Ahmedabad Travel Guide

Ahmedabad is the Manchester of the East with rapid developing textile industry. It is the fifth largest city in India. Located on the banks of the Sabarmati River, roughly 32Km from the state capital city Gandhinagar, this 600-year-old city, Gujarat’s glorious city Ahmedabad has become a famous tourist destination with having innumerable gardens, parks, lakes, architectural masterpieces of the medieval era and oodles of other wonderful things. Its culture has a huge influence of being multi-ethnicity as people of different communities i.e., Hindus, Muslims and Janis, live here peace and hormone. Ahmedabad has recently been awarded as the Best City to Live in India. With around 12,000 privately owned heritage houses and innumerable architectural wonders dotting the 600-year-old city,

History

Ahmedabad was founded on March 7th, 1411A.D.

Earlier it was known as Ashaval or Ashapalli. The Solanki ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), KarandevI invaded Ashaval. He got success in establishing a city with a name Karnavati on the banks of Sabarmati River and ruled untill it came under the Vaghela dynasty in the 13th century. In the 14th century, the Delhi Sultanate took control of Gujarat. One local governor, Zafar Khan Muzaffar established proclaimed independence and took crown of Sultan of Gujarat.

Sultan Ahmed Shah renamed the city, Ahmedabad, after his name in 1411. Humayun occupied Ahmedabad in 1535. Shahjahan spent quality life in the city. He got Moti Shahi Mahal constructed in Shahibaug.

It became the centric issue between two Maratha clans: the Baroda’s Gaekwad and the Poona’s Peshwa. In the first Anglo-Maratha war in 1780, the British force under James Hartley invaded and captured Ahmedabad but handed it back to the Marathas. In the third Anglo-Maratha war in 1818, the British East India Company took over the city. A rail link between Ahmedabad and Mumbai established.

During Indian independence movement Mahatma Gandhi got established two Ashrams, the Kochrab Ashram near Paldi in 1915 and the Satyagraha Ashram in 1917. This is the city from where from Gandhiji began the Salt Satyagraha in 1930.

The Gujarat state was formed on May 1st, 1960

Getting Around

The bus services of AMTS and BRTS are widely available in Ahmedabad. Remember that these bus services close down after 11 PM till 6 AM in the morning. A reliable way of travel around the city is cab. Booking a cab is available online now. There are a couple of popular sites where you afford to book cabs. There is government authorized taxi stand.

• Suggested Tour: Customized Gujarat Tour Packages

Tourist Traps

Negotiate taxi fares beforehand. It is better to talk with the driver directly.

Local Customs

Gujarati is the local language of Ahmedabad. Almost all understands Hindi but English is prevalent amongst educated people.

Shopping

Ahmedabad is the Manchester of East with its textile industry. You can buy traditional hand-embroidered clothes. There are many shopping market areas in the city. Major bazaars are situated at Dhalgarwad, Ratan Pole, Thron Darwaja, C.G. Road, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar, and various other places.

Communications

Ahmedabad receives television network through two main cable networks, Siti Cable and InCablenet.  DTH (Direct to Home) is also gaining popularity in the city.

There is good landline and mobile network in the city of Ahmedabad. Operators like BSNL, Vodafone, Idea, Reliance and Airtel give quality phone network.

Internet Access

There is Broadband Internet services in Ahmedabad, many cyber cafes are located in the city. Broadband internet service providers are: Reliance, Tata, Sify iway etc.

Places to Visit

Gandhi Ashram

This is the biggest tourist destination in Ahmedabad. Located near Vadaj on the banks of the Sabarmati River, this Sabarmati Ashram is a historical place which is closely associated with India’s father of nation Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi. It was once the house of Mahatma Gandhi from where he started his famous Dandi March in 1930 to protest against the Salt Tax imposed by the British.

Bhadra Fort

Bhadra Fort, a royal palace, is one of the most renowned tourist attractions in the city. It is situated in the walled city area. Ahmad Shah I got it built in 1411, which contains beautiful gardens, citadel, Royal Square, Clock Tower and Teen Darwaza. There is a palace known as Azam Khan Sarai, which was built by Azam Khan (a Mughal governor). The Archeological Survey of India is going in for several innovation works in the Bhadra Fort these days.

