Dabhoi
Encyclopedia
Dabhoi is a city and a municipality
in Vadodara district
in the state of Gujarat, India
. It was originally known as Darbhavati.
and iconography
on the fort walls and gates suggests that it was conceived and constructed in the same period as Rudra Mahalaya and Zinzuwada Fort. It is mentioned as an important city in the Jain inscriptions of Girnar
(VS 1288).
It came under the control of Muslim
rulers in 1300 AD after the fall of Patan
. The fort of Dabhoi is one of the rare surviving examples of Hindu military
architecture
, based on the shastri
traditions described in various Vaastu scriptures. The famous battle of Dabhoi was fought on 1 April 1731 between Sarsenapati Trimbakrao Dabhade and Bajirao Peshwa. There are four gates in the town, one in each cardinal direction, having indirect entry, located in the middle of each side of the fort wall. It was altered during the time of Visaldev and the Muslim
rule. Hira Bhagol (named after the architect, Hiradhar, who Punished by king, AFTER stealing STONE of Kills and built a LAKE @ TEN TALAV, which was made by HIRADHAR for memory of his wife TEN), the most exquisitely carved gate, is in the east, with Vadodara Gate in the west, Champaner Gate in the north and Nandod Gate in the south. Dabhoi has many Jain and Hindu
temples, devoted to different gods and goddesses.
Dabhoi is the place were the great Gujarati
poet, Dayaram
, composer of many Garbis (devotional songs) and a devotee of Ranchhodraiji of Dakor
took his last breath. Many Jain scholars also stayed here in the past and enriched the Jain Granth Bhandar, which has a collection of ancient Jain manuscripts.
It is a major Jain pilgrimage place. There are 6 temples. Shri Lodhan Parshvanath temple is main attraction.
, Dabhoi had a population of 54,930. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Dabhoi has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75% and, female literacy is 61%. In Dabhoi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
railway station in Asia with lines branching to
1. Goyagate(Pratapnagar)
2.Miyagam Karjan
3.Chandod
4.Bodeli
5.Samalaya Jn.(Closed for passenger and goods traffic)
The narrow gauge
section of Pratapnagar(Vadodara
)-Dabhoi
-Bodeli
-Chota Udaipur has been converted to broad gauge
. The services have been opened from Chota Udaipur to Pratapnagar.The remaining Narrow Gauge
lines existing still today at Dabhoi are Dabhoi-Miyagam Karjan-Choranda-Moti korel/Malsar, Dabhoi-Chandod, Dabhoi-Samalaya Jn.-Timba Road.Dabhoi also had a steam shed in its heydays.
The railway station has been renovated in past 1–2 years.It has undergone major changes recently.
In the latest Railway Budget plan has been made of Gauge Conversion of Dabhoi-Miyagam and Dabhoi-Samalaya Jn. strecth to reduce the freight traffic at Vadodara Jn but still no action is taken.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Vadodara district
Vadodara district
Vadodara District is a district in the eastern part of the state of Gujarat in western India. The city of Vadodara , in the western part of the district, is the administrative headquarters. Vadodara District covers an area of 7,794 km². It had a population of 3,641,802 of which 45.20% were...
in the state of Gujarat, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was originally known as Darbhavati.
History
Dabhoi was established in the early 6th century AD. Its foundation and fortification is ascribed to the great King of Gujarat, Siddhraj Jaisinh (1093-1143 AD), who made this his frontier fortress. The architectural style and the exquisite stone carvingMasonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
and iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
on the fort walls and gates suggests that it was conceived and constructed in the same period as Rudra Mahalaya and Zinzuwada Fort. It is mentioned as an important city in the Jain inscriptions of Girnar
Girnar
Girnar is a collection of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India, situated near Junagadh at a distance of 327 km from Ahmedabad. It is a holy place and an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Jains. There are a number of temples located here. Amidst the lush green Gir...
(VS 1288).
