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Ahmedabad Heritage Walk

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in association with CRUTA Foundation, organizes a walk across old city starting from Kalupur Swaminarayan Mandir and ending at Jama Masjid every morning.

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Manek Chowk

Manek Chowk is a notable city square in Old Ahmedabad, India. It is surrounded by historical structures. It is a vegetable market in the morning, a bullion market in the noon

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Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, consisting primarily of a 120.82-square-kilometre lake and ambient marshes, is situated about 64 km to the west of Ahmedabad near Sanand Village

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Polo Forest

Polo forest, also known as Vijaynagar forest, is a dry mixed deciduous forest near Abhapur village in Vijaynagar Taluka, Sabarkantha district, Gujarat, India.

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Adalaj Stepwell

Adalaj Stepwell or Rudabai Stepwell is a stepwell located in the village of Adalaj, close to Gandhinagar city in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat

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Akshardham Temple

Akshardham is a majestic, intricately carved stone structure that stands amid sprawling gardens set in a 23-acre plot at Gandhinagar (Gandhinagar district).

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Kirti Toran

The town is famous for its torans, a pair of 12th century columns supporting an arch, about 40 feet tall built in red and yellow sandstone, just north of the walled town.

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Hatkeshwar Mandir

This profusely carved 17th century temple just outside town enshrines Hatkeshwar Mahadev, the family deity of Nagar Brahmins, who were once a prominent community in Vadnagar.

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Buddhist Monastery

The recent excavations have brought to light a Buddhist Monastery belonging to the 2nd-7th century AD, within the fortified area of Vadnagar. The monastery had two votive stupas

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(*) Distance from the venue (Mahatma Mandir,Gandhinagar)

Ahmedabad Heritage Walk

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in association with CRUTA Foundation, organizes a walk across old city starting from Kalupur Swaminarayan Mandir and ending at Jama Masjid every morning. The walk covers several social, religious and architectural places associated with history and culture of Ahmedabad.

The Historic City of Ahmadabad or Old Ahmedabad, the walled city of Ahmedabad in India, was founded by Ahmad Shah I of Gujarat Sultanate in 1411. It remained the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate and later important political and commercial centre of Gujarat. Today, despite having become extremely crowded and dilapidated, it still serves as the symbolic heart of metropolitan Ahmedabad. It was inscribed as the World Heritage City by UNESCO in July 2017.

Route: Heritage Walk Ahmedabad, Akshar Group 9 City Centre, 2nd Floor, Swastik cross road, C.G road, Ahmedabad

Manek Chowk

Manek Chowk is a notable city square in Old Ahmedabad, India. It is surrounded by historical structures. It is a vegetable market in the morning, a bullion market in the noon and the street food market at night. It is named after saint Maneknath who interrupted and helped Ahmed Shah I build Bhadra Fort in 1411.

This bustling open square near the center of the city functions as a vegetable market in the morning and a jewellery market in the afternoon, the second biggest in India, at an apparently 3 million rupees of annual turnover. It is most famous, however, for its food stalls that start to emerge around 9:30 in the evening and continue till late night, with various local street snacks. Manek chowk is best known for its Kulfi. Manek Chowk is one of the few of the food-street which is allowed to stay open till late night. Bhajipau, dosa, typical local sandwiches, and many more local cuisines are available.

Route: Manek Chowk road, Old City, Khadia, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (380001)

Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, consisting primarily of a 120.82-square-kilometre lake and ambient marshes, is situated about 64 km to the west of Ahmedabad near Sanand Village, in the Gujarat state of India. Mainly inhabited by migratory birds in winter and spring, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat, and one of the largest in India. It was declared a bird sanctuary in April 1969.

The lake attracts over 210 species of birds in the winter, and harbors a variety of plants and animals. Besides a few mammalian species including the endangered wild ass and the black buck, its migratory bird population includes rosy pelicans, flamingoes, white storks, brahminy ducks and herons. Thousands of migratory waterfowl flock to this sanctuary just after the Indian monsoon season. The shallow area and ponds on the outer fringes of the lake attract the wading birds that feed in the shallow waters. Millions of birds visit the bird sanctuary in winter and spring. It harbors over 250 species of wetland birds. Winter migrants from the north including purple moorhen, pelicans, lesser flamingos and greater flamingos, white storks, four species of bitterns, crakes, grebes, brahminy ducks(Ruddy shelduck) and herons visit Nal Sarovar.

