Vadnagar is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the Mehsana district of the state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is located from Mehsana. Its ancient names include ''Anartapura'' (the capital of Anarta) and ''Anandapura.'' It was a location visited by

Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...

in 640 C.E. The founder and the first Director-General of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

(ASI),

Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...

, had identified ''Anandapura'' with the town of Vadnagar. Vadnagar is also the birthplace of

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

, the current

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

History

The archeological excavations presented sequence assigned from 4th-3rd century BCE to the present period. Recent excavations, in six trenches, consider the beginning of the site to be around 800 BCE, (ca. 2754 calibrated years before present). Archaeologists found seven cultural periods of continuous human presence: 1) Pre-

Mauryan The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

, (ca. 800-320 BCE), (contemporary to Late-Vedic/ pre-Buddhist

Mahajanapadas The Mahājanapadas were sixteen Realm, kingdoms and aristocracy, aristocratic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE, during the History of India#Second urbanisation (c. 600 – 200 BCE), second urbanis ...

oligarchic Oligarchy (; ) is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. Members of this group, called oligarchs, generally hold usually hard, but sometimes soft power through nobility, fame, wealth, or education; or throug ...

republics), 2) Mauryan (ca. 320-185 BCE), 3)

Indo-Greek The Indo-Greek Kingdom, also known as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era Ancient Greece, Greek kingdom covering various parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The term "Indo-Greek Kingdom" ...

, 4)

Indo-Scythian The Indo-Scythians, also known as Indo-Sakas, were a group of nomadic people of Iranian peoples, Iranic Scythians, Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into the present-day regions of Afghanistan, Eastern Iran and the northwe ...

or Shaka-Kshatrapas (ca. 35-415 CE), ('

Satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median kingdom, Median and Achaemenid Empire, Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic empi ...

s', descendants of provincial governors of the ancient

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...

), 5) Hindu-Solankis, 6)

Sultanate Sultan (; ', ) is a Royal and noble ranks, position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". La ...

- Mughal (Islamic) to Gaekwad-British colonial rule (ca. 318 years before present), and 7) Recent. Several ancient inscriptions and literary sources mention a town called ''Anartapura'' or ''Anandapura'', identified as the area in and around the present-day Vadnagar. The epic tale

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

mentions the Anarta Kingdom in the northern part of present-day

. The oldest

Puranic Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

legend about Gujarat is about a king named Anartha. The town is mentioned in the Tirtha Mahatmya section of the Nagara Khanda of the

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' ( IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

, by the name of ''Chamatkarapura''. The Junagadh rock inscription (dating from 150 C.E.) of the

Western Kshatrapa The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi: , ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central parts of India (extending from Saurashtra in the south and Malwa in the east, covering moder ...

King, Rudradaman I, mentions a region called "Anartha" (meaningless) in northern present-day Gujarat. The Maitraka rulers of

Vallabhi Vallabhi (or Valabhi or Valabhipur) is an ancient city located in the Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat, near Bhavnagar in western India. It is also known as Vallabhipura and was the capital of the Kingdom of Valabhi, an early medieval state rule ...

(505-648 C.E.) issued land grants to the Brahmins of ''Anarthapura'' or ''Anandapura''. The Harsola copper plates (949 C.E.) of the Paramara king record the granting of two villages in Gujarat area to the

Nagar Brahmin Nagar Brahmin is a Brahmin subcaste from the Indian state of Gujarat. Author T. Sasaki writes, amongst Brahmins of Gujarat, Nagar Brahmins were the most prominent subdivision in the political, economic and social relation, social activities o ...

s, who originated from ''Anandapura''. which is also identified with Vadnagar, and is associated with the Nagar Brahmins. In 2009, archaeologists discovered a 4 km long fortification near Vadnagar, which they believe could be the historical ''Anartapura''. Vadnagar has also yielded an image of

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

dated back to the 3rd or 4th century C.E. This image may have been brought from

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...

to install in one of the town's Buddhist monasteries. Vadnagar's old town is found inside the walls of a fort with six gates: Kirti, Arjun, Nadiol, Amarthol, Ghaskol and Pithori. The town was added to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in December 2022.

