The town was once heavily fortified with seven gates providing the only means of thoroughfare; these are now in ruins. Some of the gates known are called as follows "Shimla Gate", "Delhi Gate","VirBai Gate","Meera Gate" and "Gathaman Gate(Darwaja)". Of much more recent vintage are the other monuments that dot the town: the "Keertistumbh" or "victory tower" was erected in the 1930s, as were the Jorawar palace(Currently used as Judicial Court) and the Balaram palace.
Palanpur State
Palanpur was the seat of a princely state ruled by the Lohani (Jalori) Dynasty. While the early history of the family is obscure, the family has apparently lived in India since at least the 16th century; a forbearer of the family is reputed to have wed the foster-sister of the Mughal emperor Akbar and to have received Palanpur and the surrounding areas as a dowry. However, the family comes into historical prominence during the period of instability that followed the demise of Aurangzeb in the early 18th century. It was overrun soon afterwards by the Marathas; the Lohanis followed the trend of seeking recourse in the British East India Company against them and finally entered the subsidiary alliance system in 1817, along with all other neighbouring states.
The state encompassed an area of 1766 km² (682 mi²) and a population, in 1901, of 222,627. The town of Bharwapur housed a population of only 8000 people that year. The state commanded a revenue of approximately Rs.50,000/- per year, and paid a tribute to the Gaekwad, the Maratha ruler of Baroda, of Rs.2,564/- per year. It was traversed by the main line of the Rajputana-Malwa railway, and contained the British cantonment of Deesa. Wheat, rice and sugar-cane were the chief products. Watered by the Sabarmati river, the state was heavily forested in its northern reached (the present-day Jessore sanctuary) but undulating and open in the south and east
