Exploring Old Ahmedabad By Foot

A part of the Swaminarayan Temple in Ahmedabad

 

The original temple complex was spread over 5000 acres, but as the city of Ahmedabad grew and shortage of land was felt, the temple gave up some part of this land to the government to build a railway station in the city, and in exchange the temple was given 1000 acres in another village in Gujarat.

Kavi Dalpatram’s house

 

Kavi Dalpatram’s life size statue placed in front of his house

 

A short walk from the temple is a house that belonged to Kavi Dalpatram – one of Gujarat’s most famous poets. A notable literary figure, Dalpatram was very popular with children and he wrote many of his poems for them. While his original house was destroyed, a facade of the original was recreated and stands at the same site. A bronze life size statue of the poet sits on the chowk (porch). The statue has been designed in such a manner that children can sit on the poet’s lap and even slip their foot into one of the poet’s empty shoes.

Narrow winding alleyways took us from one pol to another. In the old walled city of Ahmedabad, houses were designed such that each community stayed together in a particular pol and every pol was self sufficient. Most often pols were named after the community that inhabited them. There are 600 pols in the old city even today. Narrow alleyways criss cross individualpols and all of them are interconnected via secret passages that only the residents are aware off. In olden times, when a polwas under attack, these secret passages helped the residents escape from the intruders.

Read: Drumbeats That Have Lasted 600 Years

When Ahmed Shah the founder of the city established the city, large tracts of forest were cleared to build houses. The pols have virtually no trees, but to make sure that birds still visit these areas, chabutras or bird feeders were set up in the main square of every pol. The chabutras were designed such that there was a dedicated space below where grains for the birds were stored under lock and key. Small wooden ladders were used to climb up to clean the chabutra, and to refill water and grains.

Haja Patel Ni Pol is home to a very large family with 110 members who stay in a big house with 80 rooms. This pol houses the Kala Ramji Mandir, a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram. This is one of the handful, if not the only temple in India*, where the statue of Ram is black in color. Clothes of the idols are changed everyday according to seasons and festivals, a tradition that has been carrying on since 400 years.

 

The idol of Lord Ram at the Kala Ramji Temple

Ashtapad Derasar

The Ashtapad Derasar is a 250 year old Jain temple tucked into Doshiwada Ni Pol. Built in 1856 AD, by Sheth Maganlal Karamchand, the temple is made of marble and sandstone, and is elaborately carved. There’s a smart system in place to catch rain water and store it for future use.

Manek Chowk

The street food haven for Amdavadis (as the locals are referred too), Manek Chowk is a bustling market square during the day. With day break vegetable sellers carry out their business and as the day progresses jewelry shops open their shutters, transforming the chowk into one of the largest bullion markets in India. As night falls and businesses wrap up, the market square becomes a bustling night market, serving a variety of street foods.

Manek Chowk is surrounded by a number of historical structures, such as the Rani No Hajiro – a burial site for female members of the royal family, which today is a market for women’s clothing; Badshah No Hajiro – a burial site for male members of the royal family – it is here that Ahmed Shah I the founder of Ahmedabad is buried; Ahmedabad’s first stock exchange established in 1894; and Muhurat Pol, the first pol to be set up within the walled city.

 

A fine example of jalli work on the walls of the Raja No Hajiro

 

Jama Masjid

As we walked past the tomb of Ahmed Shah a small back gate led us to the magnificent Jama Masjid. Built in the 15th century by Ahmed Shah, the masjid’s main building had two intricately carved pillars that framed the entrance. Both the pillars were completely destroyed in the earthquake that struck the city in 1819.The complex features a large courtyard, 3 sides of which have entrances at the middle and the 4th occupied by the prayer hall. The sides with the entrances feature a colonnade with giant Arabic calligraphy. In the middle of the courtyard is a basin where devotees coming to perform prayers first have to carry out their ablutions.

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To find out more about the walk visit the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation website here.

Timings: Walks are conducted everyday of the week (do check though if the day you choose to go on the walk happens to be a public holiday). There’s no need for prior registration, you just need to show up at the appointed time at the appointed venue.

You have to gather at the Swami Narayan temple at 8:00 am. There is a short audio visual presentation following which the walk starts with a visit to the temple. The walk usually finishes by 10:30 am.

Useful tips

Wear comfortable walking shoes. There’s no need to wear sneakers as you walk short distances at a very relaxed pace. Wear shoes that are easy to put on and take off as you have to remove your footwear before entering both temples and mosques. 

Since the walk takes you to many religious places its best to dress conservatively. Avoid wearing shorts and sleeveless clothes. Else carry a stole to cover yourself if you have too. 

You start the walk at the Swaminarayan Temple and finish at the Jama Masjid. It might be best you take public transport so you don’t have to bother with parking and can leave after you walk instead of tracing your path back to the temple to get to your parked vehicle.