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| A Metro Heritage Hotel |
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| Know More - Historic Ahmedabad |
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RECREATION
& STAY | HISTORIC
AHMEDABAD | HISTORIC
AND ARCHITECTURE MONUMENTS
NATURE & WILDLIFE | CUISINE | MUSEUMS OF AHMEDABAD | FAIRS & FESTIVALS |
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A hare chasing a dog?
Sultan Ahmadshah could not believe his eyes!
So inspired was he by this display of courage and spirit of a hare that he decided to found a city on the very soil which fostered such qualities.
And thus, the legend says, Ahmedabad was born! |
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Ahmedabad, previously known as the Manchester of East thanks to the thriving textile industry, trade and commerce, is the biggest commercial centres of Gujarat and one of the mega cities of India. The city continues to be a leading centre of textile industry even today and recently it was awarded the status of the Denim Capital of the world. |
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Ahmedabad has always been a merchant town as it was the nerve centre of the communities of Gujarat, which were predominantly involved in trade and commerce. It was founded in 1411 A.D. on the ancient site of Ashaval and Karnavati by king Ahmadshah on the banks of the river Sabarmati. Situated in a threshold region on the shores of the Arabian Sea, the region was a gateway to the hinterlands and also a connection for ports of the Northern and Eastern regions leading to the sea. In both cases the communities in Gujarat acted as agents for trade and commerce and thereby developing intense acumen in their economic |
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stature. Even the Moghul rulers considered the business acumen and wisdom of the nobility of Gujarat as outstanding and appointed them as advisors in financial matters. For this reason the history of Ahmedabad is synonymous with the merchant communities and their dominance in the region as controllers of the city’s economy. Whatever, their leanings, the rulers of the region; never displeased these communities nor disturbed their trading activities, as ultimately their well being supported the state’s economy and in turn helped the prosperity of the region and the ruler too. For this very reason, the city’s community and guild based settlement patterns have survived in an unbroken manner along with the succession of its trading communities and the survival of its age-old settlement patterns of “pols” and havelis (old mansions).
In the 15th and 16th centuries Ahmedabad boasted of being Western India’s most important royal capital, furnished with splendid palaces and imposing mosques and tombs. The structure of the old city is a direct manifestation of the socio-cultural and economic conditions as exhibited in its compact and climatically responsive urban housing. It has a typical morphology with winding streets that periodically open out into small chowks or squares. Such neighbourhoods often covering large areas are called pols. ‘Pol’ is a term derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Pratoli,’ literally meaning entrance to an enclosed area. |
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The city has evolved over centuries, while continuing traditions of multi dimensional civic life and pluralistic cultural co-existence between communities of different cultural identities making it a perfect cultural kaleidoscope! The inner city today is therefore a great living cultural heritage which needs to be preserved. The merchant nobility (the ‘shreshthee’) and their civic institutions have always attracted new traditions with progressive inputs from external inspirations - this trend continued with the city’s growth and continuing patronage. In modern times too, Ahmedabad is known to be a city with artistic talents from |
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within the country and from the West. For example, artists from the well-known Tagore family have contributed in terms of institution- building and so have the British, American and French Architects. Their visionary works have placed Ahmedabad on the world map of modern architecture and design, the kind of position very few cities in the world enjoy.
The city is also famous for Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy as it is here that Mahatma developed his ideas and principles at the Gandhi Ashram, which played a major role in achieving the independence of India. |
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Heritage Walk in the old town
This is a 1.5 km walking tour of the old city conducted by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in consultation with a conservation NGO. The walking tour will take you through old quarters and cul-de-sacs called pols to see havelis (old mansions), courtyard temples with intricately carved wooden facades. Shops of textiles, silver and gold jewellery, vegetable markets and the mausoleum of Ahmed Shah the founder of Ahmedabad. The tour ends at Jumma Masjid, a 15th century mosque rated among the most impressive Islamic monuments of India. |
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Credits :
We acknowledge, with special thanks, the contributions of Mr. Anil Munchandani for providing us in-depth information on various places included in the tour and for his guidance and support for designing the tour. |
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View The
Historic City of Ahmedabad in a larger
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