Ahmedabad was declared as India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City in 2017. The walled city area (a stretch of 5.5 km) with approximately four lakh people living in century old wooden houses in around 600 pols or neighbourhoods is regarded as living heritage. On this World Heritage Week (November 19-25), we take a walk in this 611 year old city of Ahmedabad (it was founded in 1411 A.D).
Ahmedabad’s walled city boasts of some of the finest Indo-Islamic architecture, exquisite Hindu and Jain temples, chabutaras (bird feeders), the secret passages, intricately carved wooden houses that are a reflection of vernacular architecture along with different influences from across the world. The heritage walk makes one aware of the walled city’s rich varied history and its organic community living. As you navigate through narrow lanes and bylanes, you understand the nuances of pol architecture with its share of gates, cul-de-sacs and secret passages. The pol community living, its beautiful old wooden houses, the chabutaras and community meeting spaces gives you a glimpse of the city’s textured heritage. Their lifestyle also shows how beautifully connected they are to each other and also to their immediate environment. The colourful bird feeders are a part of the pol life and they wonderfully represent people’s connection with nature. The pol living is all about community bonding. The close physical proximity makes it easy for people to connect with each other at an intimate level and that gives a sense of physical and social security.
Ahmedabad heritage walk (morning): 90 minutes of sheer joy
The heritage walk is organised by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) with Akshar Travels Pvt.Ltd as the project advisor. The morning tour starts from the 19th century Swaminarayan Temple Kalupur at (8 am) and navigates through narrow lanes and bylanes, numerous pols, chowks and ends at 10.30 am at the magnificent 15th century Jama Masjid. Before starting the 90 minute walk, the heritage enthusiast walkers are shown a short slide show. The guided tour is all about soaking in the city’s rich textured history, heritage and living architecture.
One of the main highlights of the walk is the Kavi Dalpatram Chowk, Lambeshwar ni Pol, which is famous for the house of the 19th century Gujarati poet Dalpatram. The chowk houses a statue of the great poet with nuanced details like—the kathiyawadi embroidery on his kurta, Kavi Dalpatram was a reformist poet, who played a major role in the promotion of Gujarati language. Interestingly, the poet also played a pivotal role in laying the underground drainage and water supply line in Desai-ni-pol (One of the first in the country). Through his poems, he created awareness about the importance of sanitation.
During the walk, one comes across the Calico Dome, which is a reminder of Ahmedabad’s rich textile heritage when the city was known as Manchester of the East.
The walk takes you through the Doshivada ni Pol, which is a real visual delight. This area is mostly inhabited by the goldsmith community. There are many haveli type houses with stunningly decorated facades in the pol which is a treat for the eye. Towards the end of the pol is a beautiful carved chabutara (bird feeder) with stained glasses. This is a unique example of colonial-influence on architecture of chabutaras.
The walk also gives a chance to have a look at the old Ahmedabad Stock Exchange building. ASE started operating from this building in 1921. ASE is the oldest exchange in the country after Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
As we make our way through the narrow lanes and bylanes, one can see shops selling dry nasto (snacks). And then comes Manek Chowk, which has the unique distinction of being a silver jewellery market in the day and a foodie’s paradise in the night. The vibrancy, warmth and the duality of this place attracts many visitors every day. This is also the place where one can gorge on ice-cream sandwich, pineapple sandwich, and Gwalior dosa (plain dosa wth dollops of butter)
We also come across the Badshah-no-Hajiro and Rani-no-Hajiro. At Badshah no Hajiro, which was built in the year 1446, rests the mortal remains of the founder of Ahmedabad, Ahmed Shah I. The place is located to the western side of Manek Chowk, just outside the eastern gate of Jama Masjid. Rani-no-Hajiro was built in the 15 century by the great sultan Ahmed Shah. The hajiro is a vault for graves and served as the last resting place for queens of this empire.
From Badshah-no-Hajiro, Rani-no-Hajiro, we move to the Jama Masjid which is known for its architectural marvel and that is the last point of the walk. The mosque is located south of the processional axis that runs from the Maidan-i Shah at the door with three arches, Teen Darwaza.The inscription on the mihrab commemorates the inauguration of the mosque on January 4, 1424 by Sultan Ahmad Shah I.
The walk has ended, Ahmedabad’s old city is getting ready to start the day. The shops are starting their day with new hope. People are queuing up to have their share of cutting chai and nashto. And life in Ahmedabad’s walled city feels rich and vibrant amid centuries of history and heritage.
Fact File:
- Starting point: Swaminarayan Temple. Kalupur
- Reporting Time: 7.30 am-7.45am
- Walk starts: 8 am
- Duration of the walk: 90 minutes
- Price: For Indian nationals, the price of the ticket is Rs 200 and for foreign nationals it is Rs 300 (standard package)
- There is online booking facility
Deepika Sahu has been a journalist for 27 years and she has worked with some of India’s leading media houses. Right now, she is independently engaged in content creation and curation. Twitter: @menondeepika; Instagram: @moodydeepika; Facebook: Deepika Sahu
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#Ahmedabad was declared as India’s 1⃣st UNESCO World Heritage City. The walled city wt approx 4 lakh people living in century old wooden houses is regarded as living #heritage. This World Heritage Week, we take a walk in this 611 yo city. 🇮🇳 #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/svE7V4yFM6
— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) November 24, 2022
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