Know Your City: Launched in 1997, Ahmedabad Heritage Walk shines light on 600-year-old city’s rich history

The ornate exterior of the the Swaminayaran Temple at Kalupur. (Express Photo by Tankeh Kingsley Webora)

Old Ahmedabad city is also known for its efficient underground drainage system which is more than 100 years old. “Nowadays the newer city gets flooded during spells of heavy rainfall, but never the old part of Ahmedabad,” tour guide Murtaza Rasiwala says. The drainage system in old Ahmedabad cannot be compared with that of the new city because it is quite efficient, he explains. It has long ventilation pipes to remove odour. “The drainage system is well-planned and maintained.”

Yamamoto says he has been to a few cities in India but none of them are like Ahmedabad. “I have been to New Delhi and Jaipur. They are nice, but Ahmedabad is unique,” he says.

Tour guide leading the participants to the old Fernadez bridge which doubles as a book hub. (Express Photo by Tankeh Kingsley Webora)

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017, Ahmedabad city was founded in 1411 by King Ahmad Shah I and has some of the finest Islamic monuments as well as exquisite Hindu and Jain temples which are also covered as part of the walk.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation launched the Heritage Walk in 1997 before it was outsourced to Akshar Travels in 2017. It remains a popular way of showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the city.

Pols: Ahmedabad’s unique gated communities

The walk also covers Pols or gated communities, more than 600 of which currently exist in Ahmedabad. These communities are self-sufficient with their own well, round-the-clock security and even a place of worship – a temple if it is a Hindu Pol or a mosque for a Muslim Pol – besides secret passages to the next Pol for purposes of “escape in the event of an attack”.

Because Old Ahmedabad city is cluttered with buildings, it is difficult to escape through the main gate when under attack. “Hence, secret passages or escape routes are created for easy movement from one Pol to the next without passing through the main gate,” the guide informs.

Tour guide, Murtaza Rasiwala explaining different kinds of ancient architecture situated at one Pol. (Express Photo by Tankeh Kingsley Webora)

Each Pol also has a chabutara, a structure that resembles a tower and is made for the purpose of feeding birds. Chabutaras are often painted green and structured like a tree because the city has less greenery on which birds can perch or feed themselves. Children move from household to household to collect grains which are then deposited in the chabutara for the birds to feed.

That is just one of the several fascinating tidbits that the Heritage Walk reveals. “It is my first time. It’s really cool. I love it,” says Mihir Macwan, 15, who was born in the US to Gujarati parents. On his second visit to Ahmedabad, Macwan terms the heritage walk “spectacular”. While moving into the Jama Masjid, he declares, “I have seen historical places in the USA, like Boston. But this is very different.”

Participants of Heritage walk at the first Pol on the route – Khaba Kuva ni Pol. (Express Photo by Tankeh Kingsley Webora)

Jama Masjid, also known as Jami Masjid or Jumah Mosque, literally Friday Mosque, was built by Ahmad Shah I in 1424. While Jama means big or pray together, Jami means ‘beautiful’ in Urdu and Jumah refers to Friday. When built, it was the biggest mosque in the region, possibly even the subcontinent.

The teenager, accompanied by his mother, sister, two cousins and two aunts, was also intrigued by the striking ancient architecture which used wood as a shock absorber so the structures erected could withstand earthquakes.

Participants of the walk heading into the old and only Black Ram Mandir at Khaba Kuva ni Pol. (Express Photo by Tankeh Kingsley Webora)

Mihir’s mother Christina Macwan, an IT specialist-turned-homemaker, says that though she was not born in Ahmedabad, she spent most of her childhood in the city. She reminisces about her younger days when she used to go shopping for clothes at Rani no Haziro, a market named after the mausoleum of Ahmad Shah’s queen.

“I lived in the city since I was two years old, but this is the first time I am visiting such places,” she says, realising that the one-day walk opened up the city to her way more than the years she lived in it. “Today’s experience was fantastic. I am 50-plus and this is the first time I’m getting to know my city well,” she adds. Indeed, Ahmedabad’s Heritage Walk reveals a lot more about the city than any casual visit.

participants looking surprisingly at the crispy detailed wood carvings of the Persian architecture at Kuvavala Khancha Doshivada ni Pol. (Express Photo by Tankeh Kingsley Webora)

It was Badshah no Haziro or the tomb of Ahmad Shah I that bowled over Parth Desai. Terming it “most fascinating”, the first-time visitor from Surat marvelled at how the tombs of several kings are placed in the structure.

Ashish Trambadia, director of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Heritage Department, says, “Approximately 12,000-17,000 tourists take the morning heritage walk annually. Since 1997, the walk has been held 365 days a year except during the Covid-19 pandemic”. He adds that 5-10 per cent of those who sign up for the walk are foreigners, a figure that surges between November and February.

(Webora is an intern at The Indian Express)