Champaner

Champaner Review

If you stay in Vadodara, you can make side trips to some truly out-of-the-way medieval sights. World Heritage site Champaner, 47 km (29 mi) northwest of Vadodara in the Girnar Hills, was an 8th-century Rajput capital and later Muslim capital. The capital moved to Ahmedabad in the 1500s, so Champaner is now—like Mandu or Fatehpur Sikri (in North Central India)—an intriguing ghost town full of wonderful architecture. Preservation groups are working to spruce it up, but the place is not yet on many travelers' itineraries. Most of the buildings date from the 15th century and blend Muslim and Jain influences; a few Hindu temples date from as early as the 11th century. Check out the beautifully built Jama Masjid.