08/11/2013
Ahmedabad -
In many ways Indian tourism has ignored the city of Ahmedabad as compared to other travel destinations in the country.
Among Indian tourist cities Ahmedabad has been comparatively regarded as an underdog despite hosting some of the most priceless of India’s tourist attractions.
Travelers also tend to overlook Ahmedabad as a destination city mainly because few know of the city’s scenic beauty, historical sites, and emphatic cultural attractions.
For the perceptive traveler however, Ahmedabad presents one of the most breathtaking tourist experiences available in India more so because the scenic and historical sites here are very welcoming and are not as crowded and clattered as many of the attractions in other ‘preferred’ Indian cities.
Ahmedabad, sometimes spelled as Ahmadabad, is India’s sixth largest city as well as the commercial hub and cultural center of Gujarat state.
Ahmedabad is however not the capital city of Gujarat; the capital is Gandhinagar which is located a mere 30km north of Ahmedabad. When the city of Ahmedabad is compared to other Indian cities, including those in Gujarat, there is a tendency to undervalue its potential and understate its status.
Consequently, many tourists opt not to include it in their itineraries. Those who do, however, are surprised by the immense attractions and the graceful welcoming of the people of Ahmedabad.
The city was built after several conquests of the region previously known as Ashavall/Ashapall. The famous Solanki ruler Karandev 1 conquered the region from Bhil, king of Ashavall, and established a city which he named after himself. The city of Karandev slowly grew to become a renowned Hindu kingdom until the 14th century but around 1411 Gujarat was defeated by the Muslim Sultanate, Sultan Ahmed Shah, who eventually conquered the city renaming it Ahmedabad.
The city then restored its lost glory, building into a spacious open plane East of Sabarmati. Several forts were built to enclose the city including a small one called Bhadra Fort that survives to this day. The 12 gates of the larger city fort are also still surviving albeit in ruins. As the city expanded in all directions acquiring new areas and territories, a series of majestic buildings, beautiful mosques and amazing architectural landmarks were erected surrounding some of the most scenic lakes in the whole of India.
This heritage of Ahmedabad has been preserved to date and the city still boasts numerous architectural landmarks and exotic buildings. The city’s lakes are still as beautiful and well protected against pollution and human encroachment.
Ahmedabad has a comparatively small population of just over 6 million people thus enabling it to be more orderly, to have more greenery, and to retain a level of cleanliness that is quite impossible in the other densely populated cities of India.
Once you reach the city, be sure to visit Ahmedabad’s floridly carved historic monuments such as the Stepwell and the Rani Mosques.
You should also visit the numerous art galleries and museums across the city, as well as such other attractions like the Swaminarayan Temple, the Sidi Sayed Mosque, the Kamla Nehru Zoo, the Sarkhej Roja, and the Jhulta Minara, among many other priceless attractions.
A tour of Ahmedabad is an exploration of an amazing treasure of understated attractions, one that is bound to leave you pleasantly perplexed.
