Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, city, eastern Gujarat state, west-central India. It lies along the Sabarmati River about 275 miles (440 km) north of Mumbai (Bombay). Ahmedabad is at the junction of the main roads leading to Mumbai and central India, the Kathiawar Peninsula, and the Rajasthan border. The city is also a major junction on the Western Railway, with lines running to Mumbai, Delhi, and the Kathiawar Peninsula. Pop. (2001) city, 3,520,085; urban agglom., 4,518,240; (2011) city, 5,577,940; urban agglom., 6,357,693.

History

The city was founded in 1411 by the Muslim ruler of Gujarat, Sultan Aḥmad Shah, next to the older Hindu town of Asawal. Ahmedabad grew larger and wealthier for a century, but dynastic decay and anarchy eventually brought about a decline, and the city was captured in 1572 by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Its renewed eminence under the Mughals ceased with the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. Ahmedabad’s further decline was arrested by the British annexation of Gujarat in 1818. The city’s first cotton mills were opened in 1859–61, and Ahmedabad grew to become one of the most populous cities and largest inland industrial centers in India. The city became the temporary capital of Gujarat state in 1960, but the state administration was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970. In 2001 the city was rocked by a massive earthquake that destroyed hundreds of homes and several historic buildings; up to 20,000 people were killed.

The contemporary city

The old city lies east of the Sabarmati River, while newer sections lie along the west bank. An interesting local feature is the division of the old city center into pols, or self-contained blocks of houses that shelter several thousand people each. Some pols are virtually small townships, crossed by a street with gates at either end.

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Ahmedabad’s dynastic history has made it a meeting place of the Hindu, Muslim, and Jaina architectural traditions. Aḥmad Shah and his successors ordered the dismantling and adaptation of Hindu temples in order to build mosques. This gave many of Ahmedabad’s mosques and tombs a Hindu flavur in their form and decoration. The dense “forest” of 260 richly carved columns within the Jāmiʿ Masjid (Great Mosque), which was completed in 1423, recalls the hall of a Hindu temple. At the mosque’s entrance is the domed tomb of Aḥmad Shah (1441), and on the road leading to it is the Tin Darwaza (c. 1425), a triumphal triple-arch gateway through which the sultan was borne to worship. Just to the west of the sultan’s tomb is Bhadra Fort (1411), also built by Aḥmad Shah. The fort is best known for the Bhadrakali Temple inside, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Bhadra. Among the city’s many other Muslim buildings are the Rani (Queen) Sipri mosque and tomb (c. 1505); the Sidi Sayyid Mosque (1510–15), with minutely pierced arch-screens; and the exuberantly rich Rani Rupmati Mosque (1515). Just northeast of the city center are the distinctive Dada Harir (1501) and Mata Bhavani wavs (stepwells), which are used for religious purposes.

There are also several Jain temples in the city. The Hathi Singh Temple (1848) is perhaps the most visited. It is made of white marble and has 24 Jain Tirthankaras sculpted on the building. Jain bird sanctuaries are also common in Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad’s ancient architectural remains contrast sharply with the modern mills and factories in the newer parts of the city. The cotton-milling industry is one of the largest in India. Other industries produce pharmaceuticals, computer software, chemicals, vegetable oil, flour, soap, matches, glass, tobacco, hosiery, and carpets. The city’s handicrafts include brocades, lace, copper and brass ware, jewelry, and wood carving. Services also have become significant.

Ahmedabad is the home of Gujarat University (1949), the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute for Indological Research, and the Mill Owners’ Association Headquarters (1951–54). The Calico Museum houses a collection of spun and handwoven cloth, brocades, and other textiles, as well as a display of rare tapestries, costumes, and looms; the Shreyas Folk Museum exhibits arts and crafts of Gujarat; and the Utensils Museum displays nutcrackers, knives, cooking vessels, and various other culinary items.

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Major Hindu festivals celebrated in Ahmedabad are Makar Sankranti (January 14), a kite festival; Navratri (September/October), a nine-day display of music and folk dances (notably garba) dedicated to the goddess Durga; and Rath Yatra (June or July), when massive chariots carrying the statues of Krishna, Balram, and Subhadra are led from the Jagannath temple through the city.

Southeast of the city is Lake Kankaria, which offers promenades, boating, a hill garden, and a museum designed by the architect Le Corbusier. Sabarmati, a suburb west of the Sabarmati River, became well known as the seat of Mohandas K. Gandhi’s Sabarmati ashram, or religious retreat. Chief crops grown in the surrounding area are cotton, millet, wheat, and pulses.