It came under the control of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rulers in 1300 AD after the fall of Patan
Patan, Gujarat
Patan was a capital of Gujarat in medieval times. It is the administrative seat of Patan District in the Indian state of Gujarat and administered by municipality. The city contains many Hindu and Jain temples as well as few mosques, dargahs and rojas...
. The fort of Dabhoi is one of the rare surviving examples of Hindu military
Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expressions of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of historical India...
architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, based on the shastri
Shastri
-People with the surname Shastri:* Heera Lal Shastri , Indian politician and the first chief minister of Rajasthan state* Keshavram Kashiram Shastri , founding leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad...
traditions described in various Vaastu scriptures. The famous battle of Dabhoi was fought on 1 April 1731 between Sarsenapati Trimbakrao Dabhade and Bajirao Peshwa. There are four gates in the town, one in each cardinal direction, having indirect entry, located in the middle of each side of the fort wall. It was altered during the time of Visaldev and the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rule. Hira Bhagol (named after the architect, Hiradhar, who Punished by king, AFTER stealing STONE of Kills and built a LAKE @ TEN TALAV, which was made by HIRADHAR for memory of his wife TEN), the most exquisitely carved gate, is in the east, with Vadodara Gate in the west, Champaner Gate in the north and Nandod Gate in the south. Dabhoi has many Jain and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
temples, devoted to different gods and goddesses.
Dabhoi is the place were the great Gujarati
Gujarati people
Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
poet, Dayaram
Dayaram
Dayaram was a Gujarati poet. He belongs to middle age or " Madhya-kal " in Gujarati literature.He was known for his literary form called " Garbi " in Gujarat.He was a follower of Pushtimarg of Hindu religion....
, composer of many Garbis (devotional songs) and a devotee of Ranchhodraiji of Dakor
Dakor
Dakor is a city and a Nagarpalika in Kheda district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is prominent for its grand temple of Shree Krishna-Shree Ranchhodraiji.-History:...
took his last breath. Many Jain scholars also stayed here in the past and enriched the Jain Granth Bhandar, which has a collection of ancient Jain manuscripts.
It is a major Jain pilgrimage place. There are 6 temples. Shri Lodhan Parshvanath temple is main attraction.
Geography
Dabhoi is located at 22.18°N 73.43°E. It has an average elevation of 99 metres (324 feet).Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Dabhoi had a population of 54,930. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Dabhoi has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75% and, female literacy is 61%. In Dabhoi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Transport
Dabhoi is also major gateway for Narmada Dam, the life line for Gujarat state. At one time the Dabhoi railway station was the biggest narrow gaugeNarrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railway station in Asia with lines branching to
1. Goyagate(Pratapnagar)
2.Miyagam Karjan
3.Chandod
4.Bodeli
5.Samalaya Jn.(Closed for passenger and goods traffic)
The narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
section of Pratapnagar(Vadodara
Vadodara
Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...
)-Dabhoi
Dabhoi
Dabhoi is a city and a municipality in Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. It was originally known as Darbhavati.- History :...
-Bodeli
Bodeli
Bodeli is a small census town in Vadodara district in the eastern part of the state of Gujarat, India.-Demographics:At the time of the 2001 India census, Bodeli had a population of 10,494. Males constituted 52% of the population and females 48%...
-Chota Udaipur has been converted to broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
. The services have been opened from Chota Udaipur to Pratapnagar.The remaining Narrow Gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
lines existing still today at Dabhoi are Dabhoi-Miyagam Karjan-Choranda-Moti korel/Malsar, Dabhoi-Chandod, Dabhoi-Samalaya Jn.-Timba Road.Dabhoi also had a steam shed in its heydays.
The railway station has been renovated in past 1–2 years.It has undergone major changes recently.
In the latest Railway Budget plan has been made of Gauge Conversion of Dabhoi-Miyagam and Dabhoi-Samalaya Jn. strecth to reduce the freight traffic at Vadodara Jn but still no action is taken.