Come One Come All!!:). Review on Ahmedabad

Writing a review on my own city, Ahmedabad!.. And, that too as a tourist destination! Well.. first of all, let me clarify that Ahmedabad cannot be considered a tourist place, because, there is no major attraction here, but it does have great past and heritage to boast of!:)

The History

Ahmed Shah conquered Karnavati in 1411 A.D. and changed the name to Ahmedabad. It witnessed political instability (yes even at that time!!hehe) and government kept on changing from Mughal Emperors to Marathas... and finally when the Britishers came to Ahmedabad, they brought with them machineries, and Ahmedabad became The Manchester of India as Textile Industy flourished well.

Mahatma Gandhi started the Sabarmati Ashram on the banks of river Sabarmati. It has great significance.. it has the Sabarmati Jail on one side, and Vadaj Smashangruh(cremetorium) on other side. During the freedom movements, he said that, when he will leave the Ashram, he will go to either of the two places! It is the same place from which Mahatma Gandhi led the Historical Dandi March which broke the salt law.

The Festivals

Ahmedabad beats everyone as far as festivals are concerned. Celebrations for the Uttarayan,(Kite flying festival) which is celebrated on 14th of January, start from November itself. You can find the sky of Ahmedabad getting colourful 2 months before the actual festival! To really enjoy the kite flying festival, you should go to the poles.. No, I don't mean the rods.. but Pole is the real Ahmedabad.(I'll come back to it later). And, the all time favourite festival of Ahmedabadis is Navratri, which literally means Nine Nights.. nine nights of fun and frolic.. It is the time when Ahmedabad dances on the tune of Dhol. Garbas and Dandiya-Raas is one place where no one can beat an Ahmedabadi!..

Cultural Heritage

Poles - The place where most of our ancestors grew up and lived, before migrating towards the other side of the river. The houses, rather homes, in poles are very close knit, literally. Each home will share 3 of its walls with other 3 homes, and it has very narrow lanes and by-lanes. It is communal harmony personified, and are considered equally sensitive during the riots. But these Poles exhibit the skills of Ahmedabadis in carving. The Sidi Sayyed's Mosque is very well known for the Jaali(net).

Moreover, the Mughal Emperors had built the Darwazaz (gates) all around the city so as to protect it from invasions from Marathas as well as Britishers. Laal Darwaza, Teen Darwaza, Kalupur Darwaza, etc. etc. welcome everyone to the city. Ironically, one area in Ahmedabad is named Laal Darwaza, but you wont find this monument anywhere, because no one knows when it got demolished!!

Places in and around Ahmedabad

Near Ahmedabad, you can visit Lothal. This is where the pre-historic remains are found. The Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, the Step-well of Adalaj, etc. are also places worth visiting. You can also visit Kankaria lake, law garden, Parimal Garden, and other places. Moreover, with multiplexes coming up in many areas, like, Fun Republic, Wide Angle, City Gold, etc., you can spend the lazy afternoon here. For book lovers, Crossword is the best place to be. For shoppers, C.G. Road and Law Garden offers wide range!!

Food

Ah!! Ahmedabadis are the greatest food lovers!! You can find yourself eating food ranging from Rs. 5 Pani Puri, to a Rs. 450 Shethiya Thaali in Agasiye, a haveli turned into a restaurant. It can be considered the Vegetarian Capital of India. It has forced Pizza Hut and Domino's to open an all vegetarian restaurant in Ahmedabad.

Conclusion

There are so many things to be said about the beautiful city... but just 8k allowed!!:(.. But, i'll like to add about the hotels, like fortune landmark, taj residency ummed, inder residency, holiday inn, are the luxurious ones.. even the budget hotels have good rooms!! The city can also boast of great educational institutes like IIM, CEPT, HLCC[my college!:)], NIRMA, etc. It also has ISRO[Indian Space Research Organisation]..(its very near to my house..walking distance!!!), Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad Textiles and Industrial Research Association, etc. etc.

Hope to see you soon!:)