Surat heritage walk covers 25 historic Gopipura buildings

GNN | May 28, 2017, 8:00 PM IST|

Surat, May 28, 2017. With an aim of creating awareness amongst people at large about local heritage, the Surat Heritage Committee, Tourism Committee and the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SGCCI) jointly organised the second Gopipura Heritage Treasure Hunt in the old city on Sunday. More than 25 historic buildings including temples and havelis (traditional Indian mansion) were covered in this 2.5-km long hunt-cum-walk.
According to Bhadresh Shah, Coordinator of the heritage walk, the guiding philosophy was to make people aware of the rich local heritage. “Unfortunately, the tendency is to visit places of historical interests whenever we go abroad,” Bhadresh said adding, “We don’t even know about the existence of similar historical monuments right amidst us and neither we care for such buildings.”
Surat, GNN learns has more than 2,200 heritage properties. Ironically and unfortunately the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) doesn't consider any of them to be of heritage value.
Take the example of the Gopipura areas which is home to several heritage structures. The Parshavanath Jain temple in the area has a huge dome of 55 feet which according to some is the biggest in the country. Similarly the Agam Jain temple is also unique for its embossed Panch Dhatu plates. Shetrunjay and Samet Shikhar are two of the holiest of places for the Jain community. Many wish to travel there. However, those who can't travel there can visit Shetrunjay near Parshavanath temple and Samesh Shikhar near Agam temple here which have replicas of the original deities.
A lot of history is attached to most of these temples which are more than 400 years old. The construction patterns, embossment on the walls, shapes and sizes of the doors and windows tell a rich story.
Besides the temples, the Gopipura area also boasts of houses of Veer Kavi Narmad (Narmad Shankar Lal Shankar Dave 1833 to 1886), a poet, playwright, essayist, lexicographer and reformer alongwith noted humorist Jyotindra Dave (1901 to 1980) and a Sanskrit Pathshala.
Interestingly, some 400 years ago, Jains and Hindus lived like a single community in Surat 400 years ago in the city.
Surat already has the tag of a business city with its flourishing textile and diamond business. But if it also gets a heritage boost then this would lead to a further increase in the flow of people to Surat. According to well known Surat hotelier, Sanat Reliya, there should be an increased focus on the heritage sites. People, he said should come and see the rich local heritage that Surat has to offer.