Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad (Gujarati: અમદાવાદ) or Ahmadābād is the largest city in Gujarat and the 7th largest city in India, with a population of more than 5.2 million (52 lakh) . The city is also sometimes called Karnavati, an older name, and is known as Amdavad in colloquial Gujarati. Ahmedabad is located in North Gujarat, on the banks of the Sabarmati river.

Ahmedabad is the administrative center of Ahmedabad District, and was the former capital of Gujarat State from 1960 to 1970, when Gandhinagar replaced it. The city was founded in the 15th century by Sultan Ahmed Shah, and served as capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat. The historic center of Ahmedabad is presently a thriving business district. In addition Ahmedabad is also an important industrial center, with chemical and textile industries. Ahmedabad is often described as the Manchester of the East, because of its once-booming textile industry.

Origin of name

There is a legend associated with Ahmedabad. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, an independent sultanate ruled by the Muslim Muzaffarid dynasty was established in Gujarat. Sultan Ahmed Shah, while camping on the banks of the Sabarmati river, saw a hare chasing a dog. The sultan was intrigued by this and asked his spiritual adviser for explanation. The sage pointed out unique characteristics in the land which nurtured such rare qualities which turned a timid hare to chase a ferocious dog. Impressed by this the sultan, who had been looking for a place to build his new capital, decided to found the capital here and called it Ahmedabad.

History

Main article: History of Ahmedabad

Archaeological evidence points to the occupation of the site from a much earlier period than that of Sultan Ahmed Shah. It was known in ancient times as Ashapalli or Ashaval. In the eleventh century the Solanki King Karandev I, ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashaval. After his victory he established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati at the site of modern Ahmedabad. Solanki rule lasted until the thirteenth century, when Gujarat came under the control of the Vaghela dynasty of Dwarka. Gujarat was then conquered by the Sultanate of Delhi at the end of the thirteenth century.

Exterior view of Sidi Sayed Jaali

A "pol" in Ahmedabad

In 1487 Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, enclosed the city with a fort of six miles in circumference and consisting of 12 gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements to protect it from outside invaders. Conditions in the city were chaotic by the time of the last Sultan, Muzaffar III, and Gujarat was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573. During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the empire's thriving centres of trade, especially in textiles, which were exported as far as Europe. Jehangir, son of Akbar, visited Ahmedabad in 1617 but did not like it and called it Gardabad, the city of dust. Shahjahan spent the prime of his life in the city, and also built a stately mansion in Shahibaug.

A famine in 1630 devastated the city. In 1753, the armies of the Maratha generals Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad captured the city and ended Mughal rule in Ahmedabad. The famine of 1630 and the rule of the Peshwa and the Gaekwad virtually destroyed the city. The British East India Company took over the city in 1818. A military cantonment was established in 1824, a municipal government in 1858, and a railway link between Ahmedabad and Bombay (Mumbai) in 1864. Ahmedabad grew rapidly, becoming an important center of trade and textile manufacturing.

But the struggle for independence from the British soon took roots in the city. In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi came from South Africa and established two ashrams in the city, the Kochrab Ashram near Paldi in 1915 and the Satyagrah Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati in 1917. The latter was later called Harijan Ashram or Sabarmati Ashram. He started the salt satyagraha in 1930. He and many followers marched from his ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, to protest against the British imposing a tax on salt. Before he left the ashram, he vowed not to return to the ashram until India became independent.

Geography and climate

Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River in the northern part of Gujarat and the western part of India. It is positioned at 23.03°N 72.58°E / 23.03; 72.58 spanning an area of 205 km². The average elevation is 53 metres.

