Ahmedabad Tourism

Kankaria Lake

Kankaria Lake is another tourist attraction of Ahmedabad. The Kankaria Lake is a circular lake constructed in AD 1451 in centre with a summer palace known as Nagina Wadi. Lush green parks, an aquarium, a boat club, a natural historical museum, and a zoo surrounding the park make the lake a place to be seen in Ahmedabad. The 'Bal Vatika' or the      children's park makes it a great picnic spot and attracts tourists and localities from Ahmedabad alike.

 Sabarmati Ashram

The Gandhi Ashram situated alongside the Sabarmati River, was the nerve center for the Indian Freedom movement. The beautiful ashram complex with it's shady trees offers a refuge from the loud streets of the city. There is a museum inside the Ashram complex. During the lifetime of Mahatma Gandhi it was known as Satyagraha Ashram.

 Sidi Saiyad Mosque

This elegant mosque is noted for its twin windows of pierced stone, worked in style of a tree with palm leaves and curving tendrils. A superb and peerless example of delicate carving that transforms stone into filigree. It was constructed by Sidi Saiyad, a slave of Ahmed Shah, and has beautiful carved stone windows depicting the intricate intertwining of the branches of a tree.

 Jhulta Minar

 This is quite an unusual structure. Jhulta Minara or swaying minarets are a part of the mosque of Siddi Bashir and can be swayed by applying a little force at the topmost arch. One of the minarets was partly demolished by an Englishman in his endeavours to unravel the mystery of the swaying minarets. The mosque was obviously built by master craftsmen and the crucial mechanism that causes the vibration is still a mystery.

Hathesing Temple

A rich Jain merchant built this temple outside Delhi Gate in 1850. It is built of pure white marble and profusely decorated with rich carvings, dedicated to Dharamnath, the 15th Jina or Jain apostle. Embellished with intricate carvings and built in white marble, the Hatheesing Jain temple is one of the best ornate Jain temple in Ahmedabad.This temple is dedicated

                                                      to 15th Jain tirthankar or Jain Apostle- Dharmnath.

 

 Adalaj Vav

 About 19 kms north of Ahmedabad this stepwell is an architectural wonder built by Queen Rudabai and is certainly one of the finest monuments of Gujarat. It is a seven-storied structure in the form of a well with chambers one behind the other. The ‘Vavs’ or stepped wells of   

                                                      Gujarat were used as meeting and resting-places during summer.

Ahmed Shah Tombs

The tomb of Ahmed Shah, with its perforated stone windows, stands just outside the east gate of the Jama Masjid. His son and grandson, who did not long survive him, also have their cenotaphs in this tomb. Women are not allowed into the central chamber.

Ahmed Shah Mosque

 Dating from 1414, this was one of the earliest mosques in the city and was probably built on the site of a Hindu temple, using parts of that temple in its construction. 1t is to the south-west of the Bhadra Fort. The front of the mosque is now a garden.

Jama Masjid

  Located in the centre of the old city, this congregational mosque was built by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1423. Built in yellow sandstone, it combines the best of Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture, standing on 260 pillars supporting 15 domes at varying elevations It is described as the most beautiful mosque in India. The vast paved courtyard is a rectangle nearly seventy-five metres by sixty-six metres.

Rani Rupmati Mosque

 Named after the Hindu wife of Sultan Mehmed Beghara, this mosque was built between 1430 to 1440 A. D. having three domes supported by pillars with the central dome slightly elevated to allow natural light into the mosque. The tomb of Rani Rupmati is next to it. Rani Rupmati Masjid named for the princess of Dhar who married the Sultan of Ahmedabad.

Calico Musuem

Ahmedabad houses one of the finest textile museums in the world in one of Gujarat's famous carved wooden havelis. The museum displays a magnificent collection of rare textiles dating back to the 17th century. There is also an excellent reference library on textiles. Located in the Sarabhai Foundation, in Shahibagh the Calico Museum of Textiles.

Bhadra Fort & Darwaja

  Bhadra Fort was built by the city's founder, Ahmed Shah, in 1411 and later named after the goddess Bhadra, an incarnation of Kali. There were royal palaces and a garden inside the fort. It now houses government offices. To the east of the fort stands the triple gateway or Teen Darwaja, from which sultans used to watch processions from the palace to the Jama Masjid. The royal entrance is triple arched and richly carved.

 Rani Sipri Mosque

A little south-east of the centre this small mosque was built in 1514 and is also known as the Masjid-e-Nagira or 'jewel of a mosque' due to its extremely graceful and well executed design. Its slender, delicate minarets are again a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles.The mosque is said to have been built by a wife of Sultan Mehmood Begada after he executed their 

                                                       son for some minor misdemeanour.

Sidi Bashir Mosque

One of the most popular monuments in Ahemdabad is the Sidi Bashirs mosque, out side the Sarangpur gate, known as the mosque with shaking minarets or Jhulta minars. Each minaret of the mosque has three storeys, girdled by carved stone balconies, balanced and delicate. The style is a complete innovation. The master craftsmen of the period managed to design them in such a way that they respond to vibration is communicated to the other via a stone bridge joining both.

 Sarkhej Roza

The Sarkhej Roza is an graceful architectural creation amazing for the use of pierced stone trellises and complete absence of arches. Sarkhej Roza, the tombs of Saint Ahmed Khattu Baksh and that of Emperor Mehmud Shah Beguda and his queen. The diplomatic atmosphere makes it an ideal retreat. Sarkhej (about 10 kms. southwest of Ahmedabad) is noted for its stylish group of buildings, including the Mausoleum of Azam and 

                                                      Mu'assam, who were responsible for Sarkhej's architecture.