Ahmedabad is the largest city in the state of Gujarat and the seventh largest city in India, with a population of more than 52 lakhs (5.2 million).[1] Located on the banks of the River Sabarmati, the city is the administrative centre of Ahmedabad district, and was the capital of Gujarat from 1960 to 1970 after which the capital was moved to Gandhinagar. The city is sometimes called Karnavati, a name for an older town that existed in the same location; in colloquial Gujarati, it is commonly called Amdavad.

The city was founded in 1411 to serve as the capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat, by its namesake, Sultan Ahmed Shah. Under British rule, a military cantonment was established and the city infrastructure was modernised and expanded. Although incorporated into the Bombay Presidency, Ahmedabad remained the most important city in the Gujarat region. The city established itself as the home of a booming textile industry, which earned it the nickname, "the Manchester of the East."[2] The city was at the forefront of the Indian independence movement in the first half of the 20th century.[2] It was the epicentre of many campaigns of civil disobedience to promote workers' rights, civil rights and political independence.

With the creation of the state of Gujarat in 1960, Ahmedabad gained prominence as the political and commercial capital of the state. Once characterised by dusty roads and bungalows, the city is witnessing a major construction boom and population increase. A rising centre of education, information technology and scientific industries, Ahmedabad remains the cultural and commercial heart of Gujarat, and much of western India. Since 2000, the city has been transformed through the construction of skyscrapers, shopping malls and multiplexes.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Ahmedabad has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashapalli or Ashaval. At that time, Karandev I, the Solanki ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan) waged a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval. Soon after the victory, he established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati at the site of modern Ahmedabad. Solanki rule lasted until the 13th century, when Gujarat came under the control of the Vaghela dynasty of Dholka and Ahmedabad was conquered by the Sultanate of Delhi.

In 1411, the rule of the Muzaffarid dynasty was established in Gujarat. According to tradition, Sultan Ahmed Shah, while camping on the banks of the River Sabarmati, saw a hare chasing a dog. Impressed by this act of bravery, the Sultan, who had been looking for a place to build his new capital, decided to locate the capital here and called it Ahmedabad.[4]

In 1487, Mahmud Begada the grandson of Ahmed Shah, fortified the city with an outer wall 10 km (6 miles) in circumference and consisting of twelve gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements. Ahmedabad was ruled by the Muzaffarid dynasty till 1573 when Muzaffar II was the Sultan of Ahmedabad. Gujarat was then conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573. During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the Empire's thriving centres of trade, mainly in textiles, which were exported to as far as Europe. The Mughal ruler Shahjahan spent the prime of his life in the city, sponsoring the construction of the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug. The armies of the Maratha generals Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad captured the city and ended Mughal rule in Ahmedabad. A famine in 1630 and the constant conflicts between the Peshwa and the Gaekwad armies virtually destroyed many parts of the city, causing its population to flee.[5] The British East India Company took over the city in 1818 as a part of the conquest of India. A military cantonment was established in 1824 and a municipal government in 1858. In 1864, a railway link between Ahmedabad and Mumbai (then Bombay) was established by the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway (BB&CI), making Ahmedabad an important junction in the traffic and trade between northern and southern India. Large numbers of people migrated from rural areas to work in textile mills, establishing a robust industry.

The Indian independence movement developed strong roots in the city when, in 1915, Mahatma Gandhi established two ashrams — the Kochrab Ashram near Paldi in 1915 and the Satyagraha Ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati in 1917 — that would become centres of intense nationalist activities. During the mass protests against the Rowlatt Act in 1919, textile workers burned down 51 government buildings across the city in protest at a British attempt to extend wartime regulations after the First World War.[6] In the 1920s, textile workers and teachers went on strike, demanding civil rights and better pay and working conditions. In 1930, Gandhi initiated the Salt Satyagraha from Ahmedabad by embarking from his ashram on the famous Dandi Salt March. The city administration and economic institutions were rendered functionless by the large masses of people who took to the streets in peaceful protests in the early 1930s, and again in 1942 during the Quit India movement. Following independence and the partition of India in 1947, the city was scarred by intense communal violence that broke out between Hindus and Muslims.

