Home | About Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, the sixth largest city in India is the major commercial center of Gujarat with a population of more than 5 million. Sultan Ahmed Shah decided to make the city its capital because of a strange incident he witnessed here. As per a historical anecdote, once Sultan saw a rabbit attacking one of his hunter dogs. This incident made him realize that if the rabbits of this area were so courageous, then the people must be braver. Thus, he established Ahmedabd as a kingdom on the banks of River Sabarmati in 1411.

Apart from many historical heritages such as mosques, pavilions and mausoleums, today, Ahmedabad is a hustling and bustling city, with a prosperous textile industry, which make it known as the 'Manchester of the East', due to the fact that it is the largest denim manufacturer in the world. Numerous constructions in the city are designed by world-renowned architects, like Le Corbusier, Louis Khan, Doshi and Correa.

This place is also significant because it the place where the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi struggled the fight of national freedom, based on the principle of non violence. Today this city is also considered as a major educational and learning center. The educational institutions of Ahmedabad are like the Indian Institute of management, and the National Institute of Design are supposed to be one of the best in the country.

Ahmedabad is renowned for its age old customary folk art. There are numerous places of tourist attractors where a visitor can spend his/her leisure time. Tourist can enjoy seeing place ranging from lakes to museums, from historical monuments to religious places, famous Sabarmati Ashram to the Gandhi school of thought. City is equally famous through its rich cultural heritage, wide varieties of cuisines and handicrafts.

History of Ahmedabad

As per the historical evidences, Ahmedabad has been colonized since the 11th century when the Solanki ruler of modern Patan waged a successful war against Bhil King of old Ahmedabad and founded a city called Karnavati on the banks of Sabarmati River. By 13th century A.D, Ahmedabad was subjugated by the Sultanate of Delhi. Muzzaffarid Empire was established in Gujarat in 1411, and in consequence the city was fortified with an outer wall 10 km in circumference in 1487. Later it became part of Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573. The financial structure of Ahmedabad was flourishing during the Mughal rein mainly in textiles. Later, the supremacy of Mughal was ended by Maratha generals who captured the city. .

In 1818, East India Company of British rule took over the city as a part of the conquest of India. Keeping in mind the financial status of the city, the railway link was established in 1864 connecting Ahmedabad to Bombay. It increases the trade and traffic between northern and southern India. When Mahatma Gandhi came to India from South Africa, he established two Ashrams on the banks of Sabarmati in 1915, thus the city became an epicenter of India's freedom struggle. The city witnessed strong communal violence between Hindus and Muslims during and after the independence and partition of India.

After the division of the state of Bombay on 1 May 1960, Ahmedabad became the capital of Gujarat. Many educational and research institutes were established in the city during that time making it a foremost centre of higher education, science and technology. The impact of world wide globalization and liberalization of Indian economy made revolutionary change to the city's infrastructure and development.

Culture

Being the centre of Gujarati cultural behavior and varied traditions of different ethnic and spiritual communities, Ahmedabad enjoys a flourishing cultural tradition. Many festivals include Rath Yatra procession, Uttarayan — an annual kite-flying day on 14 January, Navratri are celebrated when the people perform Garba — the folk dance of Gujarat, at venues across the city. Apart from this, they also celebrate other festivals such as- Deepavali, Holi, Eid ul-Fitr and Christmas with enthusiasm.

The culinary traditions of the city is equally popular through the typical Gujarati thali (meal) consists of rotli, dal, rice and Shaak (cooked vegetables, sometimes with curry), with accompaniments of pickles and roasted papads. People of this city mostly prefer vegetarian food. It is important to know that the first all-vegetarian Pizza Hut in the world opened in Ahmedabad.

There are many architectural examples which illustrate blend of Hindu craftsmanship with Islamic architecture, giving rise to the Indo-Saracenic style. Many mosques in the city are constructed in this style. Talking about the art, the Calico Museum of Textiles has a large collection of Indian and international fabrics, garments and textiles

How to reach

By Air

Airport in Ahmedabad is situated just 15 kmaway from the city. City is connected with both the national as well as international flights. Airport provides services from major international cities like London, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago as well as Kuala Lumpur, Muscat, Kuwait, Sharjah and Qatar. The daily flight of Singapore Airlines from Ahmedabad to Singapore also operates its services. Domestic flights operate its services and connect this city with the major cities of India.

By Train

Ahmedabad is well connected by train with the major cities of India including the national capital of Delhi. There are a lot of trains, which connect it with the other metros to and from the city. Some major cities and towns like Bangalore, Pune, Indore, etc are also well connected through different trains. Many long distance trains on the route pass through this city.

By Road

Ahmedabad is equally well connected by road. Number of buses on the route offers convenient and comfortable journey. Drive from Mumbai to Ahmedabad (550 km) on the new highway gives amazing experience where you will visit en-route Vapi, Valsad, Surat, Vadodara, Anand, and Nadiad cities. Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway which is recently built is another enjoyment for the ones who love to drive.

Climate

Like most of the cities in India experiences the three main seasons such as summer, monsoon and winter, Ahmedabad also faces these climatic changes. During summer, the weather is very hot and dry. The standard temperature ranges between the 23°C to 43°C. Mercury rises up to 47°C during summer whereas in winter i.e. from November to February mercury fall down to 15°C to 35°C. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Ahemdabad is 5°C.

A humid climate from mid-June to mid-September can be experienced due to southwest monsoon. The average rainfall is 93.2 cm (36.7 inches), but occasional heavy torrential rains cause the river to flood. Due to the large industrial set-up in Ahmedabad, it has recently suffered from increasing air, water and soil pollution.