Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Interesting Sights of Ahmedabad
There was so much to see walking around Ahmedabad! Not only historical sights but trivial
details which are commonplace to them. Travels With Sheila was fascinated by:
Teeny weeny, hole-in-the wall
shops
- A
Sadhu
(holy man) bought rusty old horseshoes
that he would distribute for good luck. These "lucky horseshoes" will be nailed by shop-
keepers and locals to front entrances, and doorways. Ten Rupees (20 cents U.S.) for one
horseshoe and, yes, we bought one!
A woman with a
pushcart
walked through the “pols,” calling out what vegetables she
had available. This seller buys her goods in the central market, before walking a daily route.
The locals know what time she'll come through, and come out to buy fresh goods. I remem-
ber the knife grinder, and rag man coming through my neighborhood as a child.
Little
tea stands
on corners throughout the old quarter. Men poured tea into a
saucer
and drank from the saucer rather than a cup. The
pols
and stands also had jugs of water. To
drink, people poured water into mouths
withoutlipstouchingthejug
. Do I need to add that
their systems are inured to the local bacteria?
Narrow streets with
secretpassages
, leading from one
pol
to another, acted as escape routes
in time of need. Each pol was it's own microcosm humming with activity.
A young man bicycles down the Old City daily, carrying fresh lemons and/or chili on his
bicycle. The locals pay him 150 Rupees a month to hang a new
lemon/chili
in front of their
store/house to bring good luck and ward off evil, and take down the old, on a daily basis.
When was the last time you saw an old flat iron with hot coals in it?
The Jama Masjid Mosque and Mausoleum of Ahmed Shah
The Jama Masjid (mosque) is located in the heart of the old city opposite Mahatma Gandhi
Road, and is one of the most splendid mosques in India. This mosque was constructed in the
1423 by Sultan Ahmed Shah, the founder of the Ahmedabad City. There are different en-
trances to the mosque. One is at the eastern entrance next to the tomb of the Sultan Ahmed
Shah. The tomb houses three great rulers: Ahmed Shah I; his son, Mohammed Shah; and his
grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II. We didn't go in since we had already walked feet
down to the bone in the
pols
with more ground to cover in Ahmedabad.
Women are
allowed
to enter the Jama Masjid Mosque. Typical mosque etiquette is: be
properly dressed, take off shoes and be respectful. Heads didn't have to be covered here. We
entered the mosque built out of yellow sandstone from demolished temples. The architecture
of Jama Masjid Mosque is known as Ahmedabadi architecture; a mixture of Hindu, Jain and
Muslim styling. There was even a tree of life next to the door that is not part of the Muslim
culture. Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions use the decorative tree of life.
