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Champaner, whose foundation has been ascribed to various
persons including Champa, a minister of Vanaraja; the
Chavda ruler of Gujarat and Champa, a Bhil headman,
became a part of the British Raj in the 19th century.
In between, many Muslim rulers ruled over the area.
LEGEND :
According to popular legend, in a bygone age, there
existed a valley where the Pavagadh Hill now stands.
On the elevated ground overlooking the valley, lived
the famous Rishi Vishvamitra. He owned a cow, Kamdhenu,
gifted with speech and an inexhaustible source of milk.
Grazing on the brink of the hollow, Kamdhenu one day
slipped and being unable to climb the steep sides, she
filled the valley with her milk and swam home. Learning
what had happened, Rishi Vishvamitra, to prevent another
mishap, prayed that the valley be filled up.
His prayers were granted by the gods by sending so
large a hill that three quarters of it filled up the
hollow and the rest standing out of the plains was called
Pavagadh, the quarter-hill
ATTRACTIONS :
The religious monuments at Pavagadh are not limited
to any one particular religion. There are Hindu temples,
Muslim Dargahs and temples belonging to the Jain Digambar
sect.
Kalika Temple: The most famous of the lot is the Kalika
Temple, situated at the highest point. Parts of this
temple have been described in a drama written in the
15th century. The distance from the foot of the hill
to Kalika Mata's Temple on its highest peak is about
5 kms.
Pavagadh Fort: The Pavagadh Fort, which must have been
a truly imposing edifice at the height of its glory,
is one of the few forts in the largely flat lands of
Gujarat. Today, the fort is in a dilapidated state.
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