It is with the pride of a Amdavadi that I greeted the news of Ahmedabad the first ever Indian city to be designated a World Heritage site. I had grown up marveling at the remaining portion of the city walls and gates, the beautiful old buildings, the masjids with stunningly intricate work, the beautiful ancient temples and other monuments. Now the rest of the world shall also marvel!
Known to locals as Amdavad, Gujarat’s biggest city Ahmedabad has an ancient history dating back to the 11th century. While it had gone by various names and come under different rules from time to time, its present shape was given to it by Ahmed Shah in 1411 when the foundation stone of the walled city was laid.
The grandson of the city’s founder, Mahmud Begada built a ten km walled fortification with 12 gates. Portions of the imposing wall; particularly along the river Sabarmati and several of the gates such as Delhi Gate, Teen Darwaza, Khanpur Darwaza, Dariapur, Sarangpur etc are still to be seen.
Ahmedabad is considered the birthplace of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The incredibly intricate work of the Sidi Saiyyed Jali (originally a mosque) is a piece of history surrounded by the modern hurly-burly of Ahmedabad roads. Today it is the symbol of the city.
The Jhulta Minara (the Shaking Minarets) are unique: when one minaret is shaken, the other shakes as well. These date back to the mid 15th century.
There are many ancient mosques, dargahs and temples where worship has continued for centuries. Even more remarkable is the coexistence and integration of different faiths – particularly in the old (walled city). It is a unique spirit of the quintessential Amdavadi that still exists here.
A ‘pol’ is the name given to narrow streets with close packed houses in the old parts of town. Many pols still have some stunning surviving havelis and homes, and it is these pols that helped Ahmedabad gain a place in UNESCO’s tentative lists. There is great potential here for heritage tourism if some of these old buildings are restored.
Most big cities of India bear the stamp of colonial occupation. However, barring a few landmarks such as Ellisbridge, some educational institutions and so on, Ahmedabad shows far fewer signs of colonial occupation.
Though Gandhiji was born in Porbandar and over the years had stayed in many different places, he chose to settle in Ahmedabad and set up his Ashrams there: the Kochrab Ashram (1915) and the Satyagraha or Sabarmati Ashram in 1917.
Today the modern and the ancient comfortably coexist here as this picture of the beautiful Sarkhej Roza and more modern buildings beyond indicate.
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