Geography

Vadnagar is located at . It covers an area of about and has an average elevation of above the

mean sea level A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

. It lies in a relatively flat and dry region, as compared to the rest of

Climate

The climate in Vadnagar is generally cold during winters and hot in summers, with temperatures varying from to as high as . The average annual rainfall is about 670 mm. Relative humidity is generally high, especially in the monsoon and post–monsoon months, because of the interiorly location of the town.

Demographics

As of Census 2011, Vadnagar's population was 27,790, including 14,097 males and 13,693 females. Its female sex ratio is 971 compared to the state average of 919. Moreover, Vadnagar's child sex ratio is around 937 compared to the 890 state average. In Vadnagar, 12.26% of the population is under 6 years of age. Vadnagar's average literacy rate is 80.53%, higher than the 78.03% national average: male literacy is 90.41%, and female literacy is 70.42%.

Economy

Almost the entire population of Vadnagar is engaged in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...

, because it is relatively isolated from the rest of

, as compared to other towns and cities like Mehsana, and developmental stages related to secondary and

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...

s are yet to be done. The primary sector accounts for around 40% of the total workforce. Another important industry on which the population is dependent is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

, because in and around the town, there are many tourist attractions. Thus, it has a large potential yet to be tapped.

Languages

Gujarati, being the state language of

, is spoken by most of the people in Vadnagar.

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and English are other common languages.

Places of interest

* Sharmistha Lake: a lake with a small island, it is connected by a 7 km long inlet canal. The island has been developed into an urban park, including an open-air theatre. * Buddhist Monastery: The recent excavations have brought to light a Buddhist monastery belonging to the 2nd-7th century AD, within the fortified area of Vadnagar. The monastery had two

votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

s and an open central courtyard, around which initially nine cells were constructed. The arrangement of the cells around the central courtyard creates a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

-like pattern. Vadnagar8

* Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple: It is a 15th-century temple, and is the most significant of the numerous Shiva shrines. He is the family deity of the Nagar Brahmins. Facing east, the temple is enclosed by a high wall surmounted by three circular domes, interspersed with flat stretches, symbolising the

Indo-Saracenic architecture Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal) was a Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and gov ...

. From the roof of the sanctum sanctorum, a massive '' shikara'' rises high above into the sky. A massive congregation hall leads to the sanctum, which houses a Shiva ''

linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

'', and is said to have self-emerged, or as it is said, ''

swayambhu Svayambhu () is a Sanskrit word that means "self-born", "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that that is created by its own accord". Various deities and entities featured in Hindu literature and tradition are regarded to be svayambhu, such as ...

'' (lit. has self-emerged). The premises also have an ancient Kashivishveshvara Shiva temple, a Swaminarayan temple and two

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

s. The temple's exterior is exquisitely and profusely decorated with the figures of nine planets, regent deities, the chief gods of the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

pantheon, scenes from the life of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

princes

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

and

, musicians, dancing

apsara Apsaras (, , Khmer language, Khmer: អប្សរា are a class of celestial beings in Hinduism, Hindu and Culture of Buddhism, Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play ...

s, as well as varied animal and floral motifs. * Sitala Mata Temple: It is ornately carved with figures of celestial beings. Its door frames and ceilings depict the ''Rasmandala'', portraying

dancing with milkmaids. * Vadnagar Archaeological Experiential Museum was built at estimated cost of . It was inaugurated on 16 January 2025. It is the first experiential archaeological museum in India. It was opened to the public from 1 February 2025. It covers 2500 years history of continuous human habitation of the town as well as its cultural history. * Kirti Toran: The town is famous for its two

torana A ''torana'' (; '' awr-uh-nuh') is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu architecture, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in Southeast Asi ...

s, a pair of 12th-century columns supporting an arch, about 40 feet tall built in red and yellow sandstone, just north of the walled town. They stand on the bank of the Sharmistha Lake. Their pillars and arches are decorated with lozenges at the base and geometric and floral designs (i.e., leaves, creepers and lotus), animal motifs, human figures engaged in various activities, and divine figures in different poses. The one to the east is in better condition and has been used as a symbol of Gujarat in recent times. Initially, one ''torana'' was intact while the other was ruined. The ruined one was re-erected in 2007 by the

