Pethapur Block Making
Pethapur
Pethapur lies about 8 km north of Gandhinagar's capital city and can be reached in about 15 minutes by car or one of the many shuttle autos and buses that ply between the two locations. Legend has it that the village was founded by a Vaghela Rajput about 1,000 years ago who set up 'Pruthupur,' named after his uncle Pruthuraj. The Rajput, the legend says, had killed Pruthuraj in an attempt to usurp the throne and was advised by him to set up a city in his name in a dream.
Though it has been described as a village in the preceding sections and still referred to as one by the local population, Pethapur is a village only in name today. Over time, it has grown into a small town that is a curious blend of the old and the new, with old tin-roofed houses and modern apartment buildings and 'shopping malls' juxtaposed next to each other.
Life in Pethapur revolves around the 'chowkdi' or circle where the road connecting it to the highway meets the primary market and retreats in the same direction it comes from. The entire 'village' spreads out from this central nucleus in erratic branches. Low-rise houses not more than three stories high make up much of its jagged skyline with the odd network tower or temple shikhara sticking out. Despite its growth and current status as a town, people seem to know practically everyone just like they would in a small village. The place has jovial energy about it and walking down its streets, and one may hear anything from loud conversation and laughter to autotuned Gujarati folk music and bhajans.
The residents of Pethapur are proud people, though its claims to fame lay largely in the past. At one time, however, it was famous for the triad of biba (blockmaking), beedi (Indian cigarettes), bandook (guns), which were the main exports of Pethapur (though one may also add Bandhani saris to the list). Block-making, sadly, is no longer practiced on the same scale, and the latter to have disappeared completely.
