Ahmedabad Travel Guide

¤ Ahmedabad - The Manchester of The East

It has been said that people make a place and this is certainty true of Ahmedabad - the Manchester of the East. This industrious city is the outcome of shrewd and practical Ahmedabadi’s single-minded pursuit of business. Its political, cultural and material prosperity finds immediate and honest expression in buildings that its successive rulers planned, raised and adorned. One thing amiss here it the string of Victorian buildings attached to most of the metros in India.


¤ A Precise History

The tour guide may begin with a precise date 1411 A.D. when Sultan Ahmed Shah (1411-42) founded Ahmedabad and the oft-repeated story is that of a hare chasing a hound. The Sultan,
while camping on the banks of river Sabarmati translated this unusual sight onto an auspicious omen that was further sanctioned by his patron saint. Soon the city of Ahmedabad sprang up. It incorporated the 11th century ruins of Karnavati built by the Solanki King Karna who had subdued the still earlier tribal setttlement of the Bhils called Ashaval which finds mention in Arab travelogues and Alberuni’s account of India.

The powerful Sultans of Gujarat extended patronage to raise buildings in rivalry with other kingdoms. In the process a number of buildings were erected in Gujarat, particularly in Ahmedabad, thereby establishing a rich architectural tradition which led the British envoy, Sir Thomas Roe, to acknowledge Ahmedabad as "the handsomest town in Hindustan, perhaps the world.”


¤ The Attractions of The City

Ahmedabad is afloat with mosques, minarets, mausoleums, museums, step-wells, temples, libraries, etc. It is a matter of choice for the tourist to scamper around few of the monuments or to leisurely scout the monuments one by one.

Gandhiji- Sabarmati Ashram
One should begin with a tribute to Gandhiji. His Ashram across the Sabarmati River marks the place where he started the famous Dandi March. Gandhiji stayed here for a long time and the Ashram today tends to recreate his life and times through a visual display of photographs of non-violence. Late in the evening one can learn more about the noble soul through the Son et lumiere show in Gujarati / Hindi / English. Check in advance for days and timings.

Rauza of Sarkhe
The next landmark is the picturesque Rauza of Sarkhej, 10kms from the main city. This area boasts of still greater antiquity, as one of the most revered Sufi saints, Hazrat Sheikh Ahmed Khattu, settled here 10 years before the foundation of Ahmedabad.

The saint, who died at the age of 108, was highly venerated by the Sultans of Ahmedabad. His mausoleum is the largest of its kind in Gujarat with a pillared hall, paneled walls and trellised windows of perforated screen works. Sarkhej later turned out to be a huge necropolis with numerous tombs of the Sultans, their relatives and nobles who aspired for a place in the vicinity of the Great Spirit. The adjoining 16 pillared pavilion has the simple but elegant Jami Masjid, the tank and remains of the underground chambers. Reference library and a small museum are enough to detain you for the day. One should not miss the five-century-old translucent candle which measures six feet high and is lighted briefly only during the anniversaries of the Sheikh.

The Bhadra Fort
If you want to avoid the crowds prefer to reach early in the morning when the pavements are not overtaken by the vendors and it is easier to explore the old city. Possibly you may spot some of the hidden, carved wooden facades of the traditional houses that usually has narrow frontage opening onto the lane. The fort once encompassed 12 gates, 189 bastions and 6000 battlements. Adjacent to it is the Azam Khan serai that reflects the Mughal architecture. Close to this edifice is Ahmed Shah’s mosque the first among the long list of mosques in Ahmedabad. Erected in 1414, it was the Sultan’s exclusive mosque for the nobles and the royal household.

Teen Darwaza
Facing the Bhadra Fort is the Teen Darwaza - the massive triple gate with fretted stone work. From atop the gate the Sultans used to watch the colourful processions going from the Palace to the nearby Jami Masjid which was erected in 1423 AD. The mosque spells grandeur and its architectural finesse finds expressions through its coloured marble, the mihrabs with elegant floral medallions and corbelled ceilings. The lofty minarets reportedly fell off in an eartquake of 1819. Most of the mosques in Ahmedabad followed the same pattern, though on a smaller scale.

The Architectural Splendor
The first three Sultans of Gujarat, namely Ahmed Shah I (1411-51) and grandson Qutbuddin Ahmed Shah II (1451-58) are buried near the Eastern Gateway of the Jami Mosque. The unofficial emblem of Ahmedabad is certainly the famous jali (latticework) in stone depicting the patterns of a natural tree and foliage in Sidi Sayyid’s mosque not far from the Bhadra citadel. British Queen Elizabeth on her visit to Ahmedabad in the early sixties spent almost half an hour admiring the beauty of the trellis windows on the western wall.

Pride in The Evolution of Minars
Ahmedabad occupies a place of pride in the evolution of minars. More so, the concept of gateway minars was pioneered and perfected in Gujarat. An added attraction in most of them was the element of ’shake’ and hence the name jhulta minar (shaking minarets). Unfortunately most of the minars have fallen off owing to weak construction, earthquake and due to British quest to unravel the mystery. When one minaret was shaken, the vibration was transmitted to the other through the stone bridge joining the two. Few of the surviving such minars can be seen at Siddi Bashir mosque, a mile from the railway station and the other is Raja Bibi mosque at Gomtipur. of all the minars of Ahmedabad, the ones with the mosque of Muhafiz Khan are believed to be the strongest and thoroughly carved.

Rani Sipri Mosque
Rani Sipri mosque is another gem of Gujarati architecture. Its decoration and symmetry is highly appealing which ranks it as the most beautiful monument in Ahmedabad. It was the creation of Rani Sipri, wife of Mehmud Begra, the greatest among the Gujarati Sultans, who is famous for his sense of justice, piety and prosperity, His sobriquet of Begra’ is an allusion to his sweeping moustaches which he could the behind his head He had a prodigious appetite and is said to have been immunized it in gradually increasing doses. Such was the effect that if a fly settled on his head or hand it fell dead. His reputation finds quote in Samuel Butler’s line: “The Prince of Cambay’s daily food is asp and basilist and toad.”

¤ Step-Well Attractions

Without the mention of vavs or step-wells the story of Gujarati architecture remains incomplete. Four kms from the city is Bai Harir Sultani’s vav in association with her tomb and a mosque. As suggested by the inscriptions in Persian and Sankrit, it dates back to 1501 when she was the powerful superintendent of the royal harem in the court of Sultan Begra.