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Vadnagar Torans
The town is famous for its torans, a pair of 12th century columns supporting an arch, about 40 feet tall built in red and yellow sandstone, just north of the walled town. They stand majestically on the bank of Sharmistha Talav, on a road going down from Arjun Bari. They are among the few surviving examples of the entrance gates, once a regular feature of the architecture of Gujarat in Solanki period. The carving style is similar to the Rudra Mahalaya at Sidhpur.

Perhaps erected after a war victory, the architecture is embellished with carvings of battle and hunting scenes. The one to the east is in better condition and has been used as a symbol of Gujarat in recent times. The torans might have served as an entrance to a large temple complex, but there are no remains found here.




Sharmishtha Lake
The Sharmishtha Talav is an interesting example of the water retaining systems of the Solanki period, as it is still in use. It is an ancient lake created by the waters of the river Kapila flowing from the hills of Aravalli. More than 4500 years ago, early settlements appeared on its northeastern shore. Later a stepped embankment was created all around it to retain the water. In order to protect the embankments from getting destroyed by the gushing waters of the river in monsoon, a water feeding kund was built on the northern side of the lake. This kund, called Nagdharo, with a lake, pool, locks, and feeding channel, built during the Solanki period, is a specimen of high quality engineering.

It is believed that the Hatkeshwar temple and Sharmishtha Lake, now on the outskirts of Vadnagar, once stood in the center of town, testifying to just how vast Vadnagar was at one point.


Bhavai Government Museum
There is a hall that pays tribute to all the artists of the Nayak community, who were known to perform the ancient bhavai form - the folk theatre of Gujarat. Bhavai was the most widely used tool for mass communication used since the 12th century till recent times. This museum helps introduce some of the legends of the bhavai artform, such as Jaishankar Sundari, Chhagan Romeo, Bapalal Naik to the everyday audience.


Other Places of Interest
The Tana Riri memorial, the 17th century Vishnu and Shiva temples, and several Nagar Brahmin havelis, are the other major attractions of Vadnagar. On the outskirts of Vadnagar is the rundown seven-story Pancham Mehta ni Vav built in the 16th c. The Gaurikund, a square-shaped pond with a pavilion, continues to be visited by people performing funeral rites. The steps leading to the pond have inscriptions from the Hindu scriptures.
   


Hatkeshwar Temple
This profusely carved 17th century temple just outside town enshrines Hatkeshwar Mahadev, the family deity of Nagar Brahmins, who were once a prominent community in Vadnagar.

The temple's inner sanctum houses a Shiva linga said to have self-emerged (swayambhu). From the roof of the sanctum a massive shikhar soars high into the sky. Facing east, the temple is enclosed by a high wall topped by three circular domes interspersed with flat stretches in the Indo-Saracenic tradition.

The exterior of the temple is exquisitely ornamented with figures of the nine planets, musicians, evocative dancing apsaras, regent deities, the chief gods of the Hindu pantheon, scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and varied animal and floral motifs. The premises also have an ancient Kashivishveshvara Shiva temple, a Swaminarayan temple and two Jain temples.



 

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