Skip to main content
Read page text
page 76
THE MANCHESTER OF THE EAST A jour ney into the histor y of Ahmedabad Ahmedabad, built on the eastern banks of the Sabarmati River in the 15th century, is known as “The Vibrant City” of Gujarat and is now developing on both sides of the river. It is located in Central Gujarat,18 miles from the state capital, Gandhinagar – Ahmedabad (Amdavad) in Gujarati, is India’s 7th largest city, with a population above 7.2 million. Ahmedabad city’s old settlement was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2017 and has maintained a rich heritage and traditions for over six centuries. The Islamic King Ahmed Shah laid the city’s foundation stone on 26 February 1411 at Manek Burj, Bhadra Fort. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) maintains and protects this site today. Ahmedabad is a morphed word derived from Ahmed and Abad. (Ahmed) the name of the founder of the city, and (Abad) is a Persian term meaning Prosperous. Thus we have a prosperous city of Ahmed. This city is one of the few worldwide with a long and continuous history of over six centuries. section SELVEDGE 74 Photo b y
page 77
y lam A And indeed, this city has a lot to offer. Ahmedabad is famous for its textiles, food, rich heritage sites, well-known educational institutions, and Gandhian philosophy. It also influenced the Taj Mahal, 445 miles away in Agra and built by the 5th Mughal emperor of India, Shah Jahan. He built many iconic monuments across the subcontinent in the 17th century, but few know Ahmedabad inspired him. When his father, Jahangir, was the emperor in India, Shah Jahan was appointed the governor of Gujarat. Thus he spent many years in Ahmedabad, appreciating the beauty of the architecture and was inspired to build his capital city, Shahjahanabad, now known as Old Delhi. Ironically, Shah Jahan’s father, Jahangir, disliked the city due to the heat, and gave Ahmedabad the pseudonym Gardabad, filthy city. This sentiment holds true today for the city’s people. March to June is summer here, and the temperature goes up to 47 degrees Celsius during May. The average temperature is 36 degree Celsius, and the best time to visit is between November and February. These months are considered winter, where the day temperature is around 28 degrees Celsius and goes down to 10 degrees Celsius at night. Historically, we can divide the city’s past into four eras before India’s Independence. Beginning with the Gujarati Sultanate era (1411-1573 CE,), followed by the Mughal Era (1573-1758 CE), the Maratha Era 1758-1818 CE) and the British Era (1818-1947 CE). Ahmedabad was always beloved by its rulers because of its position within the state with the longest coastline in the subcontinent; the city generated great wealth from tax revenue until the 18th century. And as we know, money comes from business, and Ahmedabad is a city where many industry (Badshahs) tycoons flourished. Many Indo-Islamic monuments built in the 15th and 16th centuries, such as the Jama Masjid Mosque, Dada Harir Step Well, Adalaj Step Well, and Bhadra Fort, as well as Islamic monuments such as (Sarkhej Roza) tomb and the Sidi Saiyed Mosque, are great examples of Sandstone Architecture. Hutheesing Jain Temple complex is a masterpiece of Gujarati Architecture built in the 19th century. Other than that, Residential Areas (Pols) have great charm with old wooden houses. Post-Independence, many modern buildings were constructed by renowned architects. Le Corbusier designed four buildings in the city including National Institute of Design (NID), and the Bhadra Plaza; Louis Kahn designed the prestigious Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A); and Indian Architect Charles Correa designed Gandhi Memorial Museum in the famous Sabarmati Ashram premises, home to Mahatma Gandhi between 1918 and 1930 CE. Recent additions to the city are the Sabarmati Riverfront, Atal Pedestrian Bridge, Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium (the biggest in the world, with a capacity of 132,000). How can we4

Page Text

View plaintext

THE MANCHESTER OF THE EAST

A jour ney into the histor y of Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, built on the eastern banks of the Sabarmati River in the 15th century, is known as “The Vibrant City” of Gujarat and is now developing on both sides of the river. It is located in Central Gujarat,18 miles from the state capital, Gandhinagar – Ahmedabad (Amdavad) in Gujarati, is India’s 7th largest city, with a population above 7.2 million. Ahmedabad city’s old settlement was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2017 and has maintained a rich heritage and traditions for over six centuries.

The Islamic King Ahmed Shah laid the city’s foundation stone on 26 February 1411 at Manek Burj, Bhadra Fort. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) maintains and protects this site today. Ahmedabad is a morphed word derived from Ahmed and Abad. (Ahmed) the name of the founder of the city, and (Abad) is a Persian term meaning Prosperous. Thus we have a prosperous city of Ahmed. This city is one of the few worldwide with a long and continuous history of over six centuries.

section

SELVEDGE 74

Photo b y

read next page

My Bookmarks

Buy this Book
Skip to main content