About Siddhpur

Siddhpur which is also known as Sidhpur happens to be a municipality and town in the District Patan in Gujarat. This historical site is situated on the riverfront of Saraswati. Siddhpur also brags of being the headquarters of the Taluka Siddhpur. 

Geography of Siddhpur

Siddhpur is positioned at 23.9167 degrees in the North and 72.3833 degrees in the East. The avg. elevation of the town is 126 meter. Siddhpur is situated at the border of the districts of Mahesana and Patan. Banaskantha, Modhera, Patan, Danta Ambaji and Mahesana are the major tourist attractions located near Siddhapur. Siddhapur has a continental climate. The summer months are dry and hot with the temperatures soaring up to 40 degrees. The winter months are very pleasant with a maximum temperature of 20 degrees. The avg. annual rainfall of Siddhpur is 40 to 50 inches.

History of Siddhpur

Siddhpur was popular as “Sristhal” in the earlier times. Siddhpur finds its mention in the Rig Veda as “Dashu Village” during that period. As per a local legend “Dadhichihad” (a great and wise sage) donated all his bones to Lord Indra at this place. The town is also situated at the meeting point of Saraswati and Ganga Rivers. Siddhpur has also been visited by the Pandavas during the period of their exile which has been clearly mentioned in the Mahabharata. A plethora of Gurjaras from Iran got established in this region in the 4th to 5th A.D.  

During the 943 AD, the Chaulukya Dynasty’s founder- “Mularaja”, started the construction of Rudra Mahalaya temple. The temple construction was finished in the 1140 AD after which Jayasimha Siddharaja declared the place and also made the Siddhpur town his capital. Jayasimha also changed the name of “Siddhraj Town” to “Siddhpur”. Later the Rudra Mahalaya temple was destroyed by Alauddin Khilji during the 1296 AD.    

Siddhpur was governed by a local dynasty at the time of Gujarat Sultanate from Palanpur. During the fifteenth century the town was ruled by Akbar (of Mughal Dynasty). It was under the reign of Mughals when the Siddhpur town grew and boomed.  

Tourism in Siddhpur

The town of Siddhpur is famous for its havelis founded by the Dawoodi Bohras. The town also boasts of 2 famous monuments Jami Masjid and Rudra Mahalaya Mandir that are preserved by the ASI (Archeological Survey of India). Following are the brief descriptions of some of the most important tourist attractions in Siddhpur:

Arvadeswar Temple
Shiva is the main deity of this temple. This pious temple is flocked by a majority of devotees who belong to the Nath Sampradaya. There are various kinds of pujas that are still carried out at this temple. 

Bindu Sarovar
This small pious tank is an artificial one and finds its mention in the Rig Veda as well. As per the study of Hindu Religion, there are 6 lakes in India that are considered to be sacred; they are- Mansarovar, Narayan Sarovar, Pushkar Sarovar, Panch Sarovar, Pampa Sarovar and Bindu Sarovar. All of them find their mention in the Bhagavata Purana as well.

As per the Hindu culture a famous ritual called “Matru Shradh” is performed in Siddhpur at the Bindu Sarovar. It is the one and only place in the country which is flocked by a myriad of people every year in the Kartik month to carry out rituals of their deceased mothers. According to a legend Parshuram also came here to perform Matru Shradh for his dead mother.

Bohra Havelis
The mansions or the havelis of Siddhpur are the most unique feature of the town. These havelis were constructed by the merchants who were Bohra Muslims. The term “Bohra” originates from the word “Vohorvu” which is a Gujarati word that means “trader”. A majority of people from Bohra community are into commerce even in the present day. These havelis date back to the 20th century and their architecture is inspired by Gothic, Art Deco, Baroque and Victorian architecture. Most of the Bohras have left the town and these lovely pieces of art are left alone.  

Rudra Mahalaya Temple
All that one can see in the present times are the ruins of this magnificent temple. It used to be a holy temple of Lord Shiva which was constructed in the twelfth century by Siddhraj who was a Solanki Ruler during that period. This master piece comprised of 1600 pillars, a 3 storied spire, 12 entrances, porches on north, east and south directions, a mandapa and on the west side there was one inner sanctum. There are eleven shrines around this temple which are dedicated to Lord Rudra. The intricate sculpting done on the pillars and the impressive toran (or the arch) made this temple an epitome of elaborate embellishment.

Siddheshwar Temple
This holy temple of Siddhpur is located very close to the Bindu Sarovar. It boasts of having one of the 5 Swayambhu Lingams. The devotees believe that if you are at Siddhpur, you must bathe in the pious water of Bindu Sarovar to purify yourself and revere Lord Shiva (who is the deity of Siddheshwar Temple) who can fulfil your wishes.

Muktidham
This is a cremation ground (or smashaan) and is popular for its funeral processes after death. It is believed that if you want to find Mukti(or Salvation) after death, you must come to Muktidham. People from the nearby towns and villages come here to perform the funerary rituals of their family members.

Siddhpith
Devshankarbapa was the founder of Siddhpith. Here holy rituals like worshipping Lord Shiva, Gayatri mantra and agnihotra chants are performed by the priests daily. Every year a plethora of devotees from all over India gather at Siddhpith to celebrate Devshankarbapa’s birth anniversary and death anniversary. One must visit the site of Rishi Kardama at Siddhpith. Here the Guru and Shishya tradition was also established and a plethora of Brahmans and Rishiputras studied in the Gurukul for free and acquired Brahm Tej.

Transport in Siddhpur

The Siddhpur Railway Stn and Dharewada Railway Station are the two rail heads which are located in the vicinity of Siddhpur. The major railway station which is close to Siddhpur is the Palanpur Rlwy Stn which is just 28 kms away from the town.   

The town has four-lane State Highway which passes through Siddhpur and links the Ahmedabad city with Palanpur. The broad gauge rail line which links the Mumbai and Delhi cities also passes through the town of Siddhpur.

By road one can take the Western Express Highway to reach Siddhpur.

The Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Airport is the nearest airport to Siddhpur which is 111 kms away from the town and is situated at Ahmedabad.