Dabhoi - A tete a tete with the city

Originally known as : Darbhavati

Location : Western India, Gujarat

Founded in : 6 AD

Best time to visit : October to March

Local Transport : Unmetered auto rickshaws,

Places to see : Dabhoi fort, Ten talav, Jain temples

Souvenirs : Copper vessels

Dabhoi - The Tale of the city

Originally known as Darbhavati, this city of Dabhoi was found in the 6th century AD. It is dedicated to Siddhraj Jaisinh, the great Gujarat king. He built the fortress of Dabhoi. Siddhraj Jaisingh ruled till 1143 AD. The design and the stone carvings lead us to believe that the construction was around similar time as the Zinzuwada Fort and the Rudra Mahalaya. This also finds a mention in the Girnar, the inscriptions of the Jain. Muslims controlled Dabhoi until 1300 AD. This happened after the deterioration of the city of Patan. This Dabhoi fort is amongst the examples of rare military architecture of the Hindus that has managed to survive. This was based on the shastri traditions that have been described in the Vaastu scriptures. On April 1, 1731, the Dabhoi battle was fought between Bajirao Peshwa and Sarsenapati Trimbakrao Dabhade.

Dabhoi - Down the Ages

Dabhoi located around 24miles from Vadodara is today a small town with a population of around 60,000 people. Dabhoi, or Darbhavati is specifically mentioned in the Jain scriptures as to be walled by the Solanki rulers. The Vagelas developed this town and gave it its impressive grandeur and exquisite details. The city has tales of love and justice with the town being more significant down the ages for its narrow gauge railway station. Today Dabhoi stands as a town flourishing with its modesty and charm as the place hosting the largest narrow gauge railway station in Asia and also one of the oldest. It was functioning until few years ago.

Dabhoi - A Rendezvous

Dabhoi is a place with a lot of Hindu and Jain temples all built for all the Gods and Goddesses. Raskavi Dayaram was born here. He was a well known poet from Gujarat. He was the composer of a lot of devotional songs. He worshipped Ranchhodraiji who was from Dakor. There were numerous Jain scholars that lived here earlier and have contributed to the collection of Jain manuscripts in the Jain Granth Bhandar. There is a legend that the mason who built the Hira gate was buried alive for misappropriation and using it to build a talav for his lover. Therefore, the town is still simmering with the embers of past love stories.

Dabhoi - Travel kitty

The simplicity and the modesty of the place is infectious as we enter the place. The warmth of Gujarat and the ambience of color and vibrant celebrations is lost here as we feel the embers of an erstwhile port simmering. Yet this place with its serenity and calmness enthralls the tourist and is a place to visit just to experience the atmosphere. A tourist could collect the local articles available here as the travel kitty. This includes the copper vessels, which are available here in plenty as a traveler’s collection.

Dabhoi - Joie de vivre in the city

Any place that we visit is a reason to be because of the consistent flow of tourists. The traveler comes in search of a new place and the places need to be felt and held by the tourist. Dabhoi does not actually have many site seeing spots yet it is small town with an excellent historical background. It has the choicest carvings and the most extravagant stonework. So history lovers could visit this place and be benefited thoroughly. Dabhoi, the Jain pilgrim centre has the following places to see:

Fort :

Dabhoi fort : This is situated to the north of the River Narmada. It is called the Durg Varnavart. It is shaped like a Swastika with four gates. It was constructed in the 12th century after Dabhoi went through the wars waged by the Chalukyas, Vaghela and Parmar families in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Malva. The fort was completed in the 13th century. This fort of Dabhoi has a history, which stands as a testimony to the Hindu military architecture. This is based on the “shastric’ traditions described in the various Vastu scriptures. It is 900 m in length and 700 m in width. It has an exquisitively carved gate. The town has four gates. Each gate is in a particular cardinal direction. Each gate has an indirect entry. It is found in the centre portion of either side of the walls of the fort. The gates were rectified during the rule of Visaldev and the Muslims. Other structures in the fort are not in a good condition. It is difficult to go to the top of the fort by the stone steps as it is slowly deteriorating.

The Gates :

Dabhoi has four gates facing all the four directions. The Eastern gate is the most extravagantly carved gate. It is called the Hira Bhagol gate. The other gates are the Vadodara Gate in the west Champaner Gate in the north and the Nandod gate in the south.

The Hira Bhagol gate : This is the eastern gate in the city. This is world famous for its exquisite carvings. Tourists particularly come to Dabhoi just to see this. This marvelous piece of Indian architecture is popular for its design and its carvings. It is said that the famous artist Hira was the artisan behind these magnificent carvings and was killed by the king Siddharaj Jaisinh so that no one else could make a similar construction and design. Hira is said to be cremated under the same Hira gate. The other artists also faced a similar fate and were subject to either having their hand cut or being killed. The mind-blowing carvings are a feast for the tourist’s eye and can take around an hour to look at.  Tourists would be better off if they took a magnifying glass for closer and better view of the carvings. It is felt that the Hira Bhagol gate could be maintained better  as it now shows  signs of wearing out. The architecture and construction of this gate is very similiar to the one in Rudra Mahalay in Patan. King Siddharaj Jaisinh also made this.

