Ahmedabad is the largest city in Gujarat. It is located on the banks of Sabarmati River. This is the best place to see historical constructions and new monuments. Many dynasties ruled this place starting from Sultans to Mughals. After Mughals, Marathas ruled this place till the Britishers occupied. It served as home to several freedom fighters like Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi. One interesting story related to name of Ahmedabad is, once Sultan Ahmed Shah was standing on the banks of Sabarmati River he saw hare chasing a dog. He approached to spiritual leader and asked for the reason he stated that this is the uniqueness of the land. This impressed him and decided to arrange his capital in this place. At that time he named this place as Ahmedabad.
What to see in Ahmedabad:
Dada Hari Vav: This was built during the regime of Mehmud Begda. It is located below the ground level. This is considered as best place to relax. Beautiful engraving pillars can be seen here. It is one of the complex structures. Timing to visit this place is between 9 AM to 5 PM.
Teen Darwaza: This place is known for its best architecture. It is the oldest and longest gateway in Ahmedabad. This was built by Ahmed Shah founder of the city.
Kankaria Lake: In 1451 AD this was built by Sultan Kutubuddin. A summer palace is located in the middle of the lake. Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his wife Noor Jahan frequently come to this place for relaxation. This is an artificial lake with 34 slides.
Vechaar Utensils Museum: In this museum several utensils were displayed such as stainless steel, Zinc, German silver, Copper, Bronze, and Brass.
Hazrat Pir Muhammad Shah Library: Very rare manuscripts of Sindhi, Turkish, Arabic and Persian are available here.
What to see around Ahmedabad :
Gandhi Ashram: This was the residence of Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Other names of this Ashram are Satyagraha Ashram and Sabarmati Ashram. It is located 4 kms away from the city.
Bhadra Fort: This fort is famous for Bhadrakali Temple. Goddess Bhadra is worshipped here. She is incarnation of Goddess Kali. It is located 4 kms away from the city.
Jhoolta Minar: Swaying minaret is famous here. If any person uses little force on the upper arc minaret it tends to sway. At the time of construction two minarets were constructed. Now we can see only one minaret. Other one was destroyed by the Englishman who tried to discover the secret behind the sway. It is located 5 kms away from Ahmedabad.
Swaminarayan Temple: Thousands of People from all over the country visit this place every year. Lord Swaminarayan is worshipped here. It is located 4 kms away from the city. This is the first Swaminarayan Temple in India which was built at Kalupur.
Other places to see around Ahmedabad: Gandhinagar, Lothal City, NalSarovar Bird Sanctuary are the other places to see around Ahmedabad.
Getting to Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad is well connected with Road, Rail and Air ways. From all the major cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi etc… buses, trains and air buses are available.
Getting around Ahmedabad: Buses, Cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, taxis are available to visit the places around Ahmedabad.
Best time to visit Ahmedabad : Weather is so pleasant between October to March. So it is considered as the best place to visit this place.
Where to stay in Ahmedabad: All range of hotels are available here. Near Nehru Bridge area and airport luxury hotels are available. Midrange hotels are located near Gujarat college road and Shahibagh road.
Where to eat in Ahmedabad: Most of the hotels in Ahmedabad serve only Gujarat cuisine and vegetarian food. Best non vegetarian food is available at Navrangpura.