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Altitude : 48.77
mts. above sea level
Area : 204.6 sq. kms.
Gujarat’s principal city is Ahmedabad one of India’s major
industrial cities. Situated on the banks of the Sabarmati River
Ahmedabad was founded by the Muslim ruler Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411
AD. This city is also called as ‘Manchester of the East’ because of
its thriving textile industry and smokestacks. Apart from being a
vibrant and prosperous business centre Ahmedabad has a great deal
more to offer to visitors.
The old walled city with its intriguing maze of bylanes called pols
and the exquisitely carved wooden mansions or havelis is still the
centre of commericial activity. This is a city of architectural
delights home to the Indo-Saracenic style a blend of Hindu and
Muslim architectural ideals. Nevertheless this frequently visited
city has a number of attractions for travellers with some excellent
museums and the Sabarmati (Gandhi’s) Ashram. The newer part of the
city is dotted with architecture of a more contemporary
design.Unlike some cities of its size Ahmedabad retains a highly
distinctive feel born out of a long and continuously evolving social
history and recent developments which have contributed important new
experiments to its architectural tradition. Makar Sankranti (13 to
15 January) is the time to see an extravaganza of kite flying of
what has become an international festival.
Places of attraction :-
The Jumma Masjid:
Described by some as one of the most beautiful mosques in India this
Friday or Congregational Mosque was built by the city’s founder
Sultan Ahmed Shah in1423 is beside Mahatma Gandhi Road to the east
of the Teen Darwaja. It stands on 260 pillars supporting 15 domes at
varying elevations. Much of the mosque was built using items
salvaged from demolished Hindu and Jain temples. It is considered to
be one of the most beautiful mosques in western Indian. This mosque
is outstanding for its grand scale superb proportions and exquisite
workmanship. Ahmad Shah aligned the mosque so that the road would
pass its north entrance. This is still the point at which one can
enter by a flight of steps which are not immediately visible until
he is there. It is pleasantly quiet and peaceful inside.
Rani Rupmati Masjid:
The Queen’s Mosque in Mirzapur built between 1430 and 1440 and is
more representative of the pattern of mosque building in the 15th
century. It was named after the sultan’s Hindu wife the Princess of
Dhar (MP).These domes stand on twelve pillars each with the central
part so raised as to let in natural light without direct sunlight.
The minarets were partially brought down by the great earthquake of
1819. As with so many of Ahmedabad’s early mosques this one displays
elements of both Hindu and Islamic design. The roof carries three
domes each above an entrance. The carvings in the gallery and the
Mihrabs are particularly attractive. Rupmati’s tomb lies to the
northeast. The tomb themselves are decorated with Hindu motifs.
The Shaking Minarets:
The shaking minarets of Sidi Bashir’s Mosque are unique in its own
way when one minaret is shaken the other minaret vibrates too.
Badra Fort:
The foundation of this old fort was laid in 1411 and it once
enclosed the royal palaces and gardens.
Three Gates:
The triple-arched gateway was built by Sultan Ahmed Shah to serve as
the royal entrance to the Maidan Shah or the Royal Square.
Immediately to the east of the entrance to Ahmed Shah’s.
Kankaria Lake:
It is a circular lake almost a mile in circumference which was
constructed in 1451 by Sultan Qutb-ud-Din. In the centre of the lake
is an island-garden with a summer palace known as Nagina Wadi.
Hatheesingh Jain Temple:
Just outside the Delhi Gate to the north of the old city the Hathee
Singh Temple as with so many Jain Temple is made of white marble.
Built in 1848 by a rich Jain merchant it is dedicated to Dharamanath
the 15th Jain Tirthankar (teacher). The Temple is the best known of
Ahmedabad’s many ornate Jain temples. The temple is made of pure
white marble and profusely decorated with rich carvings; this is
dedicated to Dharmanath the 15th Jina or Jain apostle.
