Police
The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is situated in:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Gujarat
Detailed Solution
The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park is located in the Panchmahal district of Gujarat.
About the site:
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. It was the first World Heritage Site in Gujarat.
It includes the historic city of Champaner, at the foot of the Pavagadh hill, and the hill itself, which rises to about 800 metres.
It contains prehistoric (Chalcolithic) sites, a hill fortress of an early Hindu capital, and the remains of the 16th-century capital of the state of Gujarat.
It has palaces, mosques, tombs, temples, step wells, fortifications, water installations and residential areas from the 8th to the 14th centuries.
History:
Champaner was the capital of the Chauhan Rajputs (Khichi Chauhans).
In 1484, Sultan Mahmud Begada of Gujarat captured Champaner after a long siege. He rebuilt it as his capital and renamed it "Muhammadabad".
It remained the capital of Gujarat for about 50 years.
In 1535, the Mughal Emperor Humayun captured the fort. After the capital was moved back to Ahmedabad, the city declined and was largely abandoned.
Important monuments:
- Jami Masjid (1513): one of the finest mosques in western India, combining Hindu and Islamic architecture, with two tall minarets.
- Helical Stepwell, Saher ki Masjid, Kevda Masjid, Nagina Masjid and Lila Gumbaj ki Masjid.
Kalika Mata Temple on top of Pavagadh hill: one of the Shakti Peethas and an important pilgrimage site. In June 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted a flag on the temple's redeveloped spire for the first time in about 500 years.
Jain temples on Pavagadh hill.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Gujarat:
- Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004).
- Rani ki Vav, Patan (2014).
- Historic City of Ahmedabad (2017): India's first World Heritage City.
- Dholavira: a Harappan City (2021).
- Gujarat's "Garba" dance was added to UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Rajasthan has the Hill Forts of Rajasthan and the Jantar Mantar (Jaipur).
- ✗Madhya Pradesh has Khajuraho, Sanchi and Bhimbetka.
- ✗Maharashtra has Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta.
Quick tip
Remember: Champaner-Pavagadh = Panchmahal, Gujarat (UNESCO 2004, Gujarat's first; Mahmud Begada captured it in 1484; Jami Masjid; Kalika Mata temple); other Gujarat sites = Rani ki Vav, Ahmedabad, Dholavira.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Monuments & Religious Places Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Somnath Jyotirlinga temple is located in which state?
- Q2.The Kamakhya Temple is located in:
- Q3.The brick temple of Bhitargaon, one of the oldest surviving brick temples of India, is situated in:
- Q4.The Mahabodhi Temple is situated at:
- Q5.The famous Brihadeeswara Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I, is situated in:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.