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Palanpur | |
|---|---|
 Kirti Stambh, a tower commemorating the history of the town and its former ruling dynasty | |
  Palanpur Location in Gujarat, India | |
| Coordinates:24°10′20″N72°26′00″E / 24.17222°N 72.43333°E /24.17222; 72.43333 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Banaskantha |
| Region | North Gujarat |
| Government | |
| • Body | Palanpur Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 39.50 km2 (15.25 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 209 m (686 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 181,592 |
| • Rank | 24nd (Gujarat) |
| • Density | 4,597/km2 (11,910/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Gujarati,Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 385 001 |
| Telephone code | +91 2742 |
| Vehicle registration | GJ-08 |
Palanpur (Gujarati:Pālanpur) is a city and a headquarters ofBanaskantha district in theIndian state ofGujarat. Palanpur is the ancestral home to an industry of Indian diamond merchants.[2][3]
Palanpur in early times is said to have been called Prahladana Patan or Prahaladanapura after its founder Prahladana, mentioned in Jain texts. It was afterwards re-peopled by Palansi Chauhan from whom it took its modern name. Others say that it was founded by Pal Parmar whose brother Jagadev founded nearby Jagana village.[4]
According toHasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia, the namePālanpur is derived fromPālhaṇapura, mentioned in aChaulukya-era inscription.[5]: 71–2
The Jain texts mentions that Prahladana, brother ofParamara Dharavarsha of Abu, founded Prahladanapur in 1218 and built Prahladana-vihara dedicated to Pallaviya Parshwanatha.[6] The town was re-peopled ruled byChauhans around thirteenth century. At the start of the seventeenth century, thePalanpur State was taken over by Jhalori dynasty of thePashtunLohani tribe which was founded in 1373 and ruled fromJalore (Rajasthan). The dynasty came into historical prominence during the period of instability that followed the demise ofMughal emperorAurangzeb in the early 18th century. It was overrun soon afterwards by theMarathas; the Lohanis followed the trend of seeking recourse in theBritish East India Company against them and finally entered thesubsidiary alliance system in 1817, along with all other neighbouring states, becoming aBritish protectorate.[4] Afterindependence of India in 1947, Palanpur State was dissolved in 1949 and merged withUnion of India as a part ofBombay State. Subsequently, Palanpur became the capital ofBanaskantha district ofGujarat.[7]
Palanpur is located at24°06′N72°15′E / 24.10°N 72.25°E /24.10; 72.25.[8] It has an average elevation of 209 metres (685 ft).
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 20,300 | — |
| 1951 | 22,600 | +11.3% |
| 1961 | 29,100 | +28.8% |
| 1981 | 61,300 | +110.7% |
| 1991 | 90,300 | +47.3% |
| 2001 | 122,300 | +35.4% |
| 2011 | 141,592 | +15.8% |
| Source:[9] | ||
In the2011 census of India, Palanpur had a population of 141,592.[1] Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Palanpur has an average literacy rate of 86%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 94%, and female literacy is 78%. In Palanpur, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 74% | |||
| Islam | 22% | |||
| Jainism | 3.4% | |||
| Others† | 0.6% | |||
| Distribution of religions †IncludesSikhs (0.2%),Buddhists (<0.2%). | ||||
In 1750 (Samvat 1806), Bahadur Khan built a brick and mortar city-wall, theNagarkot of Palanpur. It was 3 miles round, 17 to 20 feet high and 6 feet broad with seven bastioned gateways, and, at the corners, round towers armed with guns. The gateways of the city-walls were Delhi Darwaja, Gathaman Darwaja, Malan Darwaja, Mira Darwaja, Virbai Darwaja, Salempura Darwaja, Sadarpur Darwaja or Shimla Darwaja. Only Mira Darwaja survives today.
Sher Muhammad Khan attended the coronation ceremony ofKing George V in Delhi in 1910 and built a club named after him in 1913. In 1918, his successor Tale Muhammad Khan constructed Kirti Stambh, a 22-metre tower near the railway station commemorating the gallantry of his father and the history of town and his dynasty. He also built Balaram Palace between 1922 and 1936 and later Jorawar Palace (Currently used as Judicial Court) also. In 1939, he also built Shashivan, formerly Jahanara Baug, a garden to commemorate his second marriage with a daughter of an Australian businessman.