Sidi Sayyad Mosque:
One part of the wall in the old citadel of the mosque built by Ahmed
Shah’s slave Sidi Sayyad. It was constructed in 1573. It is close to
the river end of Relief Road and has beautiful carved stone windows
depicting the intricate intertwining of the branches of a tree. It
is celebrated the world over for its exquisite stone window
tracery-a superb and peerless example of delicate carving that
transforms stone into filigree. These can be viewed from outside.
Gandhi Ashram:
On a quite peaceful stretch of the river Sabarmati 7 kms north of
the city on the west bank of the Sabarmati River Mahatma Gandhi set
up a simple retreat in 1915. This ashram was Gandhi’s headquarters
during the long struggle for Indian Independence. This was his
Satyagraha Ashram and for many years it was the nerve centre of
India’s freedom movement. It was from here in1930 that Mahatma began
his famous Dandi March to the sea to protest against the Salt Tax
imposed by the British. The Gandhi Ashram has a memorial centre
library and a Sound-and-light spectacle highlighting the Mahatma’s
life. There is also a bookshop selling books by and about Mahatma
Gandhi. The ashram is open from 8.30 am to 6 pm.
Calico Textile Museum:
Appropriately for a city that owes it prosperity to three
threads-cotton silk and gold Ahmedabad has one of the finest textile
museums. Housed in one of the Gujarat’s famous carved-wooden havelis
the museum displays a magnificent collection of rare textiles that
date back to the 17th century. There is also an excellent reference
library on textiles.This is a part of the Sarabhai trust, is in
attractive old haveli in botanically interesting Shai Bagh gardens
(3 kms north of Delhi Gate). It is regarded as one of the finest
museum of its kind in the world.
Adalaj Step-well:
It is situated 17 kms north of Ahmedabad. The step well at the
village of Adalaj is another fine example of this magnificent
architecture. Adalaj well is richly carved. Every pillar and wall
surface is covered with leaves and flowers birds and fishes and
friezes of ornamental designs. Built by Queen Rudabai in 1499 it
provided a cool and secluded retreat during the hot summer.
Lothal:
About 85 kms south-west of Ahmedabad and towards Bhavnagar this is a
find of tremendous archaeological significance. This site 87 kms
from Ahmedabad was discovered some 20 years ago. Lothal was proved
to be a full-fledged settlement of the Harappan era dating as far
back as the 2nd millennium B.C.This name Lothal actually means
‘mound of the dead’ in Gujrati as odes Mohanjodaro in Sindh. The
archaeological museum at the site displays jewellery pots and other
finds (open 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Saturday).
Nal Sarovar:
Nestled around the Nal Lake 71 kms from Ahmedabad. The lake extends
over a vast low-lying stretch which serves as a catchment area for
the monsoon rains and provides a perfect habitat for resident birds
as well as a huge number of species that migrate here starting form
November to February. Winter migrants from the north include the
Rosy Pelicans, the Flamingos, the White Storks, Brahminy Ducks and
Hernos.
Sarkhej Roza:
Sarkheji comprises one of the most elegant architectural complexes
of Ahmedabad. The buildings are remarkable for the complete absence
of arches and the use of pierced stone trellises.
Dada Havi Vav:
These step-well manifests a unique architectural feature of Gujarat.
Stepwells were built to provide travellers with water and a cool
resting place.
Pols:
Pols are an integral part of old Ahmedabad. It nurtures in its folds
pages of history a breath of harmony and a show case of exquisite
architecture.
The old parts of the city are divided into unique self-contained
pols or quarters fascinating to wander round. Huge wooden doors lead
off from narrow lanes into a section of houses with decorative
wooden screens and brackets where small communities of people
practicing a craft or skill once lived. Merchants, weavers,
woodworkers, printers and jewelers-each has their pol their house
along winding alleys which met in common courtyards and squares.
Today these old quarters are developing rapidly with tower blocks
rising up from just inside the old city walls. |
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