This scenic hilltop may have been fortified as early as the 8th century. Today, throngs of pilgrims ascend Pavagadh to worship at the important Kalikamata Temple, dedicated to the evil-destroying goddess Kali, who sits atop the summit. You can walk up the pilgrim trail (two to three hours), or take a shuttle (₹20) halfway up the hill from along the Champaner citadel's south wall, from where a cable car glides you to within a 700m walk of the temple.
Pavagadh became the capital of the Chauhan Rajputs around 1300 but in 1484 was taken by the Gujarat sultan Mahmud Begada after a 20-month siege; the Rajputs committed jauhar (ritual mass suicide) in the face of defeat.
Near the top of the hill are Pavagadh’s oldest surviving monument, the 10th- to 11th-century Hindu Lakulisha Temple, and several Jain temples. The views are fantastic and so, if you’re lucky, are the cooling breezes. At weekends the usual flow of pilgrims can become a flood and it can take half a day to reach the Lakulisha Temple. But if you think that's chaotic, just try coming over the nine days of Navratri or during the Mahakali festival.
