UNESCO World Heritage SiteUNESCO Heritage
India

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park

Medieval fortified city and hill shrine, Gujarat, India

Location

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Historical Context

About

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in Panchmahal district in Gujarat, India. It is located around the historical city of Champaner, a city which was founded by Vanraj Chavda, the most prominent king of the Chavda Dynasty, in the eighth century. He named it after the name of his friend and general Champa, also known later as Champaraj. The heritage site is studded with forts with bastions starting from the hills of Pavagadh, and extending into the city of Champaner. The park's landscape includes archaeological, historic and living cultural heritage monuments such as chalcolithic sites, a hill fortress of an early Hindu capital, and remains of the 16th-century capital of the state of Gujarat. There are palaces, entrance gates and arches, mosques, tombs and temples, residential complexes, agricultural structures and water installations such as stepwells and tanks, dating from the eighth to the 14th centuries. The Kalika Mata Temple, located on top of the 800 metres (2,600 ft) high Pavagadh Hill, is an important Hindu shrine in the region, attracting large numbers of pilgrims throughout the year. The transition between Hindu and Muslim culture and architecture in the late 15th to early 16th century is documented in the park, particularly the early Islamic and pre-Mughal city that has remained without any change. It was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

Journey through time and discover key events in this site's history

Jain presence on the hill

3rd century BCE

Chalcolithic occupation

Chalcolithic period

British administration

13 July 1829

Capture of Pavagadh fort

17 November 1484

Founding of Champaner

c. 746–806 CE

Ram Gaur Tuar rule

11th century

Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Anhilwad

c. 1297

Khichi and regional conflicts

1418 and c. 1450

Death of Malik Asad and rising tensions

1483

Mahmud Begada's rule and development

d. 1511

Succession and Mughal attack

1526–1536

British period observations

1803

Later conservation and World Heritage inscription

July 2004

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

category

Defensive Structures

FortressesBastionsDefensive WallsTowersGateways
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Water Management Features

WellsReservoirsStepwellsTanksCisterns
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Public and Civic Structures

Administrative BuildingsPlanned streets
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Burial and Funerary Structures

TombsMausoleums
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Industrial and Craft Structures

Workshops
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Religious and Ritual Structures

TemplesMosquesTombsJain templesShrines
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Artistic and Decorative Features

Carved sandstone reliefsMonuments
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Agricultural and Land Use Features

OrchardsField SystemsAgricultural structures
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Domestic and Habitation Structures

CitiesTownsPalacesHousesResidential complexes
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Environmental and Natural Features

Rock SheltersForested hilltop
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Food Production and Processing Features

Silk preparation facilities
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Transportation and Communication Structures

PathsRoads
Knowledge Base

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Reference

Details

Country

India

Coordinates

22.48° N, 73.53° E