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One point to remember is that the historical walled city of Ahmedabad and its suburbs all lie east of the Sabarmati river and everything there is cheap. The western part of the city, across the river, is new and prey to the cultural influence of the western world. Everything here is expensive. Gujarat enforces prohibition, so liquor is a problem; a permit will be required.
How to Get There:
• By Air: Ahmedabad has an international airport which is being renovated and expanded to cater for the huge crowd of travelers to both the US and the UK, which countries have a large number of Gujarati immigrants. Currently, there are direct flights to London, Muscat, Kuwait (Kuwait Airways), Dubai (Emirates), Doha Qatar (Qatar Airlines), Sharjah, and Singapore (Singapore Airlines). Emirates flies 5 times a week between Dubai and Ahmedabad and Singapore Airlines twice. Travel to any international destination is via Mumbai or Delhi. It is well connected domestically, with links throughout the country. |
By Rail: Ahmedabad, despite its twelve platforms, is one of the busiest rail heads in western India. Besides being a terminus for many trains, it is also a link and en route halt for close to eighty trains a day. Funnily enough, it was the only railway station in the world which was linked to the same destination, Gandhidham, by both meter and broad gauges, via different intermediate stations and you could easily switch trains at a common halt. One often saw the broad gauge train overtaking the meter gauge train, thirty metres away, on parallel tracks.
• By Road: Ahmedabad is very well connected by road to the rest of India. It has the distinction of hosting the first expressway in India, over a hundred km stretch to Vadodara. It has an improved national highway to Mumbai, which trip should take eight hours. Unfortunately, all kinds of vehicles are allowed on the highway for want of an alternative. Massive convoys of trucks turn into speed breakers, and legislation is on the anvil to permit trucks only at nights. An expressway is also being built from Mumbai northwards, to meet up with the Ahmedabad-Vadodara expressway that is being extended.
Where to Stay:
There is no dearth of accommodation in Ahmedabad, to cater to any budget. Taj Residency, Le Meridien, Fortune Landmark, Inder Residency, Courtyard by Marriott and Hotel Pride are the 5-starred variety. Lemon Tree, Ginger, Royal Highness, Cama Park Plaza, Comfort Inn Sunset are some of the 4-3 starred variety. Budget hotels and lodges are in the eastern half of the city, in an area that was once Ahmedabad’s pride and joy, the Relief Road area.
What to See:
Ahmedabad is a tourist’s paradise, if he can take the crowds, heat and dust. The best time to visit is in winters, when the diurnal temperature range is from 5-22°C. The Muslim influence is obvious. Some sights are Jama Masjid, Ahmed Shah Tombs, Bhadra Fort & Darwaja, Sidi Saiyad Mosque, Hathesing Temple, Raj Babri Mosque, Sidi Bashir Mosque, Jhulta Minara,
Ahmed Shah Mosque, Rani Sipri Mosque, Rani Rupmati Mosque, Kankaria Lake, Calico Musuem, Sabarmati Ashram, Adalaj Vav, Sarkhej Roza, Heritage Houses of poles, Amardham,
Akshardham, Vaishnodevi Temple, Kamla Nehru Zoo, Swaminarayan Gurukul, Dada Hari ni Vav, Lal Darwaza, Teen Darwaza, Dilli Darwaza, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple, the Drive-in Cinema and Ratan Pole among many others. I would recommend that you start at 10 am from Lal Darwaza, one of the twelve gates to the old fort and walk down Relief Road to the Ahmedabad railway station and dart into every alley you cross. Though the distance is just three km, you won’t reach your destination till nightfall.
Otherwise, hire an autorickshaw if your group is limited to just two. Tell him to take you around the eastern half of the city and skip the western half in toto, or leave it for another day. Plug your ears with cottonwool, put on sunglasses and enjoy the sights of an old historical city. Beware of pickpockets and stroll around the myriad sights you will discover. You can no longer climb the Swaying Minarets in Siddi Bashir’s Mosque as the structure has weakened. It was a heady experience, climbing up one steep minaret, rocking back and forth to induce a sway and then watching the opposite minaret sway and hum. The reciprocal would hold good also and many visitors have run down the stairs in fright. However the most surprising fact is that their connecting passage remains free of any kind of vibration.
What and Where to Eat:
Gujarati food is sweetish and starts with the dessert. Then come the chapatis and vegetables, followed by rice and various dals. Curds or whey is had alongside. The standard meal is called a ‘thali’, for platter. Non-vegetarian food is also available, but at fewer eateries. The best possible meal consists of the dessert followed by khichdi (rice and lentils cooked together) and beef samosas with kebabs. This kind of food is found mainly in Muslim areas. The meat is spicy, so you may have to think about it before ordering. Eateries are everywhere; food is not a problem. Water is, so drink canned sodas or mineral water only.
Some of the better eating houses are: Havmor, Cafe Upper Crust, Mirch Masala, King's Food Factory, ZK, The Fortune Landmark, Toran Dining Hall, Tomatoes, Neelkanth Patang among a few hundred others.
Liquor Permit:
Gujarat is a state where alcohol is prohibited. But this applies only to Indians. If you have a non-Indian passport / green card holder/ PR status, you can get an alcohol permit valid for one month by going to a liquor shop in a large hotel and purchasing one at their liquor shop. Hotels that have liquor shops include Cama Hotel in Khanpur, Hotel Inder Residency,etc.
Festivals: 'Uttarayan', 14th January, in the festival of kites. The festival marks the end of winter and return of the sun to northern hemisphere and hence is named "Uttar ayan". On this particular day, everybody in the city starts the day with kite flying and continues into night with the flying of lamps (Tukkal) attached to kites in the sky. The sky remains dotted with colourful kites through out the day. Navratri or the festival of nine nights is devoted to Goddess Shakti. The festival also has the famous folk dance of Gujarat "Garba". Each night starts with the ceremonial "Aarti" and is followed by Garba until midnight. The dancers wield slim sticks in their hands, called Dandiyas. ALL other Indian festivals are celebrated with equal gusto.
Demographics:
Ahmedabad is home to a large population of Vanias (i.e., traders), belonging to the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism and the sects of Jainism. Most of the residents of Ahmedabad are native Gujaratis. Although Gujarati is the main language,Hindi and Enflish are very commonly spoken, especially in commerce, education, politics, government, shops, etc. Road signs are in Gujarati, Hindi and English. Hindus form 68% of the population, Muslims(Shaikh, Bohra, Memon, Khoja, Pathan,Sayyid) 26%, Christians 5%, Parsis 0.5% and there are a few others as well. Ahmedabad has a literacy rate of 80%.
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