AHMEDABAD

Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s principal city, is one of the major industrial cities in India. It has been called the ‘Manchester of the East’ due to its many textile industries.

   Visitors in the hot season should bear in mind the derisive title given to Ahmedabad by the Mughal emperor, Jehangir; Gardabad, the City of Dust. Nevertheless, this comparatively little-visited city has a number of attractions for travellers. Ahmedabad is one of the best place to study the blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles known as the Indo- Saracenic.

    The new capital of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, is 32 km from Ahmedabad. 

History

Over the centuries, Ahmedabad has had a number of periods of grandeur, each followed by decline. It was originally founded in 1411 by Ahmed Shah, from whom the city takes its name, and in the 17th century was thought to be one of the finest cities in India. In 1615, the noted English ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, judged it to be ‘goodly city, it went through a period of decline. Its industrial strength once again raised the city up, and, from 1915, it became famous as the site of Gandhi’s ashram and the place where he launched his famous celebrated march against the Salt Law. 

Orientation

The city straddles the Sabarmati River. On the eastern bank, two main roads run east from the river to the railway station, about three km away. They are Relief Rd (Tilak Rd) and Gandhi Rd. The busy road flanking the western bank of the Sabarmati is Sri RC Rd. This is the main road to the Gandhi Ashram (seven km north of the city), and is called Ashram Rd. The airport is off to the north-east of the city. Virtually all the old city walls are now demolished, but some of the gates remain. 

Bookshops

There are a number of good bookshops at the Nehru Bridge end of Relief Rd. Sastu kitab Dhar, near the Relief Cinema (on the opposite side of the road), has a good selection. 

Bhadra Fort & Teen Darwaja

The ancient citadel, the Bhadra, was built by the city’s founder, Ahmad Shah, in 1411 and later named after the goddess Bhadra, an incarnation of Kali. It now houses government offices and is of no particular interest. There is a post office in the former Palace of Azam Khan, within the citadel. To the east of the citadel stands the triple gateway, or Teen Darwaja from which sultans used to watch processions from the palace to the Jama Masjid. 

Jama Masjid

The Jama Masjid, built in 1423 by Ahmed Shah, is beside Gandhi Rd, just to the east of the Teen Darwaja. Although 260 columns support the roof with its 15 cupolas, the two ‘shaking’ minarets lost half their height in the great earthquake of 1819, and another tremor in 1957 completed the demolition.

   Much of this early Ahmedabad mosque was built using items salvaged from demolished Hindu and Jain temples. It is said that a large black slab by the main arch is actually the base of a Jain idol, buried upside down for the Muslim faithful to tread on. 

Tombs of Ahmed Shah & his Queens

The tomb of Ahmed Shah, with its performed stone windows, stands, just outside the east gate of the Jama Masjid. His son and grandson, who did not long survive him, also have their cenotaphs in this tomb. Women are not allowed into the central chamber. Across the street on a raised platform is the tomb of his queens-it’s now really a market and in very poor shape compared to Ahmed Shah’s tomb. 

Sidi Saiyad’s Mosque

This small mosque, which once formed part of the city wall, is close to the river end of Relief Rd. It was constructed by Sidi Saiyad, a slave of Ahmed Shah, and is noted for its beautiful carved stone windows, depicting the intricate intertwining of the branches of a tree. 

Ahmed Shah’s Mosque

Dating form 1414, this was one of the earliest mosque in the city and was probably built on the site of a Hindu temple, using parts of that temple in its construction. It is to the south-west of the Bhadra. The front of the mosque is now a garden. 

Rani Rupmati’s Mosque

A little north of the city centre, Rani Rupmati’s Mosque was built between 1430 and 1440 and named after the sultan’s Hindu wife. The minarets were partially brought down by the disastrous earthquake of 1819.  

Rani Sipri’s Mosque

This small mosque is also known as the Masjid-e-Nagira, or Jewel of a Mosque, because of its extremely graceful and well-executed design. Its slender minarets again blend Hindu and Islamic styles. The mosque is said to have been commissioned in 1514 by a wife of Sultan Mahmud Begada after he executed their son for some minor misdemeanor, and she is in fact buried here. It’s to the south-east of the city centre. 

