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India > Gujarat > Ahmedabad > Introduction
| A H
M E D A B A D |
| Ahmedabad
or as the locals say ‘Amdavad’ is the principal city of Gujarat. Sultan Ahmed
Shah I founded the city in 1411, on the banks of the Sabarmati River. Ahmedabad means
`established by Ahmed’. It is the second largest city in western India after Mumbai.
Modern Ahmedabad straddles the river and spreads out on both sides with a population of
close to 3.5 million. Though crowded, Ahmedabad provides an interesting introduction to
Gujarat and is also a convenient base to explore the interesting places in the state. The city has been a thriving textile and commercial centre
for the better part of the century and was renowned as the ‘Manchester of the
East’. Mahatma Gandhi set up his Ashram on the western bank of the River Sabarmati in
1915. The Sabarmati Ashram became the nodal centre for India’s independence movement
and the place from where Gandhi launched his famous Salt March (1930) to the small seaside
village of Dandi in protest against the salt tax imposed by the British government. |
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Ahmedabad
is a city of architectural delights. The old walled city is a labyrinth of by lanes
(called ‘pols’) lined with exquisitely carved wooden ‘havelis’
(mansions), an area best discovered on foot. In the newer part you find several buildings
that showcase India’s contemporary architecture - some designed by Corbusier, Louis
Kahn, Correa and Doshi. And in the midst of these modern works are some of the finest
monuments built in the Indo-Saracen style (a blend of Hindu and Islamic architecture). |
The city is the home of several institutions of higher learning. The National
Institute of Design is the leading institution in the field in India. The Indian Institute
of Management the foremost institute in the country for business management studies is
housed in a campus designed by the American architect Louis Kahn. The Ahmedabad Textile
Industry Research Association is one of the foremost institutions in the country engaged
in research on textiles.
The devastating earthquake that struck Gujarat on the 26th
of January 2001 destroyed a large proportion of the monuments and residential buildings in
many parts of the Ahmedabad, while others suffered major structural damage. Please check
the current safety status when you plan a visit and keep in mind that entire villages,
towns, markets, museums, monuments, buildings, forts and palaces on Gujarat have been
either destroyed or are out of bounds. |
F A C
T B O X |
| State |
Gujarat |
| Population |
3.5 million |
| Language |
(approx)Gujarati |
Religion |
Hindu, Muslim |
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