Skanda Purana". Wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Lost city could be Gujarat's womb: Archaeologists". The Times of India. 4 September 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- .
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Vadnagar
- ^ "Yearly & Monthly weather - Vadnagar, India". Weather Atlas. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Vadnagar". Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Buddhist Monastery, Vadnagar". Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Hatkeshwar Temple". Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Kirti Toran". Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Kirti Toran, Vadnagar | District Mahesana, Government of Gujarat | India". mahesana.nic.in. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.