Sihor

Sihor સિહોર Shihor
City
View of a small portion of old Sihor town from Sukhnath with one of hill ranges in the surrounding
Nickname(s): Saraswatpur, Sinhpur, Chhote Kashi
Sihor Location in Gujarat, India
Coordinates: 21°42′N 71°58′E / 21.7°N 71.97°E / 21.7; 71.97Coordinates: 21°42′N 71°58′E / 21.7°N 71.97°E / 21.7; 71.97
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Bhavnagar
Elevation	60 m (200 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	52,603
Languages
• Official	Gujarati, Hindi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	364240
Vehicle registration	GJ-04

Sihor is a town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gohil Rajputs, surrounded by hills is situated about 20 km from Bhavnagar. It becomes Sihor by corrupting its name from Saraswatpur, Sinhalpur, Sinhpur, Sinhor, and, Shihor.

Regionally, Sihor is all-time famous and known for its hills, their rock pattern, Gautameshwar Mahadev & Lake, Sihor's Festivals, Navnath Pilgrimage (Navnath Yatra) of Shiva Temples, Brahma Kund, 'Sihori Rajwadi Penda' (Peda or Chocolate Cake), old town's ascends and descends, walled city and fort, narrow lanes, Nana Sahib Peshwa and the 1857 revolt, its food and delicacy, Copper-ware & Brass-ware, Pottery, snuff manufacturing factories, Rolling Mills and Industrial Plants. Known as 'Saraswatpur' during Mahabharata period and 'Sinhpur'/'Sinhalpur' after that, locally in Gujarat, it is often regarded as 'Chhote Kashi' (sub-version or model of Kashi - Varanasi - Banaras) also.

The name Sihor evolved from Saraswatpur, Sinhalpur, Sinhpur, Sinhor, and Shihor. Purana, rishis, sages and scholars regarded this place as Pavitra Kshetra attributed by the presence of scholarship and spirituality, such class of society and places out there.

According to Hinduism, Saraswatpur the name itself may suggest and support to the active power and significance of this place, as a place of knowledge, scholarship and spirituality while deriving from Saraswati the name of Saraswatpur should have been bestowed upon by those responsible. There are references of Saraswatpur in Purana, its references and references of lord Krishna's visits are found in Mahabharata and peculiarly in the texts related to Krishna as Krishna spent the remaining half of his life at Dvārakā / Dwarka.