Vadnagar is a town and municipality in the Mehsana district of the state of Gujarat in India. It is located 35 km from Mehsana. Its ancient names include Anartapura (the capital of Anarta) and Anandapura. It was a location visited by Xuanzang in 640 C.E. The founder and the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Alexander Cunningham, had identified Anandapura with the town of Vadnagar. Vadnagar is also the birthplace of Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India.

History

The archeological excavations presented sequence assigned from 4th-3rd century BCE to the present period. Recent excavations, in six trenches, consider the beginning of the site to be around 800 BCE, (ca. 2754 calibrated years before present). Archaeologists found seven cultural periods of continuous human presence: 1) Pre-Mauryan, (ca. 800-320 BCE), (contemporary to Late-Vedic/pre-Buddhist Mahajanapadas or oligarchic republics), 2) Mauryan (ca. 320-185 BCE), 3) Indo-Greek, 4) Indo-Scythian or Shaka-Kshatrapas (ca. 35-415 CE), ('Satraps', descendants of provincial governors of the ancient Achaemenid Empire), 5) Hindu-Solankis, 6) Sultanate-Mughal (Islamic) to Gaekwad-British colonial rule (ca. 318 years before present), and 7) Recent. Several ancient inscriptions and literary sources mention a town called Anartapura or Anandapura, identified as the area in and around the present-day Vadnagar. The epic tale Mahabharata mentions the Anarta Kingdom in the northern part of present-day Gujarat. The oldest Puranic legend about Gujarat is about a king named Anartha. The town is mentioned in the Tirtha Mahatmya section of the Nagara Khanda of the Skanda Purana, by the name of Chamatkarapura. The Junagadh rock inscription (dating from 150 C.E.) of the Western Kshatrapa King, Rudradaman I, mentions a region called "Anartha" (meaningless) in northern present-day Gujarat. The Maitraka rulers of Vallabhi (505-648 C.E.) issued land grants to the Brahmins of Anarthapura or Anandapura. The Harsola copper plates (949 C.E.) of the Paramara king record the granting of two villages in Gujarat area to the Nagar Brahmins, who originated from Anandapura. which is also identified with Vadnagar, and is associated with the Nagar Brahmins. In 2009, archaeologists discovered a 4 km long fortification near Vadnagar, which they believe could be the historical Anartapura. Vadnagar has also yielded an image of Bodhisattva dated back to the 3rd or 4th century C.E. This image may have been brought from Mathura to install in one of the town's Buddhist monasteries. Vadnagar's old town is found inside the walls of a fort with six gates: Kirti, Arjun, Nadiol, Amarthol, Ghaskol and Pithori. The town was added to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in December 2022.

Geography

Vadnagar is located at 23.78°N, 72.63°W. It covers an area of about 7.08 sqkm and has an average elevation of 143 m above the mean sea level. It lies in a relatively flat and dry region, as compared to the rest of Gujarat.

Climate

The climate in Vadnagar is generally cold during winters and hot in summers, with temperatures varying from 14 °C to as high as 42 °C. The average annual rainfall is about 670 mm. Relative humidity is generally high, especially in the monsoon and post–monsoon months, because of the interiorly location of the town.

Demographics

As of Census 2011, Vadnagar's population was 27,790, including 14,097 males and 13,693 females. Its female sex ratio is 971 compared to the state average of 919. Moreover, Vadnagar's child sex ratio is around 937 compared to the 890 state average. In Vadnagar, 12.26% of the population is under 6 years of age. Vadnagar's average literacy rate is 80.53%, higher than the 78.03% national average: male literacy is 90.41%, and female literacy is 70.42%.

Economy

Almost the entire population of Vadnagar is engaged in agriculture and primary sector, because it is relatively isolated from the rest of Gujarat, as compared to other towns and cities like Mehsana, and developmental stages related to secondary and tertiary sectors are yet to be done. The primary sector accounts for around 40% of the total workforce. Another important industry on which the population is dependent is tourism, because in and around the town, there are many tourist attractions. Thus, it has a large potential yet to be tapped.

Languages

Gujarati, being the state language of Gujarat, is spoken by most of the people in Vadnagar. Hindi and English are other common languages.

Places of interest

There are many temples, dedicated to almost every god: There are remains of a Buddhist monastery dating from the 7th century C.E., as well as two Jain derasars. Other places include Tana-Riri garden and shrine, Gauri kund, Pancham Mehta's Vav (stepwell), Janjanio well, Baithakji of Gusaiji, an ancient library and a directional stone from the Solanki period.

Education

Healthcare

Transport

Road

The Gujarat State Highway 56 (SH-56) passes through Vadnagar, that connects it directly with Mehsana, Visnagar and Ambaji.

Rail

The Vadnagar railway station lies on the Mehsana-Taranga line, that directly connects Vadnagar with the rest of the state and beyond through Mehsana Junction railway station.

Bus

The Vadnagar bus station is located within the centre of the town. Buses are available from here to all major towns and cities in Gujarat and neighbouring states, that operate under Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), private and tourism operators.

Air

The nearest airport is Mehsana Airport, located 36 km south-west from Vadnagar at Mehsana. However, currently, the airport is only used for private and government purposes, not for civilian or passenger services. Hence, the nearest operational airport is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, located 93 km south from the town at Ahmedabad.

Notable people