Ahmedabad became the capital of the new state of Gujarat after the bifurcation of the State of Bombay on 1 May 1960. During that period, a large number of educational and research institutions were founded in the city, making it a major centre of higher education, science and technology. Ahmedabad's economic base was diversified with the establishment of heavy and chemical industries in its vicinity around the same period. But the growth in the next two decades was punctuated due to political events in and around the city. In February 1974, Ahmedabad occupied the centre stage in national politics with the launch of the Nav Nirman agitation — a protest against a 20% hike in the hostel food fees at the L.D. College of Engineering that snowballed into a mass agitation to remove Chimanbhai Patel, then-chief minister of Gujarat, on charges of corruption.[7] In the eighties, a reservation policy was introduced in the country which led to anti-reservation protests in 1981 and 1985. The protests witnessed violent clashes between people belonging to various castes. [8]

On 26 January 2001 a devastating earthquake struck the city, centred near Bhuj, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale. As many as 50 multistory buildings collapsed, killing 752 people and devastating the city's infrastructure.[9] The following year, communal riots between Hindus and Muslims spread to Ahmedabad, paralysing the city for more than a month. The crisis resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,044 people across the state.[10] The displacement of thousands of Muslims led to the erection of refugee camps around the city.

In recent years, the effects of globalisation and the liberalisation of the Indian economy has energised the city's economy.[3] The city has witnessed the establishment of scientific and service industries, the expansion of the information technology sector and significant improvements in transportation and communications. Ahmedabad's population is growing, which has resulted in a construction and housing boom. However, this has challenged the city's infrastructure and power supply.[3]

Ahmedabad is located at 23.03° N 72.58° E in western India at an elevation of 53 metres (174 feet). The city sits on the banks of the River Sabarmati, in north-central Gujarat. It spans an area of 205 km² (79.15 square miles). The Sabarmati frequently dries up in the summer, leaving only a small stream of water. The city is located in a sandy and dry area. Many of the localities and roads are often spread in sand, reflecting the intensifying fallout caused by deforestation. The steady expansion of the Rann of Kutch threatens to increase desertification around the city area and much of the state. Except for the small hills of Thaltej-Jodhpur Tekra, the city is almost flat. Two lakes are within the city's limits — Kankaria Lake and Vastrapur Lake. Kankaria lake, in the neighbourhood of Maninagar, is an artificial lake developed by the Sultan of Delhi, Qutb-ud-din Aybak in 1451.[11]

There are three main seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Aside from the monsoon season, the climate is dry. The weather is hot through the months of March to June — the average summer maximum is 43 °C (110 °F), and the average minimum is 23 °C (73 °F). From November to February, the average maximum temperature is 36 °C (97 °F), the average minimum is 15 °C (59 °F), and the climate is extremely dry. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a mild chill in January. The southwest monsoon brings a humid climate from mid-June to mid-September. The average rainfall is 93.2 cm (36.7 inches), but infrequent heavy torrential rains cause the river to flood.[12] The highest temperature recorded is 47 °C (116.6 °F) and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F)

Bhadra And Sidi Sayyid's Mosque

Sidi Sayyid's Mosque in Ahmedabad - GujaratThe solid fortified citadel, Bhadra, built of deep red stone in 1411 AD as Ahmedabad's first Muslim structure, is relatively plain in comparison to later mosques. The palace inside is now occupied by offices and off-limits to tourists, but you can climb to its roof via a winding staircase just inside the main gateway and survey the streets below from behind its weathered bastions.

A prominent feature on the front of glossy city brochures, Sidi Sayyid's Mosque, famed for the ten magnificent 'jali' screens lining its upper walls sits in the centre of a busy traffic circle in the northwest corner of Bhadra Ahmed Shah Mosque in Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Ahmed Shah's Mosque

West of Bhadra citadel, Ahmed Shah's small and attractively simple mosque was the private place of worship for the royal household. The 'mihrabs' are particularly ornate, with the central one carved in white and black marble. Hidden behind pierced stone screens above the sanctuary in the northeast corner, the 'zenana', or women's chamber, is entered by steps from outside the main wall.

Dada Harini Vav

Dada Harini Vav, in the northeast of the city just outside the old boundaries, is among the very finest step wells in Gujarat . While it's a Muslim construction, built in 1500 AD for Bai Harir Sultani, superintendent of the royal harem, the craftsmen were Hindu, and their influence is clear in the lavish and sensuous carvings on the walls and pillars.

Jumma Masjid

A short walk from Teen Darwaja along Gandhi Road leads to the spectacular Jumma Masjid, or Friday Mosque. Completed in 1424, it stands today in its entirety, except for two minarets destroyed by an earthquake in 1957. Always buzzing with people, the mosque is even busier on Fridays, when thousands converge to worship.

