Ahmedabad - Where Heritage Beckons!

     When the auto-driver charged us Rs.100 to go from Ahmedabad railway station to our guest-house, barely 2 kms. away, we realized that we were firmly perceived as tourists (read outsiders) there! But just in a short span of 4 days, we had made ourselves at home there!

     The city captivated us with its cleanliness, lack of over-crowding, vast open spaces and heritage monuments and landmarks. Public transport, especially for local sightseeing was limited to autos, the drivers of which made a killing, taking us around on our sight-seeing jaunts in and out of the city.

The Tranquil Sabarmati Ashram

     The city bus tour which showed us all the major local sights of interest was an interesting but exhausting one. As the official guide, a young and perky lady named Ayesha Patel, deftly and firmlymaneuvered the motley group of tourists through Sabarmati Ashram, the Maharaja Hutheesing Palacetemple, Dargah Hazrat Sidi Syed Shah’s Jali, Mosque and tomb of Rani Sipri (Sabrai), Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, Adalaj step-well, and lastly Akshardham, we couldn’t help noticing how very efficient and agile she was!

Maharaja Hutheesing Palace Temple

Magnificent tower at the Palace Temple

Rich engraving at Rani Sipri's tomb

Dargah Hazrat Syed Sidi Shah’s Jali

     She pointed out some landmarks like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Smarak, the walled city’s famed gates (those that were enroute), the swaying minarets, etc. with nuggets of information, in a witty manner.

The incredible Adalaj step-well 

     We visited the Sabarmati ashram on our own before the sightseeing started at 1.30 pm. So we spent considerable time in getting the vibe of the place. Peaceful, enchanting and serene; the ashram made us sentimental, as we remembered how that place had played such an important role in our freedom struggle.

Sabarmati Waterfront

     The specter of Mahatma Gandhi and his supportive wife Kasturba Gandhi undoubtedly guided us through their abode, as we silently glimpsed their residential quarters, sparse belongings, the famed charkha, tableau of the Salt Satyagraha, writings, et al with the backdrop of the tranquil Sabarmati river, glistening in the afternoon sun, with unabashed pride.

     We bowed down before the statue of the Mahatma in a sitting pose and were filled with immense respect and love for the great leader and apostle of non-violence.

     As the first place on the sight-seeing itinerary was the ashram that we had already experienced, we chose to relax for half an hour in the bus after a round of delicious cookies purchased from the kiosk selling ice-cream and baked snacks.

     A great deal of time - 2.5 hours are reserved for Akshardham at Gandhinagar. We enjoyed visiting the pristine temple complex, temple, cafeteria and were later mesmerized by the musical fountain show. The tour ended at 9.30 pm.

     What struck us about Ahmedabad was that though it was awash with plastic carry-bags freely given away by vendors and shop-keepers, not a single plastic bag was visible as trash on the roads.

     There were several clean washrooms with adequate water supply at regular intervals, everywhere.

     The trains of Ahmedabad were a pleasure to travel in, with bio-toilets, mugs and waste-paper baskets in the clean washrooms; and freshly scrubbed and cleaned compartments. The trains and railway stations in Gujarat were very well-maintained and visually appealing.

     There were some beggars around, but no vagabonds!

     The announcements were made in 3 languages and all the electronic sign-boards were functioning properly.

     As the people there are friendly, we had no problem whatsoever. But there weren’t any Udipi restaurants around! We had to consume delicious tea sold by roadside vendors and snacks sold by sweetmeat shops for breakfast. The crisp, spicy khakras mostly served us well for our breakfast at the city.

     A dining hall named Radhe, served us unlimited thali (Rs. 140/- per head) with typical Gujarati fare, mercifully devoid of sugar and excessive oil. We skipped the thali option that came with a sweet dish (Rs. 170/- per head).

     We shopped for the traditionally hand-woven patola saris and costume jewelry at Ratanpole market and for casual kurtas at Law Garden market, which actually specializes in selling costumes and jewelry for Garba and Dandiya, played during the Navaratri celebrations.

      I really regretted not being able to dance either of the two dance-forms, as I couldn’t purchase any of those vibrant, colorful and ethnic costumes! I could only admire the mind-boggling variety of the colorful and enticing stuff there. However I did buy an ethnic jacket which can be worn over any plain top to enhance the outfit; and some ethnic oxidized jewelry.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial

   
     The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial had a small private cafeteria nearby which had lots of items on its menu but could serve us only some vegetable sandwiches after a lot of time! The chutney was very hot so I could barely manage one of those sandwiches and gobbled some biscuits to curb my hunger pangs.

     The next day, we had to hire an auto to visit the quaint Vaishnodevi temple and the Sun temple at Modhera in Mehsana, at a whopping cost. More CNG filling stations and vehicle repair shops are also needed en route to the outskirts of the city, as we had to skip visiting the famed Patan’s Rani-ki-vav step-well just on account of this drawback! What a pity!

The Exquisite Sun Temple at Modhera

     The state Government must have day-long trips for other nearby places as well, as it could save the tourists from spending on the expensive autos or cabs. Besides, due to the language problem, as all the buses have destination boards in Gujarati, and the boards in the Central Bus-stand also are in Gujarati, tourists are unable to comprehend what is written there! The boards must be bilingual, or even trilingual. Gujarati, Hindi and English would serve the purpose well.

     We visited some smaller temples and shrines on the third day. The Kalimata temple, the Tripuri Sundari Laxmi temple, the Annapurna temple, the Gayatri temple and the Mahadev temple which proudly displayed a board that read, “Only those who are very blessed will have the rare opportunity of visiting this temple in their lifetime.” Needless to say, we were elated.

     The majestic Trimandir, with shrines devoted to Teerthankar Mahavir, Lord Balaji, Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, Goddess Laxmi, Goddess Padmavati, etc. was serene. The view from the top was panoramic. The tidy temple complex has a cafeteria, clean washrooms and drinking water facility as well as a shop selling packaged snacks and beverages.

     We also visited the Sanskar Kendra housing the Government museum and Kite Museum, that fascinated us with tableaus of various religious faiths followed in India and the history of kite-flying. The complex also has Pandit Rabindranath Tagore Hall that hosts cultural programs. 

Swaminarayan Temple at Kalupur

     We strolled down to the breathtakingly beautiful and magnificent Swaminarayan temple complex at Kalupur, one morning and had darshan of Lord Swaminarayan and other deities. The sculptures engraved on the temple’s walls are intricate and the complex is very well preserved.

 

Dada Hari ki Vav - Step-well 

     Recently, Ahmedabad was bestowed with the privileged status of a UNESCO world heritage city. With so many beautiful specimens of breath-taking architecture and the overall upkeep, we could clearly see why!

The copyright of this travelogue is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.