It is famous for its famous Mahakali temple thatattracts thousands of pilgrims daily. Pavagadh lies in the district of Panchmahal, which is mainly a tribal area havingBhilsas the dominant community. This region has been receiving many special subsidies through the Government in order to encourage development in this area. Due to thismany industrial unitshave been setup in the towns of Kalol and Halol, which are close to Pavagadh. Pavagadh along with Machiand Champaner has been declared as UNESCO world heritage sites. It has testified the Indian Puranic ages, the glorious Rajput saga, the Islamic influences, therise of the Marathas and lastthe proof to the British occupation.

It is believed that Champaner was established by the Rajput king VanrajChavda at the foot of Pavagadh in the memory of Champa who was a wise minister. Later,it was ruled by the PataiRaval family and took care of its boundary. There are folk tales that say Mahakalidid assume the form of a woman to dance in a Garba during the Navaratri. Jaisinh,the last Patai, watched her with dirty looks. This made her angryangry and she cursed him. As a result of this, Mahmud Begada,the emperor of Gujarat, attacked Pavagadh and thePatai was defeated and killed. Mahmud Begadathen moved his capital from Ahmedabad to Champanerfor diplomatic reasons. He started the development of the town with the constructionof buildings likeUohra mosque, the fort of Champaner, Kirtistambh, Mandavi, Jama Masjid, the temple of Shalkh, Kevda Mosque and Nagina Mosque. The remains of his Palace of Begadacan still be found near VadTalavor Banyan Pond about two km away from Champaner.

How To Reach

Pavagadh is approachable by air as well as land.

By Air

The Vadodra airport is the nearest to Pavagadh and has regular flight to the cities of Delhi,Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai Goa, Pune and Hyderabad.The flight from Vadodara to Bangalore rangesbetween Rs 4000 to 5000.

By Bus

Buses to Pavagadh are available from the city of Mumbai to Vadodara, and fares for the route with air conditioned coaches vary from Rs 600 to 700.

By Rail

The nearest railway station to Pavagadh is the Vadodara railway station which is on the Western Railways and connects Ahmedabad to Mumbai. State private luxury coaches and transport buses can be used to reach Pavagadh from Vadodara.

Places To Visit

Pavagadh Fort

The Pavagadh fort was used as a fortress by the Solanki kingdom and is one of the oldest parts of the Champaner compound.The walls of the fort can still be found standing in parts.

Pavagadh Hill/Kalika Mata Temple

Pavagadh Hill is one the oldest rock formations of India.The hill isat an altitude of approximately 800 m above the sea level. It is composed of a reddish yellow colored stone. The temple to Mother Kalican be found at the peak of Pavagadh hill at an altitude of 762 m above sea level and is considered to be the oldest temple of the area.The history of it goes back to the 10th-11th century. The idol of Kalika Mata in the inner is only the head or the mukhwato and painted in red. In addition, there are some full idols of Mahakalialong with that of the yantras of Bahuchara.

Weather And Best Time To Visit

The region of Pavagadh experiences the three basic seasons of summer, winter and monsoon across the year.Being a hill station, it attracts tourists all-round the year. The weather is generally cool during the nights across the year as compared to the summer days which can turn out to be hot.

Monsoons bring heavy rainfall in the region. This is the best time to visit the place even though the rains may play spoilsport. The winters in Pavagadh are very cold it is advised to carry woolen clothing during this time. It is also a good time to visit Pavagadh.

Langugae And Culture

The people living in and around the region generally belong to theRathwasandNayaks tribe.They are God-fearing and very superstitious. They have a richly carved wooden door which has tribal iconsfigurines as the entrance to their home. Theydecorate the front withthe Pithora paintings. They do not live in hamlets. The dwellings are generally separated by considerable distancefrom each other. The people here generally speak Hindi and Gujarati.

Accommodation

The hotels in Pavagadh provide affordable budget rooms ranging from Rs.600 and have comfortable accommodation even in the peak season.

Champaner Hotel, Pavagadh, Gujarat

The Champaner Hotel is situated in the Manchi village. It has 35 double bed rooms with 6 of them being A/C rooms, 26 of them being deluxe rooms and the remaining 3 being dormitories. It also has a restaurant. The tariff ranges from Rs. 200 to 800.

Address: Manchi, Panchmahal, Gujarat, India

Festivals And Activities

Visitors can take a look in the lives of the people by visiting here at the time of festivals and fairs which are known for mass gathering and celebrations in the lesser known regions of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Dangs and Panchmahals.

The Pavagadh Fair is celebratedat thePavagadh Hill in Champaner. It is usually held in the month of Chaitra (March/April). The Pavagadh Fair is heldin the honor of Goddess Kali.

Hotels

Champaner Hotel, Pavagadh

Address: Manchi, Panchmahal, Gujarat, India

Champaner Hotel is situated in the Manchi village. it is about 50 km from Borada Airport. The Borada Railway Stationis the nearest railhead and is 53 kmfrom here. Sightseeing packages are also available here for the tourists.

Hotel Maitri

Address: Old Hotel GayatriBhavan, Opp. S.T. Stand,, Pavagadh Road, Halol. Distt.-PMS.,Gujarat, India

Phone: 099 25 254661

Get Around

It is easy to reach up to the base of the Mountain through the taxi or the state Transport buses. From here, one cango up the mountain by taxi or the bus up to Manchi and thentake use the rope way cable car.This option requires around 250 steps to be climbed to finally reach the Mahakali Mata temple from the cable car ride. The other option is to go up the entire climb on foot. This proves to be slightly strenuous will involve long walk or hike.

Get Out

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the state of Gujarat.With the rapid growth here due to the textile industry, Ahmedabad is also called as the Manchester of the east. Pavagadh is about 142 km away from Ahmedabad.

Saputara

Saputara is abeautiful hill station situated at an altitude of 1000 m above the sea level and It features a nice cool climate.Saputaraalso known as the 'Adobe of Serpents' is situated among the forest region in thedangs of Sahyadari Ranges. Pavagadh is about 282 km away from Saputara.

Maheshwar

Maheshwar is a historic temple town located at the banks of the River Narmada.This city was previously known Mahishmati and used to be the capital of the king Kartivarjun.Pavagadh is about 285 km away from Maheshwar.

Shopping

Mostly religiousl items are available for shopping at Pavagadh. There are some shops at the top which sell local handicrafts.

Location Map

Photo Gallary