Champaner-Pavagadh Park

The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. Located in the Panchamahal district in Gujarat, the pre-Mughal city is a treasure of architecture, culture and history which is an interesting mix of Hindu and Muslim styles. It is the only site which has preserved Islamic designs before the era of Mughals. Cradled in an impressive landscape, the park preserves monuments which include pre-historic (chalcolithic) sites, a hill fortress and remains of the 16th century capital of the state of Gujarat. The Kalikamata Temple on top of Pavagadh Hill is considered to be an important shrine. Till date it attracts huge number of pilgrims throughout the year.

The Champaner Pavagadh Archeological Park is full of monuments and buildings dating back to 8th to 14th century. The mystique of the region is the centuries of history accumulated in the walls. The Archeological Park monuments include fortified walls, mosques, tombs, Hindu and Jain temples, granaries, stepped wells and terraces. The Baroda Heritage Trust has identified 114 monuments in this archaeological park. But only 39 of them are maintained and looked after by Archeological Survey of India due to shortage of funds. Approximately 94 percent of land in the Champaner region is under forest department. The temples are maintained for devotees by the funds of the Association of Indian Temples.

The nearest airport is the Vadodara Airport, about 42 km away from Champaner. The domestic airport is connected with many cities in India. From airport; taxis, buses and private vehicles take about one hour to reach the city of Champaner. The nearest international airport is in Ahmedabad, about 145 km away.