Cold Stones and Hot Zones: A Day in Ahmedabad

A canceled meeting gave me the entire day to explore some impressive architectural sights in Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat state in western India. Situated on the banks of the Sabarmati River, Ahmedabad is now the seventh largest city in India.

Sultan Ahmed Shah I of the Muzaffarid dynasty established Ahmedabad at the beginning of the 15^th century. Zafar Khan Muzaffar (later Muzaffar Shah I) was the Governor of Gujarat under the Delhi Sultanate. Following the sacking of Delhi by Timur in the late 14^th century, he established himself as the Sultan of an independent Gujarat. His descendants, the Muzaffarids ruled Gujarat for almost 200 years (1391-1573) before the Mughals conquered it. In 1753 it was taken over by the Marathas and finally by the British in 1780 after the First Anglo-Maratha War. After the bifurcation of Bombay State into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960, Ahmedabad became the latter’s capital city.

During Muzaffarid rule, Ahmedabad became one of the wealthiest cities in the world and became home to a distinctive style of architecture that blended Islamic elements with indigenous Hindu and Jain building traditions. This architectural style found later in Mughal buildings, include ornate mihrabs and minarets, jalis (screens) carved in stone and chattris (pavilions topped with cupolas). One distinctive feature is the absence of Quranic inscriptions from masjids, the ornamentation brought about by floral and geometric patterns.

My taxi driver, Naresh, was apprehensive about going to the old city citing bad traffic. Even the newer parts of Ahmedabad, with its wide and well-paved roads, struggle with the terrible driving sense of its occupants, who have no concept of right of way. Nevertheless, I convinced him to park a safe distance away and I would manage on foot. Crossing one of the bridges over Sabarmati, we left the environs of shiny glass buildings to enter a different era in which the surroundings were old and the traffic even more chaotic.

My first stop was the masjid of Ahmed Shah, built in 1414. Meant to be for the private worship of the Sultan and his nobles, it located within the Bhadra Fort. The citadel itself was a big disappointment, being completely ruined and vandalized. There were signs of ongoing repair and the security guards were particular that I take no pictures. The masjid represents the earliest architectural style of the Gujarat Sultanate and is characterized by lofty stone pillars, brackets, beams, corbelled ceilings with buttresses on both sides of the spiral minarets. The pillared hall has a screened hanging gallery, the Muluk Khana, used by the Sultan for his prayers.

Ahmed Shah Masjid

Just a few hundred yards down the road is the beautiful Sidi Saiyad masjid, built in 1572 by an Abyssinian slave in the service of Khudavand Khan Khwaja Zafar Salmani, the Governor of Surat during the rule of the tenth Gujarat Sultan Mahmud Shah III. This elegant masjid has some of the finest screen work in stone. On its western wall is the famous jali depicting the intertwining branches of a tree, which has become the architectural symbol of Ahmedabad. The other carvings on this masjid are also delicate and masterly. A true gem situated at a busy intersection of the old city.

Sidi Saiyad Masjid

The famous jali at Sidi Saiyad Masjid

Walking down past the Fort one goes through a busy market that could very well be Delhi’s Chandni Chowk or Hyderabad’s Laad Bazaar. Straight up front is the Lal Darwaza, an imposing gate with three carved arches. This was the entrance to Maidan Shah or the Royal Square from where the Sultan is believed to have watched the processions. Past the Lal Darwaza, on the right is the Jama Masjid.

Lal Darwaza

The Jama Masjid is a congregational masjid built by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1423 and would have been the centre of social activity in those times. Built in yellow sandstone, it has an inner hall containing 260 pillars carved in the Hindu and Jain styles, which support 15 domes at various elevations. The right hand corner has a lower roof to accommodate another level, the Muluk Khana, which is surrounded by screens on all sides for the Sultan’s worship. The central court is massive (75m x 66m), paved with marble and surrounded by columned verandahs in the east, north and south. In the centre of the courtyard sits an ablution pool with a fountain, which adds to the serenity of the complex. Scholars have rated this masjid as one of the most beautiful and imposing structures in its class.

The Jama Masjid

Interiors showing the Muluk Khana

Ornamental work on the pillars

The eastern gate leads to an enclosure that houses the Ahmed Shahi Tomb that houses the remains of Ahmed Shah I, his son Muhammad Shah I and his grandson Qutubuddin Ahmed Shah II. The building is distinctive with nice latticework, but the condition is bad and squatters have built dwellings in the surrounding area.

By now I have walked for over 3 hours. It is Friday, but there is still some time to kill before the congregational prayers in the Sidi Saiyad masjid. Across the road was an inviting Café situated in the garden of a 19^th century mansion. The cappuccino I ordered was lukewarm and on complaining it simply came back after being boiled in a pan! When in Gujarat, eat like a Gujarati. I forgot this basic travel rule. The forgettable cappuccino was however followed by serene Friday prayers in the Sidi Saiyad masjid, giving me more time to admire its intricate stone carvings.

It was time call Naresh and move on towards the Dariyapur area of Ahmedabad, which has more carved stone masjids. First on the stop was Rani Rupvati masjid, named after the Hindu wife of Sultan Mahmud Begada (reigned 1458-1511), the most prominent of Muzaffarid sultans. Begada also established the fortified city of Champaner (near Baroda) and built the beautiful Jama Masjid there, which remains one of the finest monuments of that period in India. The Rani Rupvati masjid, also called Masjid-e-Nagina, is yet another fine example of Indo-Sarcenic architecture. Here I run into a group of enthusiastic boys, who had just finished their Friday prayers and wanted their pictures taken. A few hundred yards down the road was the Qutubuddin masjid, a smaller monument in similar style with intricately carved pillars and fine jalis.

Rani Rupvati Masjid

Ornamental work on minarets

Children after the prayers

We go past the Delhi gate to the impressive Hathesing Temple, built in 1850 by a rich Jain merchant at a cost of 10 lakh Rupees and dedicated to Dharamnath, the 15^th Jain tirthankar (apostle). Built in white marble, which is now greying, it has a paved courtyard surrounded by an imposing row of cloisters containing 52 shrines, profusely decorated with rich carvings. The temple is a two-storied structure with elaborate porches on three sides and front porch crowned by a large dome.

Hathesing Temple

Temple Carvings

My final stop was the Sabarmati Ashram, established by Mahatma Gandhi as his home in 1915. It is here that he perfected his art of ‘satyagraha’ and led many successful campaigns in India’s freedom struggle. The most famous was the Salt March of 1930, in which Gandhiji walked about 250 km to Dandi on the coast of the Arabian Sea to make salt and break the Salt Law of the British Empire. The beautiful ashram complex, on the west bank of the Sabarmati River, with its shady trees offers a refuge from the noise of the city. There is a nice museum, library and bookshop inside the Ashram complex. The simplicity and peace of this place is amazing.