Palanpur

Palanpur

 History of Palanpur and Palanpur State

• The Jain texts mentions that Prahladana, brother of Paramara Dharavarsha of Abu, founded Prahladanapur in 1218 and built Prahladana-vihara dedicated to Pallaviya Parshwanatha.
• The town was re-peopled ruled by Chauhans around thirteenth century. At the start of the seventeenth century, the Palanpur State was taken over by Jhalori dynasty of Pashtun Lohani tribe which was founded in 1373 and ruled from Jhalor. 
• The dynasty came into historical prominence during the period of instability that followed the demise of Mughal Emperor Aurangzebin the early 18th century. It was overrun soon afterwards by the Marathas; the Lohanis followed the trend of seeking recourse in the British East India Company against them and finally entered the subsidiary alliancesystem in 1817, along with all other neighbouring states, becoming a British protectorate.
  
• After independence of India in 1947, Palanpur State was dissolved in 1949 and merged with Union of India as a part of Bombay State. Subsequently Palanpur became the capital of Banaskantha district of Gujarat.

Economy

• Dairy, textile, diamond polishing and marble are major industries of Palanpur. Banas Dairy is one of the largest dairy in the state. The diamond polishing and evaluation industry across India and abroad is dominated by Palanpuri Jain diaspora. Palanpuri Ittars are popular for their fragrance and earned the nickname 'city of flowers' to the town.
• Surmandir, the first Multiplex of Gujarat is in Palanpur and is now operated by Carnival Cinemas.

Education and culture

• Palanpur is an educational hub of Banaskantha.
• During rule of Jhalori Nawabs, Palanpur became well known for Gujarati Ghazals and poetry. Samosas are popular snack in the town.
• The schools include Vidyamandir Highschool, NIB School, Aadarsh Vidhyasankool, M B Karnavat School, K K Gothi Highschool. G D Modi College of Arts, C. L. Parikh College of Commerce and R. R. Mehta College of Science are colleges of higher education in Science, Commerce and Arts.