An Old Historic Ahmedabad Photo Glimpses
Historical Overview: Officially, the founding of Ahmedabad is attributed to one of the early rulers of the Gujarat Sultanate, Ahmed Shah, when he shifted the capital from Anahilwad Patan to the banks of the river Sabarmati on the ancient site of Ashaval and Karnavati in 1411 A.D. It is suggested that dispersed agrarian villages were hemmed in by a wall at a later stage to define the limits of the city which was essentially established on trade and crafts by encouraging large scale immigration of diverse communities. The city’s nucleus grew along the linear axis between the political centre of the Bhadra citadel at one end, and the religious and commercial centres of Jumma Masjid and Manek Chowk respectively sitting adjacently at the other end. In its more than 600 years of history, the city has been a seat to at least four regimes of momentous power, which however, departed rather ungracefully. From its inception in early 15th Century to the third quarter of the 16th Century, Ahmedabad was the capital to the independent Sultanate of Gujarat. Succumbing to the relentless Mughal onslaught in the north, the city surrendered without a fight in 1572 to Akbar. Though the city lost its significance to Delhi and Agra over the next century, it gained vital cultural value through the numerous monuments erected by the Mughals. Ethnic conflicts and the weakening of empire brought this era of peace to an end. For the following couple of decades Marathas governed the city along with the Mughals, till they finally took over the city in 1753. Due to instability and ensuing problems towards the end of the 18th Century, a considerable population of merchants and craftsmen had abandoned Ahmedabad. In 1817, the East India Company annexed Ahmedabad and in 1858, the British authorities imposed colonial status upon it. Local administration was set up, the city wall was rebuilt. Opium trade developed in the first half of the 19th Century to generate capital for industrial investment and to import tea and silk from China. While in the second half, about a dozen textile mills were established and the first span across the river, Ellis Bridge was constructed. A rail link to Bombay was set up, the first road (Gandhi Road) was built and telephone services were setup before the end of this century. Strong industrial growth gave rise to an influx of labour and population. Schools, hospitals and sewerage systems were built. The walled city turned into an agglomeration. In the early 20th Century, electricity was introduced and large areas were urbanised along the west bank. By the end of the first half of the 20th Century, two more bridges were constructed across the river and an alignment plan was executed to facilitate traffic flow within the old city.
The partition of the subcontinent during Independence in 1947 brought about a phenomenal influx of population from the Sindh region, which further led to the sprawl of the city on both sides of the river. The walled city was neglected in favour of urbanization beyond. Most of large public utilities sprang up in newer areas, while a few were also developed within the walled city. New roads were further cut into the old walled city, substantially increasing vehicular traffic and radically transforming the nature of urban heritage fabric. During the third quarter of the twentieth century Ahmedabad was a breeding field for institutions and architectural works of international significance, making it home to both traditional as well as modern building heritage.
