Jabalpur | Historical Context
History
The earliest records on the origins of the city come from Persian and Jain literary sources from 11th century and 12 th century which mention the city of Ashaval and Karnavati, though nothing is known of its precise location or its size. Karnadeva, Solanki king of Anahilvada-Patan established his capital here between 1063-1093 and which came to be known as Ashaval in the 14th century. The present city was re-established by Sultan Ahmed Shah-I on the ancient sites of Ashaval and Karnavati in the year 1411 (AD) on the bank of the River Sabarmati. It was meant to serve as the capital of Gujarat Sultanate in the medieval period. In 1487 Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, enclosed the city with a fort six miles in circumference. The city was in turbulence by the time of the last Sultan, Muzaffar III, and Gujarat was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573. During this period it emerged as the leading centre for textiles in Gujarat. Mughal emperor Shahjahan spent the prime of his life in Ahmedabad and sponsored the construction of the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaugh. In 1753, Mughal rule came to an end and the city came under the dominion of Marathas for a period of 65 years. During Maratha governance, the city lost some of its past glory, and was at the center of contention between two Maratha clans-The Peshwa of Poona and the Gaekwad of Baroda.
Ahmedabad was taken over by the British East India Company in 1818, and a military cantonment was established in 1824. A major development took place in 1864, when a railway line was laid to connect Ahmedabad with Bombay. These developments put Ahmedabad on the map of leading trade and manufacturing centres.
Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel led the freedom struggle for India from Ahmedabad in 1915. After the end of the British Raj in India in 1947, the city was declared a provincial town of Bombay. With the creation of the state of Gujarat in 1960 it was the capital of the state from 1960 to 1970; thereafter the capital was shifted to Gandhinagar. However Ahmedabad is still considered as Gujarat’s commercial capital.
Ahmedabad was taken over by the British East India Company in 1818, and a military cantonment was established in 1824. A major development took place in 1864, when a railway line was laid to connect Ahmedabad with Bombay. These developments put Ahmedabad on the map of leading trade and manufacturing centres.
Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel led the freedom struggle for India from Ahmedabad in 1915. After the end of the British Raj in India in 1947, the city was declared a provincial town of Bombay. With the creation of the state of Gujarat in 1960 it was the capital of the state from 1960 to 1970; thereafter the capital was shifted to Gandhinagar. However Ahmedabad is still considered as Gujarat’s commercial capital.
Planning and Architecture
Ahmedabad is divided by the Sabarmati river into two physically distinct eastern and western regions. The present city evolved from the fortified walled city built by the Sultanate dynasty in the 15th century on the east bank of the River Sabarmati. The fortified walls played an important role in the past, both in terms of the city’s defence as well as its built form, which includes numerous historical monuments such as mosques, tombs and step wells remarkable for their architectural, artistic and historic values. The layout of the city is not geometrically composed, its sole composition being a "processional" axis which runs through the centre from east to west.
The fortified city is characterized by packed bazaars, the clustered residential Pols and numerous places of worship. The various residential quarters are remarkably segregated on the basis of their occupants’ caste and religion and developed in localities called pols (the term derives from the Sanskrit word pratoli, meaning gate or entry). Pols in Ahmedabad are unique neighbourhoods consisting of clusters of houses around narrow streets with common courtyards, community wells and chabutaro (raised platforms for feeding birds). They are a kind of micro-residential enclosure whose entrance is closed by gates. The pols are self-sustaining residential quarters with unique storage facilities for rain-harvested drinking water and grain. The physical settings of residential areas are based on the street pattern. All major roads lead to the Royal Palace and exits are through major gates called darwaza. When the fort was built in 1487 it consisted of 12 gates. Two more gates were added to the fort during British rule in 1864 and 1871.
The eastern bank also houses the main railway station, the General Post Office and landmark buildings of the Muzaffarid and British eras. Beyond the walled city there are well-developed independent settlements called puras, i.e. group of neighbourhoods. This has resulted in various distinct localities in and around the city.
The colonial period saw the expansion of the city to the western side of Sabarmati, facilitated by the construction of Ellis Bridge in 1875 and later the modern Nehru Bridge. This part of the city houses educational institutions, modern buildings, well-planned residential areas, shopping malls, multiplexes and new business district. The presence of modern architectural monuments such as Ahmedabad Textile Mill Owner’s Association building by Le Corbusier, IIM Ahmedabad by Louis Kahn and Hussein- B V Doshi Gufa displays the co-existence of both traditional and modern built heritage in Ahmedabad. Today, with an urban population of over 50 lakhs it is the seventh largest city of India and is poised to acquire megacity status.
The fortified city is characterized by packed bazaars, the clustered residential Pols and numerous places of worship. The various residential quarters are remarkably segregated on the basis of their occupants’ caste and religion and developed in localities called pols (the term derives from the Sanskrit word pratoli, meaning gate or entry). Pols in Ahmedabad are unique neighbourhoods consisting of clusters of houses around narrow streets with common courtyards, community wells and chabutaro (raised platforms for feeding birds). They are a kind of micro-residential enclosure whose entrance is closed by gates. The pols are self-sustaining residential quarters with unique storage facilities for rain-harvested drinking water and grain. The physical settings of residential areas are based on the street pattern. All major roads lead to the Royal Palace and exits are through major gates called darwaza. When the fort was built in 1487 it consisted of 12 gates. Two more gates were added to the fort during British rule in 1864 and 1871.
The eastern bank also houses the main railway station, the General Post Office and landmark buildings of the Muzaffarid and British eras. Beyond the walled city there are well-developed independent settlements called puras, i.e. group of neighbourhoods. This has resulted in various distinct localities in and around the city.
The colonial period saw the expansion of the city to the western side of Sabarmati, facilitated by the construction of Ellis Bridge in 1875 and later the modern Nehru Bridge. This part of the city houses educational institutions, modern buildings, well-planned residential areas, shopping malls, multiplexes and new business district. The presence of modern architectural monuments such as Ahmedabad Textile Mill Owner’s Association building by Le Corbusier, IIM Ahmedabad by Louis Kahn and Hussein- B V Doshi Gufa displays the co-existence of both traditional and modern built heritage in Ahmedabad. Today, with an urban population of over 50 lakhs it is the seventh largest city of India and is poised to acquire megacity status.
