Picto Diary - 12 April 2024 - Ahmedabad Part 1 - Old Heritage Ahmedabad

Above: Swaminarayan Hindu Temple. Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 12 April 2024.

Swaminarayan Temple: our first stop on a two and one-half kilometer walk through the old walled city of Ahmedabad. Founded in the 15th century, the old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Old town Ahmedabad includes the walls and gates of the fort city, numerous mosques and tombs, and important Jain and Hindu temples from later periods. The urban fabric of old town consists of densely packed traditional houses called "pols" in gated traditional streets known as "puras." Ahmedabad stands out as an exceptional example of multicultural coexistence. Institutions belonging to various religions *Hinduism, Islam Buddhism Jains, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism) coexist harmoniously within its historic urban structure.

In the second image above, a barrier separates male and female adherents. TIMDT can be seen sitting at rear of female section.

Above: Jama Mosque, Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 12 April 2024.

Jama Mosque was completed in 1424, by Sultan Ahmad Shah, of the Arab Caliphate, over one hundred years before the arrival of the Moguls in India.

Above: Hot coal iron Old Heritage Ahmedabad. 12 April 2024.

A woman's work is never done.

Above: Chandravilas Restaurant, Old Heritage Ahmedabad. 12 April 2024.

Chandravilas Restaurant. 120 years of continuous family ownership. Breakfast haunt of Gandhi, Patel, and Modi. Eat your heart out Cafe Deux Magots. Considering India's forward, if chaotic, economic momentum, one can conceive of a point in the not-too-distant future where India becomes a world power, if not the world cultural leader. The high-minded intellectual colloquy of De Bouvoir, Hemingway, Sartres and Camus at Paris' Cafe Deux Magots may be long forgotten, as the breakfast discussions among India's founders at Chandravalis emerge as the new world's core cultural ideas.

Above: Chandravilas. Old Heritage Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 12 April 2024.
Bishop, Naman (local guide), Raj (Ace TravelScope trip escort), and Malev (Chandravilas owner). Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood "Tom Cruise," and Chandravilas regular, on poster in background.

Above: Chandravilas, Old Heritage Ahmedabad, 12 April 2024.

Khaman. Breakfast. Watch out for the green chilis. At first thinking them as bindis, I was warned off by Naman.

Above: Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, Old Heritage Ahmedabad. 12 April 2024.

Built in 1573, during the Mogul period, the mosque is known for its ten intricately carved stone latticework windows on the side and rear arches.

Addendum:

Fascinating…trend towards authoritarianism everywhere now it seems. Thank you, Steve.
Marc,
Palo Alto, CA

You have talked about the mosque being destroyed. You have not mentioned that the mosque was built after destroying a Hindu temple on that site.

Jerry,
Mumbai, Maharashtra