There are 2 main lakes located in the city limits – the Kankaria lake, and the Vastapur lake. Kankaria lake, located in Maninagar, is an artificial lake developed by Qutub-Ud-Din in 1451. It also has an aquarium and a zoo. In the middle of the lake is an island palace, built during the Mughal era. The city is located in a sandy and dry area. Except for the small hills of Thaltej-Jodhpur Tekra, the entire city is almost flat. The Sabarmati river bifurcates the city into eastern and western parts, connected by five bridges, two of which were constructed after independence. Though the river is perennial, it gets dried up in the summer, leaving only a small stream of water flowing.

There are typically three main seasons – summer, monsoon and winter. Barring monsoon, the climate is very dry. The weather is very hot during the months of March to June with the average summer temperature ranging from maximum 43 °C to minimum 23 °C. The highest temperature recorded is 47 °C. The months of November to February have an average maximum temperature 36 °C and a minimum of 15 °C. The south-west monsoon winds bring humid climate to Ahmedabad from mid-June to mid-September. The average rainfall is 93.2 cms.

Civic administration

File:AMCstructure.jpg

Organizational structure of AMC

Ahmedabad is administered by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Some of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA). AMC was incepted in July 1950 under the Bombay Provincial Corporation Act, 1949. For administrative purposes the city is divided into 43 wards. There are 3 corporators elected from each ward. The corporators then elect a mayor. Executive powers are vested in the municipal commissioner, who is an IAS officer appointed by the Gujarat state government. The present mayor of the city is Amit Shah, and the municipal commissioner is Anil Mukim. The city serves as the headquarters of Ahmedabad district.

Ahmedabad is the seat of the High Court of Gujarat which came into existence on May 1, 1960 as a result of the bifurcation of the state of Bombay into the two states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The city elects one member to the Lok Sabha and seven members to the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha. There are only two main political parties - the Bharatiya Janta Party and the Indian National Congress.

Transport

Ahmedabad is well connected to all major cities of India and to some international destinations through a combination of road, rail and air routes.

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport serves as both the domestic as well as the international airport for the city. There are direct flights from the city to all other major cities of India. Ahmedabad has direct international flights to the middle-east cities like Sharjah, Kuwait and Muscat and also to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. There are also flights to cities in Europe and the United States via Mumbai or Delhi.

Ahmedabad is one of the six operating divisions of the Western Railway. Railway lines connect the city to all towns of Gujarat, as well as major cities of India. The Ahmedabad railway station is the most important station which connects the city to other parts of the country like Mumbai and Delhi. Smaller stations like Maninagar, Sabarmati, Asarwa and Gandhigram are used for intra-state trains only (though some national trains do stop at Maninagar).

The national highway 8, which connects Delhi to Mumbai, passes though Ahmedabad. The local bus service in the city is run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS). In 2005, AMTS began a drive to convert all petrol and diesel engine buses run by it to CNG engines to save the city from effects of air pollution. At present, AMTS has 750 buses servicing the city. Auto rickshaws are also the major form of hired transport in the city.

Demographics

According to the 2001 national census, the population of Ahmedabad was declared to be 35 lakhs. This figure was only limited to the municipality region. The total population of the Ahmedabad Urban Agglomeration (which also includes the region governed by AUDA) came to 45.19 lakhs. There are 886 females to every 1000 males. Ahmedabad has a literacy rate of 79.89 per cent, which is the highest in Gujarat (87.81% males and 71.12 females are literate).

The majority of residents of Ahmedabad are native Gujaratis and speak Gujarati. There is also a sizeable popluation of Punjabis, Tamilians, Malayalis and Marwaris who bring in their native language and culture to the city.

Culture

File:Temple4.jpg

The world's first Swaminarayan Temple was built in Ahmedabad by the instructions of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

Ahmedabad is known for its diversified culture and the celebration of various festivals with great zeal which transcends demographic and religious lines.

Uttarayan is celebrated as a kite-flying day on January 14 every year. The nine nights of Navaratri are celebrated in a traditional manner with people performing garba at pre-arranged venues, which is the folk dance of Gujarat. The festival of lights - Deepavali is celebrated with the lighting of lamps in every house, decorating the f