Sidi Bashir’s Mosque & Shaking Minarets

Just South of the railway station, outside the Sarangpur Gate, the Sidi Bashir Mosque is famed for its shaking minarets, or jhulta minaret. When one minaret is shaken, the other rocks in sympathy. This is said to be a protection against earthquake damage. It’s a fairly fanciful proposition, and one, which you’ll be unable to verify, unless of course you happen to be on the spot during an earthquake 

Raj Babi Mosque

The Raj Babi Mosque, south-east of the railway station in the suburb of Gomtipur, also had shaking minarets, one of which was partially dismantled by an inquisitive Englishman in an unsuccessful attempt to find out how it worked. It’s worth a visit but, once again, you’re specifically prohibited from shaking the remaining minaret.

   A little to the north of the railway station, other minarets are all that remain of a mosque which was destroyed in a battle between the Mughals and Marathas in 1753. 

Hathee Singh Temple

Just outside the Delhi Gate, to the north of the old city, this temple, as with so many Jain temples, is made of white marble. Built in 1848, it is dedicated to Dharamanath, the 15th Jain tirthankar (teacher). 

Step-Wells

Dada Hari Wav Step –wells (wavs or baolis) are strange constructions, unique to northern India, and this is one of the best. The curious well, built in 1501 by one of the women of Sultan Begara’s harem, has a series of steps leading down to lower and lower platforms, eventually terminating in a small octagonal well. The depths of the wells are cool, even on the honest day, and it must once have been quiet beautiful. Today, it is completely neglected and often bone dry, but it’s a fascinatingly eerie place with galleries above the well and a small portico at ground level.    

Mata Bhavani’s Well

This well is a couple of hundred metres north of Dada Hari’s. Ask children to show you the way. Thought to be several hundred years older, it is much less ornate and is now used as a crude Hindu temple. 

Kankaria Lake

South-east of the city, this artifical lake, complete with an island summer palace, was constructed in 1451 and has 34 sides, each 60 metres long. Once frequented by Emperor Jehangir and Empress Nur Jahan, it is now a local picnic spot. The huge zoo and children’s park by the lake are outstanding, and the Ghattamendal pavilion in the centre houses and aquarium.  

Other Mosques & Temples

It’s very easy to get bored with mosques in Ahmedabad. If your enthusiasm for them is limited, don’t go further than Sidi Saiyad’s Mosque and the Jama Masjid. If you have real endurance, you could continue to Dastur Khan’s Mosque near the Rani Sipri Mosque. Or there’re also the mosques of Haibat Khan, Saiyad Alam, Shuja’at Khan, Shaikh Hasan Muhammed Chisti and Muhafiz Khan.

      Then, for a complete change, you could plunge into the narrow streets of the old part of town and seek out the brightly painted Swami Narayan Temple. Enclosed in a large courtyard, it dates from 1850. To the south of this Hindu temple are the nine tombs known as the Nau Gaz Pir, or Nine Yard Saints. 

Other Attractions

In many streets, there are Jain bird-feeding places known as parabdis. Children catch and release pigeons for the fun of it. The older parts of the city are divided into totally separate area known as pols. It’s easy to get lost. The pleasant Victoria Gardens are at the east end of the Ellis Bridge.

     Other places of interest in and around town include the ruined tomb of Darya Khan, north-west of the Hathee Singh Temple. Built in 1453, the tomb has a particularly large dome. Nearby is the Chhota Shahi Bagh, across the railway line. Ladies of the harem used to live in the chhota railway line, the Temple of Chintaman is a Jain temple originally constructed in 1638 and converted into a mosque by Aurangzeb. 

Sabarmati Ashram

Seven km from the centre of town, on the west bank of the Sabarmati River, this was Gandhi’s headquarters during the long struggle for Indian independence. His ashram was founded in 1915 and still makes handicrafts, handmade paper and spinning wheels. Gandhi’s Spartan living quarters are preserved as a small museum and there is a pictorial record of the major events in his life. There’s also a bookshop selling books by and about the Mahatma.