The old marketplaces are Nani Bazar, Moti Bazar and Dhalvas. Apart from Shahshivan, Chaman Bag is a major public garden in the town. Early Jhalori ruler Malik Mujahid Khan built Mansarovar, a lake dedicated to his queen Manbai Jadeja, in 1628.
Mithi Vav, astepwell is the oldest surviving monument of town. It is situated in the eastern part of the town. The five storey stepwell can be entered from the west. Based on its architectural style, it is believed that it is constructed in late medieval period but the sculptures embedded in the walls may belong to earlier period. The sculptures include that ofGanesha,Shiva,Apsaras, dancing figures, worshiping couples and floral or geometrical patterns. A worn out inscription found on one sculpture embedded in left wall can not read clearly but the year Samvat 1320 ( 1263 AD) can made out.[10]
Kirti Stambh : The 22m(72 feet) high Tower of Fame was built by a wealthy Jain merchant in the 12 century A.D. and is dedicated to Adinathji (Rishabhnatha), the first of the Tirthankaras. The tower is decorated with Jain Pantheons.
Palanpur has several temples dedicated toHinduism andJainism.
TheChaulukya dynasty rulerJayasimha Siddharaja ofAnhilwad Patan is believed to be born in Palanpur. His mother Meenaldevi built Pataleshwar Temple dedicated toShiva. Other Hindu temples are Lakshman Tekri temple, Mota Ramji Mandir, Ambaji Mata Mandir.
Dairy, textile, diamond polishing and marble are major industries of Palanpur.Banas Dairy is one of the largest dairy in the state. The diamond polishing and evaluation industry across India and abroad is dominated by Palanpuri Jain diaspora. Palanpuri Ittars are popular for their fragrance and earned the nickname 'city of flowers' to the town.
During rule of Jhalori Nawabs, Palanpur became well known for GujaratiGhazals and poetry. CombinationSamosas and Kari are popular snack in the town.
Palanpur is an educational hub of Banaskantha. Major schools include Silver Bells English medium school (c.b.s.e), Vividhlakshi Vidyamandir, Shri Ram Vidhyalaya, Aadarsh Vidhyasankool, Matrushree RV Bhatol Eng Med School, M B Karnavat School, K K Gothi Highschool. Palanpur also have various colleges: Banas Medical College, Palanpur Government Engineering College, G D Modi College of Arts, C. L. Parikh College of Commerce, R. R. Mehta College of Science. Apart from these, there are two B.C.A. colleges, B.Ed. colleges, Girls Arts college.
Several notable persons hails from Palanpur:
Palanpur is a native of the Palanpuri diamond merchants in Surat and Belgium.[12]
The town being the headquarters ofBanaskantha district is well-connected by road and rail.
Palanpur Junction railway station, on theJaipur-Ahmedabad mainline, comes under the administrative control ofWestern Railway zone of theIndian Railways. It has direct rail links on the broad gauge to the cities ofChennai,Thiruvananthapuram,Mysore,Bangalore,Pune,Mumbai,Jaipur,Jodhpur,Delhi,Dehradun,Muzaffarpur,Bareilly andJammu. It is connected to most of the cities and towns inGujarat such asAhmedabad,Surat,Vadodra,Bhuj,Rajkot,Jamnagar andPorbandar. Indian Railways’ proposal to double the broad gauge line between Palanpur and Samakhiali has received government backing. The doubling will benefit the districts of Kutch, Patan and Banaskantha in the state of Gujarat.
National Highway 27 connectingBeawar inRajasthan withRadhanpur inGujarat passes through Deesa-Palanpur, thus connecting it with the cities ofAbu Road,Udaipur andPali. State Highways SH 712, SH 132 pass through Palanpur and connect it with nearby towns in Gujarat. State Highway SH 41 connects it withMehsana &Ahmedabad.Palanpur GSRTC Bus Port the five-storey bus station in the city.
The nearest Airport is theDeesa Airport, originally built to serve the princely state of Palanpur.[13] It is just 26 km from Palanpur city. The nearest International Airport isSardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport,Ahmedabad which is 139 km far from Palanpur.
Places adjacent to Palanpur | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
