SUNAV

Location:
Sunav is located at 22°32' North latitude and 72°49' East longitude in the Anand district, Gujarat, India. It is located along the Western Railway’s Nadiad-Bhadran rail-line and is close to National Highway 8.

History:
In the 11th century,  Rajputs established a  settlement in this town. Later, different communities like Shahs, Rabaris, etc, came and settled in the township. At the time, the town was well to do and self sufficient according to historical recourses. Later, due to the demise of success, the settlers left and the town became deserted and was reduced to ruins. Archaeological finds of the town were discovered between Ghoghal Talavadi and Dudhia Talav (Both being lakes) during construction of Kasor road. 

Shree Vikabhai Kalyanji Patel of Kasor Town in 1269 A.D. (V.S. 1212) established the present Township of Sunav for settlement. The ceremony was performed in Sravan Nakhshatra, and therefore the town was called SRAVANAVYA. Later, it became Sunav.  The 24th ancestor of Shree Vikabhai Patel namely Shree Ganeshji Patel build Vaijanath Mahadev Devalaya on Dev Talav, which is still present.  After establishment of Shree Vikabhai Patel, the town became self sufficient and steady. Other communities also came for settlement, as the Patidar community grew in the town. 

At the 22nd generation, Vishram Patel   and his three brothers are known to have existed. Vishram Patel stayed at Sunav while his three brothers left.

Sunav, some 17Km. west of Anand, enjoys an important status among the settlement in Charotar despite  having a population of  only 9500. Sunav is always counted within the leading towns of Charotar Pradesh. Sunav had emerged as an ideal village. As a result, it was visited by dignitaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Sarojini Naidu, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President of India and foreign reporters. Under the guidance of Shree Vallbhbhai B. Patel and Shree Kishorbhai L. Patel, there was the emergence of V.B. Vinay Mandir in 1919 as an educational institution, which allowed Sunav to become an educational center in the area. In 1920 when the non co-operation movement started in India against British Rule it became a National School. During the self-governing movement of 1930 and 1932, the teachers and students of the school participated with great passion and many of them went to prison. Since, Sunav has been a spotless town at a national level. During the freedom movement of 1942 the resident of Sunav participated with the same enthusiasm, which eventually helped  to get freedom for India on the 15th August 1947.

Since independence the donation of Shree Somabhai V. Patel, Shree Govindbhai J. Patel, Shree Ambalal J. Patel and Shree Purshottam K. Patel for the overall progressive development of Sunav has been very helpful and remains very well remembered and respected even to the present time.

Population:
The village has a population of 9500 within a 2 square mile area. Patidars make up most of Sunav’s population where as Muslims and Christians are the minorities. Like other villages, many families migrated to East Africa and later to the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

Education:
The first foundation for education was laid in 1865 and the first two schools were established in 1918. Since then, the following institutions were established with generous contributions from the people of Sunav and managed by Sunav Kelvani Mandal:

• Shri Khushalbhai Shankerbhai Kanyashala, established in 1948
• Shri V. B. Patel Technical School, provides education and training in Agriculture, Arts, Science and Technical subjects.
• Shri V. B. Girls School
• Jorabhai Shankerbhai Kumarshala, established in 1942
• Prabhudas Dayalji Bal-Mandir
• Surajba Adhayan Mandir, established in 1966 for the benefit of women
• Purushottam Devjibhai Patel Physical Education School
• Sunav English Teaching School
• R. K. Technical School, provides vocational training in Carpentry, Milling and Turning, Building works etc for ITI and ITB course  work recognized by the Government of India

Kishabhai Smarak Sarvajanik Library opened in 1934 by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in memory of Shri Kishabhai, the headmaster of the primary school, who had inspired many youngsters to obtain higher education.

Medical:
Kesharba Maternity Home was established in 1949 and a hospital with 40 beds and accomodatins for doctors and nurses was opened in 1977. These are managed by the Medical Relief Society.

Business and Industries:
Agriculture is the major business. However, there are several financial institutions in Sunav. It has Sunav Nagrik Cooperative Bank, Kheda Center Cooperative Bank and branch offices for national banks such as the Bank of Baroda, Union bank and Bank of India.

Religious and Cultural Institutions:
There is one mosque for the Muslim population and several temples for the Hindus and Jains of Sunav. Temples includes Ramji Mandir, Swaminarayana Temple, Jain Derasar, Sanyas Ashram, Upasaraya, Mahadev and Vaishnav Mandir.