Ahmedabad - Where urbanization meets heritage in India

Kalupur Temple in Ahmedabad, is an impressive structure, combining Indian and colonial architecture. (Photo: Veidehi Gite)

Founded in 1411 by the ruler of the Gujarat Sultanate Sultan Ahmad Shah I, Ahmedabad was once the capital of the state of Gujarat and the largest commercial center in Western India. The old town with hundreds of wooden houses, temples and traditional residential areas is gradually disappearing, posing an urgent conservation problem for Ahmedabad.

Living Museum

Ahmedabad is likened to a living museum, where vivid and fascinating historical vestiges are preserved.

At Teen Darwaza Gate – one of the few remaining of Ahmedabad’s 21 ancient gates – local guide Sanket Bhatt begins his tour through the old town. For him, every brick tells a story, every alley a slice of time.

Jama Masjid Mosque was built in the 15th century and was once used by the royal family. It has 260 pillars and 15 domes. (Photo: Veidehi Gite)

The journey to discover Ahmedabad’s 600-year-old architectural and cultural heritage route takes in 22 stops from Kalupur Temple to Jama Masjid Mosque. The first stop is the Kalupur Temple, built in 1822, which is a blend of traditional Indian architecture and British colonial style. Corinthian columns inspired by ancient Greek and Roman architecture, Mughal-style domes and golden minarets create a solemn yet aesthetic whole.

Along the ancient route, Sanket Bhatt tells visitors about Ahmedabad in the Mughal period, the British colonial period and the upheavals of the conflicts. From the clusters of houses called “ pol” , the old residential areas where people lived according to their professional or religious communities, to the havelis (mansions) with elaborate stone facades, all evoke an oriental, quiet but still vibrant.

Nearby, the ruins of the Calico Dome, India’s first modern structure inspired by the dome, are also a sad highlight. Designed by brothers Gautam and Gira Sarabhai, the glass dome was once a creative symbol of Ahmedabad’s textile industry. After the mills closed in the 1990s, the structure fell into neglect, and the 2001 earthquake dealt a devastating blow, causing it to collapse.

Kavi Dalpatram Chowk, a structure with a statue of 19th century poet Dalpatram Dahyabhai Travadi. (Photo: Veidehi Gite)

A special stop is Kavi Dalpatram Chowk, a site steeped in the memory of the 19th-century scholar and poet Dalpatram Dahyabhai Travadi (1820–1898), a key figure in Indo-British literary history. Although his ancient home was demolished in 1985, a serene bronze statue was erected in 2001 as a reminder of the site’s cultural legacy. The journey ends at the Jama Masjid, a 15th-century mosque with 260 columns and 15 stone domes that was once the private place of worship for royalty.

The alleys "tell stories"

Strolling through the narrow alleys of Lambeshwar Ni Pol - one of the hundreds of ancient pols of Ahmedabad, visitors will see intricately carved wooden houses, marble facades and windows carved with birds and animals that become a living museum of craftsmanship.

Traditional windows at Lambeshwar Ni Pol, one of the many pols in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Veidehi Gite)

From here, the journey into the maze of pols continues to the Kala Ramji Temple, which houses a rare black stone statue of the Hindu god Rama, and the Shantinathji Mandir at Haja Patel Ni Pol, which features carved arches and doorways that resemble pages of stone books depicting ancient life. Here, Jain, Hindu and Islamic architecture blend with the local spirit to create a whole that cannot be found in any other city in India.

Another famous stop is the intersection of Shantinathji Ni Pol and Doshivada Ni Pol, which is home to secret passages, called Kuvavala Khancha , that were used by locals to escape the riots during the war between the Mughals and Marathas (1738–1753). These passages, once sealed by the British to control the independence movement, are now known only to locals – a testament to the city’s tumultuous past.

This ancient haveli (mansion) features a blend of Hindu-Islamic architecture, with intricately carved pillars, arches and latticework. (Photo: Veidehi Gite)

Also in these lanes, artisans still maintain traditional crafts such as Pacchedi painting (fabric paintings used in worship) or kite making – an indispensable part of Gujarati festivals.

Zaveri Vad Road, home to goldsmiths, leads to Relief Road, a modern yet historic thoroughfare. Here, Harkunvar Shethani Ni Haveli, a 180-year-old 60-room house, is a living testament to the craftsmanship of 19th-century Gujarati merchants.

Nearby, Dodiya Haveli, a unique heritage house, offers a glimpse into the early life of Gujarati families in the pol, while Jagdish Mehta Ni Haveli, a 400-year-old house, is the oldest surviving “witness” of these streets that still retains the most original features of the pol architecture .

Preserving heritage in the heart of the city

Ahmedabad appears as a strange intersection of two worlds : straight concrete boulevards, new shopping malls and tech parks on one side and a maze of winding alleys and alleys on the other, where time seems to have stopped centuries ago. However, urbanization has taken its toll on the historic city. As the younger generation migrates to developed areas, the old town’s historic buildings face the dual threat of neglect and decay.

The 400-year-old Kala Ramji temple is in disrepair. (Photo: Veidehi Gite)

One of the buildings that once symbolized Ahmedabad’s creative spirit was the Calico Dome – India’s first glass dome built in the 1960s, but collapsed in the 2001 earthquake and has yet to be restored. Many buildings like the Harkunvar Shethani Ni Haveli, despite their architectural merit, have been neglected, while a few, like the Dodiya Haveli, have been restored as heritage hotels.

The shift from communal housing to commercial use is also inevitable. Mahurat Ni Pol, the original settlement of the Jain community since the 15th century, has now transformed into a gold and silver trading area with nearly 100 shops, leaving the original architecture almost hidden by signs and electric grids.

One of the pols in Ahmedabad. (Source: Wikipedia)

Ahmedabad is not only a custodian of architectural heritage but also a repository of communal memories, traditional crafts and communal living. The ancient pols, temples, mosques and havelis bear witness to a society that thrived in a multicultural, multi-religious and multi-generational space.

Even in their dilapidated state, these weathered facades and old structures still hold countless stories about Gujarat's cultural heritage - stories that could soon be lost if concrete steps are not taken to preserve these irreplaceable urban treasures.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ahmedabad-noi-do-thi-hoa-cham-ngo-di-san-o-an-do-313938.html