Siddhapur, India

History

Siddhpur was historically known as Sristhal, literally "a pious place".

Tirath bhumipavan Siddhakshetra subhasar,Nirmal nir vahe Sarasvati sada mokshko dwar, ... —

And there dwell devas unnumbered, as a tirtha regarding it, —

Applied to the bodies of men degraded and fallen, it washes their myriads of sins.

Here is Prachi Mahadev, whose renown by Veda and Purana is sung:

In tenth century (943 AD), Mularaja, the founder of Chaulukya dynasty, started constructing the Rudra Mahalaya Temple. On completion of the temple, around 1140 AD, Jayasimha Siddharaja consecrated it and established the town as his capital. He changed its name to Siddhpur, literally Siddhraj's town. The temple was dismantled by an army under Almas Beg (Ulugh Khan) and Nusrat Khan sent by Alauddin Khalji in 1298–99.

During the Gujarat Sultanate, the town was under the rule of local dynasty ruling from Palanpur. In the 15th century, the town was brought under the Mughal rule by Akbar. Under the Mughal rule the Hindu heritage of the town deteriorated further and the Rudramahalaya temple fell into ruins.

Asaita Thakar, traditionally credited for the origin of traditional folk theatre Bhavai, in 14th century, lived in Siddhpur.

From the History section of Siddhpur on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.