Ahmedabad
From Wikitravel
Ahmedabad (also spelled Ahmadabad) is the sixth largest city (pop. 6m) of India. It is the commercial hub of the state of Gujarat, though it is not the capital, which is Gandhinagar, 30 km to the north. Although it is not very well known as a 'tourist' place, it is certainly worth a visit. Actually, the fact that there are fewer tourists, will often get you a nicer welcome here.
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Understand
Ahmedabad was a cradle of the non-violent movement for India's independence, being host to the Sabarmati ashram of Mahatma Gandhi. Ahmedabad poses a mixture of rich tradition and modern feel. Ahmedabad is famous of Navaratri festival. Arguably the longest dance festival on earth, Navratri, rocks Ahmedabadi people and their guest too.
The Gujarati community is largely known for its hospitality and for being shrewd businessmen. Ahmedabad is a big industrial city long reputed for its textile industry, and today more so for its chemical, petroleum industries & IT industries.
Get in
Ahmedabad is connected with Bombay (500 km) and New Delhi with trains several times a day. There are also flights to both cities at least twice a day from the airport, 15 km north-east from the city-centre. There are even a few direct international flights to London, New York and Chicago as well as Singapore. http://www.ahmedabadairport.com/
Get around
The best way to get around are the yellow and black 3 wheeled taxicabs known as the Autorickshaws or simply Rickshaws. Hollering 'Auto' or 'Rickshaw' at a passing Rickshaw should be enough to catch the drivers attention. In most cases the drivers would be able to understand Hindi and maybe even a few words of English. They are normally quite helpful and are not known to cheat tourists. There are some taxis but you will need to book them in advance or at the airport or railway station. For using the local buses, you will need to know some gujarati, as the routes and numbers are written only in that language.
Talk
The local language is Gujarati. Hindi is understood by almost everyone and English is prevelant to a lesser extent.
Buy
Ahmedabad is well known for its textile industries. Be sure to look at the traditional hand embroidered and tie 'n die clothes, and if you are buying from the roadside shops be prepared to haggle. It would not be advisable to try these without a local guide. The city's main market area is situated at Ratan Pole and Manek Chowk near Lal Darwaja.It is generally a crowded area but you get a better variety of clothes (it is very crowded during festival seasons). The street side shops near Law Garden also offers good choices. Some shops such as Bandhej and Sanskruti offer these traditional items at fixed (and maybe overpriced) rates.
See
- Gandhi Aashram Located near vadaj the Sabarmati Aashram was once house of Mahatma Gandhi
- Aksherdham Temple, Rich and Wonderful architecture. Located in Gandhinagar, about 20 K.M. from Ahmedabad.
- Science City, Newly build Science City is one latest happening place in the city
- Vaishnodevi Temple, Replica of famouse vaishnodevi temple... located at S.G Highway
- Amar dham
- Kankaria Lake, Famouse circuler lake at the heart of the city.
- Vastrapur Lake, Newly constracted lake with spelndid beauty
- Law Garden,
- Sarkhej Roja
- Karnavati Meseum
- Kamla Nehru Zoo
- Calico Textile Museum, ...
- Juma Majid, (mosque). Build by Ahmed II, the founder of the city at the beginning of the 15th century.
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM)[1] (http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/), in Vastrapur, the best School of Management in India was built by Louis Kahn and is a wonderful architechtural creation.
- Darpana Academy of Performing Arts[2] (http://www.darpana.com/), is one of the oldes't performing arts academies in the city. Its amphitheater Natarani has a fabulous performance venue overlooking the Sabarmati river and is one of the few places to bring internationally acclaimed performing artists to the city.
- DA-IICT, Gandhinagar(Dhirubhai Ambani Intitute of Information and Communication Technology)[3] (http://www.da-iict.org)
Sleep
Eat
Eating is always fun in Ahmedabad. You will find at least one eating joint in every nook and corner, anywhere in Ahmedabad.
Gujarati people are fond of eating and they have very delicious, spicy, tasty variety of dishes.
If you are a tourist outside from India and has not stayed in India for longer period, select a food joint which is famous and well organized (hotels, big restaurants). But otherwise, its fun to eat at any place.
There are more than 200 famous listed hotels, restaurants in Ahmedabad, excluding the local food joints.
Drink
Gujarat is the only Indian state where alcohol is prohibited. But this applies only to locals. If you have a non-Indian passport, you can get an alcohol permit from the government that allows you to buy and consume alcohol legally.
Bootlegging is rampant and most locals should be able to procure whatever you want.
Many small shops sell lassis(a yogurt drink). You have a lot of choice: sweet, salty, with almonds. There is also a very wide variety of fruit juices available. Most large places like HavMor are reputable and use good water, you should exercise care when drinking at smaller places.
Contact
The local area code is 79.
Emergency Information
- Police - 100
- Fire - 101
- Ambulance - 102
- Airport Inquiry - 141 [4] (http://www.airportsindia.org.in/aai/ahmd_airpo_GI.htm)
- Railways I.V.R.S. - 133
- Railways General Enquiry - 131
- Telephone Directory Inquiry - 197
- Telephone Local Assistance - 199
Get out
- Adalaj Step-Well Adalaj is a village 18 km. to the north of Ahmedabad. The Vav (step-well) at Adalaj derives its name from the lady patron, Ruda, wife of the Vaghela chief, Virsinh; who built it in the 15th or 16th century A.D. The Vav, laid out in the north-south direction, the well in the north and in the south, have a total length of 75.3 metres. It is the only major monument of its kind, which has three entrance stairs leading to the stepped corridor. These three entrances meet in the first storey, underground, in a huge square platform, which has, to the top, an octagonal opening. The platform rests on 16 pillars, on the corners, and two in front of each side. The four corners of the platform are marked by four built-in shrines, with doors, windows, balconies. The stepped corridor begins from this square platform. The corridor is entirely surrounded by a one-metre high parapet with a rounded topping. It descends with four pavilion towers for five storeys. The walls of the Vav are veritable show cases of sculptures and ornamentation. the sculptures range from a king sitting on a stool under a parasol, to erotic scenes; and buttermilk churning girls. The door frames around the entrances of the spiral staircases to the octagonal shaft are surrounded by a parikrama, which is an enlarged version of the frames around the niches. String-courses running along the side walls embellish all parts of the structure, sometimes dividing the wall into horizontal sections. They also appear on the walls of the octagonal shaft, depicting floral or leaf patterns, or rows of animals.
- Sabarmati Ashram Seven km from the centre of town, on the west bank of the Sabarmati River, this was Gandhi's headquarters during the long struggle for Indian independence. His ashram was founded in 1915 and still makes handicrafts, handmade paper and spinning wheels. Gandhi's spartan living quarters are preserved as a small museum and there is a pictorial record of the major events in his life..
- Shaking Minarets Just south of the railway station, outside the Sarangpur Gate, the Sidi Bashir Mosque is famed for its shaking minarets, or jhulta minars. When one minaret is shaken, the other rocks in sympathy. This is said to be a protection against earthquake damage. It's a fairly fanciful proposition, and one which you'll be unable to verify, unless of course you happen to be on the spot during an earthquake.