Pavagadh Hill - One of prime pilgrim cum tourism place in Gujarat
It will be the great thing, if Pilgrim place is full of natural beauty. Pavagadh Hill is one of the prime Pilgrim place and also a small hill station. There is MahaKali Goddess temple on the Pavagadh Hill. It is very near to Champaner Village. Pavagadh and Champaner are declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
History
Pavagadh is the starting of Panchmahal district. It is said to be entry for Panchmahal district. This area is covered by hills. Pavagadh is very near to Champaner Village. Rajput king Vanraj Chavda established Champaner, which is at the foothill of Pavagadh hill. Champaner was established in fond memory of his minister Champa. There is a temple of Mahakali Mata on the top of Pavagadh hill. Later on Patai Raval family ruled it and governed Pavagadh boundary. After some years, the Muslim emperor of Gujarat, Mahmud Begda defeated Patai and captured Pavagadh. Then Mahmud Begda shifted his capital from Ahmedabad to Champaner. He developed Champaner and constructed fort, Jama Masjid, Lakes and many more. Before temple, there is one village called Machi on Pavagadh hill. Pavagadh, Machi and Champaner are declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO.The Temple
This temple is also believed as a one Shakti Peetha. Pavagadh is a hill which covered by dense forest. It has a total height of around 700 meters. There is one small village called Machi is in the way of Temple, where you can reach by Jeep, S. T. Buses or by private vehicle. Temple is around 500 meters far from Machi village. There are stairs to reach the top of Pavagadh hill and to the Temple. On every full moon day, lots of pilgrims come to worship the Goddess. Many pilgrims come by walking to worship during Full moon. Also there is facility of Ropeway from Machi. With ropeway, tourist can reach near to Temple. To reach the Temple, it is required to climb some other stairs from Ropeway end also. Generally it is good to reach Machi village early in the morning and start climbing stairs. So that temple can be reached before noon. During walk, you will also find some other good historical temple and lakes on the hill. After monsoon, greenery is more compared to other season. So at that time,pleasant environment is there. Around Pavagadh, there is dense forest where some waterfalls are created during monsoon.How to Reach
Pavagadh is in Panchmahal district, Gujarat, India. It is around 50 km from Baroda city. There is a good highway from Baroda to Halol city. Halol is the nearest city from Pavagadh hill. The nearest airport is at Baroda. From Ahmedabad, Pavagadh is around 160 km. So it can be reached by State Transport Buses, Private travels and by private vehicles also. Trains are available from Anand or Godhara city, which will take you up to Champaner Station. From there it can be reached to Machi by auto rickshaw or with some private transport facility.
Accommodation
At Machi there is a facility for tourist accommodation and dining. Hotels are also available in Halol city.
Other Nearest places to Visit from Pavagadh
Champaner Fort It is a historical place. It is the world heritage site and is one prime tourist destination. During monsoon, there are many waters falls created. You will find yourself very near to nature. The tourist will likely to visit Champaner Fort, Masjid, step well and other historical places.
Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary The tourist may also like to visit Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, which is around 25 km from Pavagadh. This sanctuary has lake, birds, wild animals and different kind of trees. You can have very natural feelings here. Best time to visit is from ending monsoon to starting of summer. It is from October to February end. Accommodation facility is also available at Jambughoda.