At 612th foundation day, 13th descendant of Manek Nath baba looks back at Ahmedabad history

On Sunday, at Manek Burj the bastion on Ellis Bridge named after Manek Nath, where the city is believed to have been founded, Ahmedabad mayor Kirit Parmar, Nath and other prominent personalities will perform a ‘Dhwaj Puja’ to commemorate the 612th foundation day.

As the folklore goes, Ahmed Shah while out hunting close to Ashaval, saw a “hare chasing a dog” and decided that he would build a city here.

However each time the fort wall would be built, it would collapse by night, as per the lore. It was said that the fort wall would stand when Manek Nath wove a mat, and fall when he pulled the strands of the mat apart by night.
Vexed by this, the king sought advice from the Sufi saint at Sarkhej, Shaikh Ahmed Khattu Ganj Baksh , who advised him to go to Manek Nath.

The name Ashaval took from a Bhil king Ashapall or Ashaval, who was challenged by Solanki ruler Karnadev-I in the 11th century and defeated him to establish the city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati, as per the account on the AMC website.

The Solanki rule lasted till the 13th century when the Vaghela dynasty of Dwarka took control of Gujarat and at the end of the century the Delhi Sultanate conquered it.