In the 15th and 16th centuries, the city of Champaner was an important post along the trade route linking the states of Malwa and Gujarat in western India. Medieval Champaner grew and developed at the base of the towering Pavagadh Hill, an 800-meter-high peak that remains a Hindu pilgrimage site to this day. (...)
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the city of Champaner was an important post along the trade route linking the states of Malwa and Gujarat in western India. Medieval Champaner grew and developed at the base of the towering Pavagadh Hill, an 800-meter-high peak that remains a Hindu pilgrimage site to this day. Much of the city was built by Sultan Mehmud Begda, who transformed Champaner into the powerful capital of Gujarat. Muslim, Hindu, and Jain regimes claimed the city at various times during its prime, and all three traditions are reflected in its varied architectural fabric. Champaner was laid out over six kilometers with districts devoted to civic, religious, and domestic life. Over the hundreds of years since its construction, this vast urban territory has become buried beneath dense forest cover. Archaeological activity in the last 50 years has rediscovered the city, which has already yielded 69 standing monuments in the section that has been excavated. At the end of the 20th century, however, unplanned development and industry began to threaten what had been found of Champaner and all that had not yet been exposed.