Calico Museum

The Calico Museum is a textile museum and one of the most popular of museum of Gujarat. The Sarabhai foundation manages workings of this museum. There are a huge collection of textiles put on show. It also exhibits sculpture, temple hangings, art crafts, miniature paintings, South Indian bronzes, Jain art sculpture and furniture. Other major attractions of the museum are its textile techniques galleries and a library. Museum Visiting TIMINGS: 10.30 am to 12.30 pm (Entry between 10.15 and 10.30 am only).

Jhulta Minar

Also known as Sidi Bashir Mosque, this shaking minaret attracts tourists for its unique construction. It is said that Sidi Bashir, a slave of Sultan Ahmed Shah got this mosque constructed. There are two minarets with three stories tall carved balconies each. It is nearby Ahmedabad Railway Station.

Juma Masjid

Ahmedabad’s one of the most popular tourist sights is easily accessible from the old city. This imposing structure is built of yellow sandstone. It stands on 260 pillars which support 15 domes at varying elevations. Juma Masjid reflects the Muslim architecture of that period.

Kamla Nehru Zoo

This is one of the best zoos in India where more than 2 million people come every year. It houses rare species of the birds, mammals and reptiles. Major attractions in this zoo include Balvatika, Butterfly Park, Amusement Park, Water Park, Rasala Nature Park, Nocturnal Animal House, N.H. Museum etc.

• Zoo Timing: 8 am – 6:15 pm (March – October)
• 9 am – 5:30 pm (November to February)
• Closed on Friday
• Free entry on Thursdays

Kankaria Lake

This is a beautiful circular lake having a Musical fountain show. It was built in 1451 by Sultan Qutb-ud-din. The lake is one of the best places for picnic or recreation in Ahmedabad.

Kite Museum

In this beautiful museum you can take a glimpse of varying number of kites, measuring from 22 feet to 16 feet. There are Hexagonal Japanese kites. Bhanubhai Shah founded the Kite Museum for displaying the rare collection of kites. The museum also includes miniature paintings of Radha Krishna.

• Timing: 10 am – 6 pm (Tuesday – Sunday)
• Admission Fees: Free

Akshardham Temple

Located 28 km away from Ahmedabad, Akshardham Temple is an architectural masterpiece. It was founded by Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). Over 6,000 tonnes of pink sandstones has been used in this architecture. There are 10 storied temple, comprising 93 sculpted pillars. It celebrates the commandments of Swaminarayan faith. There are more than 2 million devotees visit the Swaminarayan temple every year. This temple is one of the most popular attractions of the city.

Timing:

Monument

• 9:30 am – 7:30 pm (Daily except Monday)

Night Lighting

• Saturdays, Sundays.

Exhibitions

• 10 am – 6 pm (Daily)

[Also Read: Popular Devi Temples to Visit in Gujarat]

Restaurants

Indian

Dairy Den CTF (Chills – Thrills – Frills) on Municipal Market, C. G. Road, Vishala,  Tadka Punjabi, Sankalp on CG Road, SG Road, Havmor near Panchwati, Stadium Circle, Choice Snacks, Bardo, Honest on Panchwati, SG Road, Asarfi Kulfi on Panchwati & Law Garden, Bhagwati Chat, Oswal on Ashram Road Nr. Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Raipur Bhajia House near Raipur Darwaja, Cafe Upper Crust, Mirch Masala, King’s Food Factory, ZK on Relief Road), Ras Ranjan etc.

Most restaurants in Ahmedabad serve excellent Gujarati food in chic setting. International food chains are also available in the city such as Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Subway and others.

Weather

Ahmedabad experiences a hot semi-arid climate with three main seasons: Summers, Winters and Monsoon. Overall climate is extremely dry. during the months of March to June, there is hot weather with the average maximum temperatures 410C and Minimum 150C. Winters fall in January. Cold northerly winds bring the mild chill, while the southwest monsoon brings a humid climate from Mid-June to Mid-September in Ahmedabad.