There is another story around the Hira Bhagol. It is said that when the king found out about the misappropriation of Hira, he built a wall around him and ordered that he be burned alive. However, his friends kept him alive, used to feed him with ghee. Other masons completed the gate but only Hira knew the foolproof method of constructing the arch. After taking an assurance from the king that he would not punish HIra again, the friends took him out of the wall and thus Hira constructed the arch, which came to be known as the Hira Bhagol.

Other sculptures :

The Toran, Kaman and the Zarukhas, are all marvelous pieces of construction exhibiting skill and expertise.

Mosque :

There is an old mosque in the Dabhoi fort, which is a big construction and has a capacity to accommodate around 600 people at a time for prayers.

Temples :

While the Solankis ruled over Dabhoi, the powerful officer of Ala-ud-din Khilji, Ulugh Khan destroyed many temples here. All of them were rich and were very extravagant in construction. Yet the ruins of the Kalika Mata temple remain to tell us about the glory and grandeur that existed then. Dabhoi, the city with four gates has many temples dedicated to the Jain Tirthankars and Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

Jain temple : There is a fine piece of architecture here. This is the Jain temple with its marble statues. The temple has marble statues of all the Jain Tirthankars. This beautiful temple attracts many Jain pilgrims until today.

Kalika Mataji temple : This temple has a beautiful work of woodcarvings belonging to the 13th century.

Railway Station :

Dabhoi Railway Station : A visit to the railway station at Dabhoi is a fruitful experience for a railway heritage enthusiast. This is one of the oldest narrow gauge railway station junctions in the world.

Houses and Mansions :

The Dayaram house : The house of Rasikavi Dayaram has been maintained by the people of Dabhoi with a lot of reverence and respect. They have retained his musical instrument the “tanpura” and his spectacles in glass showcases for the tourists to see.

Mandvi Mahal : This is a haveli of the Rajputs of Mahida. They were built in the 19th century and this is a heritage hotel now. Located very near the River Narmada, this calm and serene place gives an amazing view of the bathing ‘ghats’, temples and the river in general. The carvings on the temples are worth a watch and the lively aquatic life on the river is also a pleasurable experience.

Lakes :

Ten Talav : This lies 10 km from Dabhoi. With an enchanting love story behind the construction of this lake, this extremely well constructed tank is octagonal in shape and has stone steps and embankments. This is a symbol of the love story between Hiradhar Shilpi and Ten. Hiradhar was the architect of the fort of Dabhoi and Ten was a beautiful girl. Legend has it that Hira was besotted by Ten and decided to misappropriate the funds of the Dabhoi fort and use it to construct the “Ten Talav” for his lover. He was buried alive in the Dabhoi fort wall.

Other towns :

Chandod : This lies 22 km from Dabhoi. This is a beautiful town, which lies on the banks of the River Narmada. This is found at the confluence of the Narmada, Orsang and the Gupta Saraswati rivers. Chandod is a mainstay of Sanskrit culture where Brahmins used to learn the scriptures in Sanskrit. This is the place where there are ‘ghats’ leading to the pure Narmada river waters. Therefore, the Hindus consider it as a sacred and religious place. They perform the rituals here after death.

Karnali : This is situated around 24kms from Dabhoi. This is considered to be a twin town of Chandod, and is located on the opposite bank of the River Orsang. This has many temples dedicated to the Hindu God Lord Shiva. It also has beautiful ghats. This town was held with great reverence and respect because it is believed that the footprints of Lord Dattatreya are here.

Sankheda : This place is situated around 20 km from Dabhoi. This place in Gujarat is known for its exquisite and specially made well-crafted furniture and wooden articles. Made in Gujarati style, these are made on a lathe applying the technique of lacquer work.

Rajpipla : This is situated around 60 kms from Dabhoi. It is situated on the banks of the River Karjan Mountains and at the foot of the Satpura mountains. Rajpipla was the capital of the princely State of Rajpipla before. Here we have the Vijayraj palace built in 1923 AD. Today it is a heritage hotel at an elevated level and has the best scenic beauty to offer.

Dabhoi - Entertainment factor

With its art, grace, culture and literary achievements, Dabhoi is a nostalgic representation of history in the past. A fair is held here every Chaitra Sud, the Indian month and is famous. There are many other excursions one could take from Dabhoi to Jambu Ghoda sanctuary, Pavagadh, Jami mosque, rope way, Sardar Sarovar Dam all of them extremely good tourist spots.

A tourist as he leaves would think, “Dabhoi is virtue.”