Patan is a historic town and the administrative headquarters of Patan district in the northern part of the Indian state of Gujarat. Located on the banks of the Saraswati river, the town served as the capital of Gujarat for several centuries under the Chavda and Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasties, and it remains a centre of cultural and religious importance, particularly for its Jain heritage and the celebrated Patola silk weaving tradition.
| Type | Municipal town, district headquarters |
|---|---|
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Patan |
| Region | North Gujarat |
| River | Saraswati |
| Languages | Gujarati, Hindi |
| Notable heritage site | Rani ki Vav (UNESCO World Heritage Site) |
| Known for | Patola silk sarees, Jain temples, stepwells |
Patan was founded as Anhilavada (also rendered Anahilapataka or Anhilwara) in the late eighth century, traditionally dated to 746 CE, by Vanaraja of the Chavda dynasty. It rose to greater prominence under the Chaulukya (Solanki) rulers from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries, when it functioned as the political and commercial capital of a kingdom covering much of present-day Gujarat. Notable sovereigns associated with the city include Mularaja, Bhima I, Siddharaja Jayasimha, and Kumarapala.
During this period, Patan emerged as a major centre of Jain scholarship, attracting figures such as the polymath Acharya Hemachandra. The town's commercial position on overland trade routes to Sindh, Rajputana and the western coast supported a prosperous mercantile community.
The original city was sacked during invasions in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries and again with the Delhi Sultanate's expansion under Alauddin Khalji at the close of the thirteenth century. The Sultanate of Gujarat later shifted its capital from Patan to Ahmedabad after the latter's foundation in 1411 by Ahmad Shah I, marking the long decline of Patan as a political centre. The present town is largely built near the site of the ancient capital.
The Rani ki Vav, or "Queen's Stepwell," is the town's most prominent monument. Constructed in the eleventh century during the reign of Bhima I, it is traditionally said to have been commissioned in his memory by his consort Udayamati. The stepwell is renowned for its intricate sculptural programme, with hundreds of figures depicting deities, apsaras and avatars of Vishnu. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.
The Sahasralinga Talav ("Tank of a Thousand Lingas") is a large artificial reservoir built during the rule of Siddharaja Jayasimha in the early twelfth century. Although now largely in ruins, the site preserves elements of an elaborate hydraulic and ritual landscape associated with the Saraswati river.
Patan is home to a substantial number of Jain temples and important manuscript libraries (jnana bhandaras) that preserve palm-leaf and paper manuscripts dating from the medieval period, making it a significant site for the study of Jain literature, philosophy and art.
Patan is internationally known for the production of Patola, a double ikat silk textile woven by the Salvi community. The technique, in which both warp and weft threads are tie-dyed before weaving to produce the design, is highly labour intensive, and a single sari may take several months to complete. Patola sarees have been woven in Patan for several centuries and are recognised under the Geographical Indications of Goods registry of India.
Patan lies in the semi-arid plain of north Gujarat, to the north of Mehsana and west of the Aravalli foothills. The Saraswati river, which flows past the town, is largely seasonal. The climate is characterised by hot, dry summers, a south-west monsoon between June and September, and mild winters.
Patan is the headquarters of Patan district, which was carved out of Mehsana and Banaskantha districts in 1997. The town is administered by a municipality and is part of the Patan Lok Sabha constituency. It also serves as the seat of the Patan taluka and houses district-level offices, courts and educational institutions.
The town hosts Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, established in 1986 and named after the Jain scholar Hemachandra. The university is the principal affiliating institution for higher education in the north Gujarat region. Patan also has government and private colleges in arts, science, commerce, engineering and Ayurveda.
Patan is connected by road to Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Palanpur and Radhanpur through state and national highways. The Patan railway station lies on the Western Railway network, with broad-gauge connectivity to Mehsana and onward to the rest of the Indian Railways system. The nearest major airport is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
Patan's importance derives from its role as a long-standing medieval capital of Gujarat, its surviving monuments such as Rani ki Vav, its position as a centre of Jain religious and literary culture, and its continuing reputation as the home of Patola weaving. It is widely included in heritage tourism circuits of north Gujarat alongside Modhera and Siddhpur.