The site was declared a world heritage site in 2004.
Champaner Pavagadh Archeological Park is known for housing a number of
archaeological and historic sites that are yet to be excavated along
with living cultural heritage structures. The sites include a hill
fortress of an early Hindu capital from the 16th century in the state of
Gujarat complete with palaces, temples, residential precincts,
agricultural structures and water installations. These structures belong
to the period ranging from 8th to 14th centuries. Thousands of pilgrims
flock throughout the year to the Kalikamata Temple atop the Pavagadh
Hill to pay their homage to the Goddess. The site is quite important to
study the pre-Mughal Islamic history, as it is the only complete city
from that time that hasn't been altered later.
One can see ancient Hindu palace and temple architectural styles, the
special water retaining installations of that time that were used to
fight off the scarcity of water and the religious, military and
agricultural structures that befit the 16th century capital of the
region built by Mehmud Begda. These structures help to fill the gaps in
Indian history and present a harmonious blend of Hindu-Muslim
architecture. The Great Mosque or the Jami Masjid is believed to have
served as the model for the mosques built later in India and is
representative of regional sultanates that existed before Mughals came
into power. The capital was not used for long. It is place of worship
for Hindus and presents pregnant historical mysteries to the
archeologists.
