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The
other citadel with fine havelis is
Vadnagar, east of Sidhapur, which
was known from medieval times for
its tradition of classical and folk
music, and in more recent times has
given Gujarat such famous artists
as Dayaram and Narsinh Mehta, 2 of
her greatest poets, Govardham, her
famous novelist, and Kaumudhi Munshi,
one of her foremost painters.In the
3rd century, Vadna gar was colonised
by the Naggar Brahmin community, whose
fame as administrators were known
to an extent that Hindu and Muslim
kings invariably depended on them
for advice. It was here that Akhbar's
court singer, Tansen, burning from
the effects of singing Dipak raag,
the song of fire, came in search of
Tana and Riri, the two girls who were
expert in the Megamaldhar, the song
of the rain. This raag was said to
counter the effect of the Raag Dipak.
Enchanted by this song, Akhbar invited
Tana and Riri to sing in his court,
but as the Brahmin laws prevented
them from entering the Muslim court,
they committed suicide rather than
refuse the emperor or go against their
religion. Their memorial, the 17th
century Vishnu and Shiva temples and
the several Naggar Brahmin havelis
are major attractions of Vadnagar.
But the high light of this city is
undoubtedly the Torana arches, with
which it has become synonymous. Across
the Saraswati river and ascending
the Taranga hills, the cluster of
Jain temples dated from the 12th century,
offers yet another insight into the
devotional architecture of the Solanki
Rajput period. Like the Jain temple
clusters of Dilwara, Palitana, Girnar,
Gwalior and Bihar, the temples of
Taranga crown a hilltop and offer
splendid views on everyside. The magnificent
wall erected by Raja Kumarapala, are
one of the most lasting remains of
Solanki architecture, and inside you
find the Ajitnath temple, dated to
1165 AD, which is the crown jewel
of Taranga. The temple measures some
150'X100', the whole covered with
breathtaking carvings , and the madapa
inside has has 8 beautiful columns,
ending in lovely lotus petals and
16 carved brackets depicting beautiful
women. The central statue has a bejewelled
eyes sparkling with jewels.
Further
north of Sidhapur is Palanpur, the
capital of the Jalori Nawab dynasty,
who came to India from Lohan in Afghnistan
and ruled much of south western Rajasthan
from Jalore in the 14th century. After
13 or 14 generations however, the
Afghani Sultanate at Dehli fell to
the Mughal empire, and Akhbar was
partial to the Rathore Rajput rulers
of Marwar, who had their capital at
Jodhpur. The Jalore region was annexed
to the Rajput kingdom of Marwar, and
the Lohani rulers moved down to Gujarat
founding a new capital at Palanpur.
The township of Palanpur still reflects
its Nawabi grandeur in a number of
palaces, havelis, minarets and the
King George V club.
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