(ASI). The ''toranas'' might have served as an entrance to a large temple complex, but no remains of such have been found till date. Other places include Tana-Riri garden and shrine, Gauri kund, Pancham Mehta's Vav (stepwell), Janjanio well, Baithakji of Gusaiji, an ancient library and a directional stone from the Solanki period. File:Hathi Derasar, Vadnagar 1.jpg, Hathi Jain temple File:Tana Riri Deri Vadnagar.JPG, Tana-Riri garden and shrine File:Guri kund, Vadnagar.jpg, Gauri kund File:Pancham Mehta Vav 1.jpg, Pancham Mehta's Vav There are many temples, dedicated to almost every god: *

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

: ** Dwaneshwar Mahadev Temple, ** Somnath Mahadev Temple and ** Kashi Vishveshvara Temple, * Vishnupuri Temple, * Chhabila Temple, * Hanuman Temple, * Ashapuri Mata Temple, * Ambaji Mata Temple, * Sitla Mata Temple, * Bhuvaneshpuri Temple, * Amther Mata Temple, * Gauri kund and *

Swaminarayan Swaminarayan (IAST: '; 3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and Asceticism, ascetic believed by followers to be a manifestation of Krishna or the highest Theophany, manifestation of Purushottama, around wh ...

Temple. There are remains of a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

dating from the 7th century C.E., as well as two Jain ''

derasar A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...

s''.

Education

;Schools * Anarth Shikshan Kendra * Shri B. N. High School *

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) is a system of central schools for students predominantly from rural areas in India, targeting socially and economically backward students who lack access to accelerated learning due to financial, social and rura ...

* Navin Sarva Vidyalaya * Pattharwali School * Royal English Medium School * Saraswati Vidya Mandir * Sarvajanik Vidyayalaya, Vaghasi * Vadnagar Girls High School ;Colleges * Arts and Commerce College, Vadnagar * GMERS Medical College, Vadnagar * Government ITI, Vadnagar * Government Polytechnic, Vadnagar * Government Science College, Vadnagar

Healthcare

;Hospitals * Bhavna Hospital * Drishti Hospital * GMERS Medical College & Civil Hospital * Sadbhavna Hospital * Sardar Patel General Hospital * Vadnagar Nagrik Mandal Hospital * Vasant Prabha Hospital

Transport

Road

The Gujarat State Highway 56 (SH-56) passes through Vadnagar, that connects it directly with Mehsana, Visnagar and Ambaji.

Rail

The Vadnagar railway station lies on the Mehsana- Taranga line, that directly connects Vadnagar with the rest of the state and beyond through Mehsana Junction railway station.

Bus

The Vadnagar bus station is located within the centre of the town. Buses are available from here to all major towns and cities in Gujarat and neighbouring states, that operate under

Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation abbreviated (GSRTC), is a Government State Transport Undertaking of Gujarat for passengers facilitating with road public transport in moffusil / city services. GSRTC operates within the state of Gujarat, ...

(GSRTC), private and tourism operators.

Air

The nearest airport is

Mehsana Airport Mehsana Airport is a civil aviation training base in Mehsana, Gujarat, India. It is used for non-scheduled operations. An abandoned airfield was developed by the Government of Gujarat and a private company, ''Ahmedabad Aviation and Aeronautic ...

, located south-west from Vadnagar at Mehsana. However, currently, the airport is only used for private and government purposes, not for civilian or passenger services. Hence, the nearest operational airport is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, located south from the town at

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Notable people

, 14th and current

* Shankar Chaudhary, politician, current speaker of

Gujarat Legislative Assembly The Gujarat Legislative Assembly or Gujarat Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Gujarat, in the state capital Gandhinagar. Presently, 182 members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected from single-member ...

, former Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Environment (All Independent charges) and Urban Development,

Government of Gujarat The Government of Gujarat, also known as Gujarat Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Gujarat and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive of the legislators appointed by the Governor of Gujarat, a judiciar ...

* Asit Kumarr Modi, Indian TV producer and actor, known for ''

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah ''Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah'' (), often abbreviated as ''TMKOC'', is an Indian sitcom and Indian comedy based on the weekly column ''Duniya Ne Undha Chasma'' by Tarak Mehta for the magazine '' Chitralekha''. Produced by Asit Kumarr Modi ...

'' * Vasant Parikh, Indian politician

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Mehsana district World Heritage Tentative List for India Vadnagar