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Patan
is an ancient fortified town, situated on the banks of the
sacred Saraswati river. Vanraj Chavda, founded it in 746 AD
and Patan enjoyed a privileged status of capital of Gujarat,
for about 600 years from 746 AD to 1411 AD. The major Rajput
clans of Chavadas (746-942 AD), Solankis (942-1244 AD) and
Vaghelas (1244-1304 AD) ruled Gujarat from Patan.
The glory of Patan reached its zenith during the Solanki period
the golden age of Gujarat. During these years, the city was
a great place of learning and a prosperous trading center.
The rulers were great patrons of fine arts and architecture
and undertook construction of many civic and religious edifices
in the city.
The Jain text, 'Kumarpala Rasa', describes Patan as a prosperous
fortified town; 18 miles in circumference with 84 town squares,
52 bazaars, mints of gold and silver, well laid gardens with
fountains and trees, grammar school of Sanskrit and Prakrit,
numerous Hindu and Jain temples and Sahastralinga Talav.
After last Vaghela ruler, Karan Ghelo lost to Ulugh Khan in
1289 AD, the Muslims plundered the town, destroyed the temples
and ruined the entire city. Today, one can barely find the
traces of such a magnificent town. The most significant monuments
in Patan are Rani ki Vav, Sahastralinga Talav and Khan Sarovar.
Rani ki Vav is an excellent example of subterranean architecture
of Gujarat. This Vav was constructed by Udaymati, the queen
of Bhimdev (1022-63 AD). The exisquisitely carved side walls,
pillars, beams, series of steps and platforms lead to the
elaborately carved water well. Every surface is adorned with
finelly chiselled sculptures of maidens and Hindu deities,
religious motifs and geometrical patterns. Rani ki Vav represents
the finest of the Indian sculptures and architecture.
Sahastralinga Talav is among the many artificial tanks built
in different parts of Gujarat, under the patronage of Siddhraj
Jaisinh (1093-1143 AD). The architecture of this tank integrated
the great sense of water management and sanctity of water
in Hindu religion. The tank used to receive water from a canal
of the Saraswati river and had spread of about five km with
masonary embankments. There were thousand Shiva Shrines on
the edge of the tank. Some remains of the same are even visible
today. Looking at the rums, one can imagine the grandeur of
this great water tank. The famous legend of Siddhraj Jaisinh's
desire for Jasma Odan, a beautiful woman of the tank diggers'
community, revolves around this tank. She refused to marry
him and committed sati to protect her honour. It is believed
that her curse made this tank waterless and the king without
a heir to the kingdom of Gujarat.
Khan Sarovar, located outside South Gate, is a water tank
from Solanki period with stone steps and masonary. Mirza Aziz
Kokah (1589 AD) renovated this tank using the stones from
ruined structures.
There are at least 100 Jain temples in Patan; the most important
to visit is the Mahavir Swami Derasar in Dhandherwad with
exquisitely carved wooden dome. The important Hindu temples
are Kalika Mata, Sindhwai Mata, Harihareshwar Mahadev and
Brahma Kund.
For visitors interested in Jainism and Indology, a visit to
the Hemachandracharya Gyan Mandir is a must. It contains thousands
of rare ancient manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit. Hemachandracharya
was a great scholar and grammarian- the first one to formulate
the grammar of the Gujarati language. Patan is the only center
of unique weaving craft of 'Patola' since the time of King
Kumarpal (ruled 1143-73 AD). Even today, this age old traditional
weaving craft is practised by a few families.
he urban structure of the town is made of several neighbourhoods
called 'Pols'. 'Pols' are densely populated and are like a
maze with winding narrow lanes. Some of them contain old beautiful
houses with carved wooden facades in traditional Gujarati
architectural style