Swaminarayan Temple

Swaminarayan Temple in Ahmedabad - GujaratNorth from Rani-ka-Hazira through Temple Road, a narrow street of fabric shops, and across Relief Road, the Swaminarayan temple stands behind huge gates and brightly painted walls. Forming a delicate contrast to the many hard stone mosques in the city, both the temple and the houses in the courtyard surrounding it are of finely carved wood, with elaborate and intricate patterns typical of the style of the havelis of north and west Gujarat.

Vishalla Village

Designed by surendra patel, vishalla is an admirably authentic collection of traditionally decorated mud huts where potters weavers and paan-makers demonstrate their skills. The Vechaar Utensils Museum houses a vast collection of Gujarati metalware, including jewellery, knives and forks and odd-looking machinery for milking camels. Shaking Minarets in Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Shaking Minarets

Opposite the large gate of Sarangpur Darwaja, Sidi Bashir's minars are all that remain of the mosque popularly named after one of Ahmed Shah's favourite slaves. Over 21m high, these are the best existing example of the "shaking minarets"- built on a foundation of flexible sandstone, probably to protect them from earthquake damage-that were once a common sight on Ahmedabad's skyline. The best time to visit is an hour or so before noon when the sculpted floral patterns and shapely figurines inside are bathed in sunlight. Bai Harir's lofty mosque and lattice-walled tomb stand west of the well. The Tomb of Ahmed Shah & his Queens in Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Manek Chowk And The Tomb Of Ahmed Shah

East of the Jami Masjid, the jewellery and textiles market, Manek Chowk is a bustling hive of colour where jewellers work in narrow alleys amid newly dyed and tailored cloth. Immediately outside the east entrance of the mosque, the square tomb of Ahmed Shah I, who died in 1442 AD, stands surrounded by pillared verandahs. Women are not permitted to enter the central chamber, where his grave and those of his son and grandson, lie shrouded in cloth.

Mosque And Tomb Of Rani Sipri

Rani Sipri Mosque in Ahmedabad - GujaratNear Astodia Darwaja in the south of the city, the small and elegant mosque of Rani Sipri was built in 1514 AD at the queen's behest. Her grave lies in front, sheltered by a pillared mausoleum. The stylish mosque shows more Hindu influence than any where in Ahmedabad, with several Hindu carvings and an absence of arches. Its pillared sanctuary has an open façade to the east and fine travery work on the west wall.

Sewa

Ahmedabad, has maintained a tradition of self-help since the days of Gandhi, and has achieved world recognition as the home base of the ground breaking Self-Employed Women's Association, or SEWA, founded in the early 1970s by Ela Bhatt.
Kankaria Lake in Ahmedabad , Gujarat

Kankaria Lake

This artificial lake was developed by Qut'b-Ud-Din in 1451 and is a popular recreation spot for the people of Ahmedabad. This lake is surrounded by gardens, an aquarium and a 'Balvatika' (Children's Park). In the middle of the lake is located an island palace, which has 34 sides each side being 60 m long.

Hathee Sing Temple

Hatee Sing jain Temple in Ahmedabad , GujaratThe Svetambara Hathee Sing Temple, is easily distinguished by its high carved column, visible from the road. Built entirely of white marble embossed with smooth carvings of dancers, musicians, animals and flowers, this serene temple is dedicated to Dharamnath, whose statue stands in the main sanctum.

By Air

Flights to Delhi are operated by Indian Airlines and Jet Airways both airlines also fly to Mumbai . Other destinations served by Indian Airlines are Chennai, Calcutta, Hyderabad, and Jaipur. Express travels, just off Ashram Road near the tourist office, can arrange all flights.

By Rail

There are two daily express trains to Bhavnagar , and two overnight trains to Junagadh and Veraval. Of the three metre-gauge services to Delhi, the overnight ashram express #2915 is by far the fastest and most convenient, also calling at Jaipur very early in the morning. Udaipur has an overnight express, and a daytime passenger train which continues to chittaurgarh.

By Road

For journeys within Gujarat , it can be less troublesome to opt for the bus. The ST Bus Stand serves a variety of local destinations including Gandhinagar , Dholka and Nalsarovar, Mehsana, and Dhrangadhra. In Rajasthan, there are buses to Mount Abu, Udaipur and Jaipur. There are also overnight services to Mumbai , Indore and Bhopal, but none to Delhi.