Lunavada (also transliterated as Lunawada) is a municipality in the Mahisagar district, formerly in the northern part of Gujarat state of India. Lunawada is the administrative headquarters of the Mahisagar district and one of most developing town of central Gujarat. Lunawada was formally a Taluka, administrative subdivision, in the Panchmahal district up to 15 August 2013. The name Lunawada is derived from Luneshwar Mahadev, a temple of Lord Shiva. Lunawada is surrounded by water, the sources being the Panam river, Vasant Sagar, Kishan Sagar, Kanka Talav, Veri, Mahi River and Darkoli Talav lake. History Lunavada was the capital of Lunavada State, a princely state that predated the town's existence by around 200 years, having been founded in 1225. The state's rulers claimed descent from the Solanki or Chaulukya dynasty; they constituted one of the sixteen branches of the Solanki tribe and were known as the Virpura Solanki's. Before Lunavada was founded, the state's capital was the town of Virpur, across the Mahi river to the west of Lunavada. According to traditional accounts, the town of Lunavada was founded in 1434 by Bhim Singh, the rana of Virpur. On a hunting trip across the Mahi river, Bhim Singh ended up lost and separated from his companions. He came across an ascetic's hut and, after respectfully greeting the man, was told that, while passing east through the forest, he would see a hare crossing his path. The ascetic told him that he was to found a city on that spot. Bhim Singh did as he was told and saw the hare at a place now marked by the Bhavaneshvari Mata temple; there he built the town. Since the ascetic was a devotee of the god Luneshwar, the rana named the new town Lunavada out of respect. James M. Campbell noted that the story of the ascetic and the hare was a common founding legend for cities. He suggested that, instead, the name Lunavada was in honor of Bhim Singh's relative Lavanprasad, the ruler of Dholka. Campbell said that Bhim Singh was probably driven across the Mahi by the growing power of the Dholka kings, and that he chose Lunavada as the site of his new capital because of its strong defensive position. A rugged hill, subsequently fortified, overlooked the town, and a tangled forest behind it offered a safe escape route if necessary. Bhim Singh's direct descendants continued to rule Lunavada until