Route: Nal sarovar bird sanctuary, Sikandar Boating and Tourist Guide, Nalsarovar, Gujarat (nearest town is Sanand which is 45 km away)

Polo Forest

Polo forest, also known as Vijaynagar forest, is a dry mixed deciduous forest near Abhapur village in Vijaynagar Taluka, Sabarkantha district, Gujarat, India. It is located at the foothills of the Aravalli range and on the banks of perennial Harnav river, spread over the area of 400 square kilometres.

There was a town established by the Parihar kings of Idar around the Harnav river probably in the 10th century. It was conquered by the Rathores of Marwarin 15th century and came under Idar State. The town was located between two high hills, Kalaliyo and Mamrehchi, which blocks sunlight for the most days which probably resulted in the abandonment of the town.The forest has ruins of several 15th-century Hindu and Jain temples such as Sharneshwar Shiva temple, Sadevant Savlinga na Dera, Surya Mandir and Lakhena na Dera. These temples are restored and managed by the state archaeology department.

Route: Polo Forest, Vijaynagar, Abhapur, Taluka, Vijaynagar, Gujarat (Ahmedabad and Udaipur are the nearest towns which are 160 km and 120 km away from the Polo forest. You can also reach Idar by bus and do private autos & jeeps from Idar)

Adalaj Stepwell

Adalaj Stepwell or Rudabai Stepwell is a stepwell located in the village of Adalaj, close to Gandhinagar city in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat, and considered a fine example of Indian architecture work. It was built in 1498 in the memory of Rana Veer Singh (the Vaghela dynasty of Dandai Des) by his wife, Queen Rudadevi.

Built-in sandstone in the Solanki architectural style, the Adalaj stepwell is five stories deep. It is octagonal in a plan at the top, built on an intricately carved large number of pillars. Each floor is spacious enough to provide for people to congregate. It was dug deep to access groundwater at that level, accounting for seasonal fluctuations in water level due to rainfall over the years. The air and light vents in the roofs at various floors and the landing level are in the form of large openings. From the first story level, three staircases lead to the bottom water level of the well, which is considered a unique feature. The structural system is typically Indian with traditional trabeate with horizontal beams and lintels.

Route: The Adalaj Stepwell, Adalaj road, Adalaj, Gujarat (18 away from Ahmedabad)

Akshardham Temple

Akshardham is a majestic, intricately carved stone structure that stands amid sprawling gardens set in a 23-acre plot at Gandhinagar (Gandhinagar district). It is built in 6000 tonnes of pink sandstone and not a bit of steel has been used. The temple is 108 ft in height, 240 ft in length and 131 ft in width. A point worth noting is that this modern monument to Hinduism was built as per the injunctions of Vastu Shastra. The monument enshrining the seven-foot high, gold-leafed Murti (idol) of Lord Swaminarayan is the focal point of the complex.

The monument stands on 7 sculpted pillars, 210 single-piece stone beams, 57 window grills, M domes, eight ornate zarokhas, etc. The sanctum sanctorum contains the 1.2 tonne gold-plated idol of Lord Swaminarayan, the founder of the sect that bears his name, shown in a sitting posture with his right hand raised in abhay mudra. He is flanked by Swami Gunatitanand on his right and Swami Gopalanand Swami on his left. Both of them were his disciples. Swami Gunatitanand is called Swaminarayan's Akshardham, the eternal abode. According to the Swaminarayan philosophy whenever Lord Swaminarayan incarnates on this planet he brings with him his Akshardham.

Route: BAPS Akshardham Temple, J Road, Sector 20, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382020

Kirti Toran

The Kirti Toran of Vadnagar, a wonderful symbol of sculpture and architecture, is a testament to its glorious cultural heritage. This Toran was built in the Solanki era (942-1242 AD) to mark their victory. The tradition of constructing Torans in India, decorative gateways, reached its zenith in Gujarat during the Solanki period. The Toran at Vadnagar is the finest surviving example of its type. This architecture is built without any kind of cement.

The bases of these pillars from the bottom to the top were kept as deep as possible to make this sculpture of red and yellow stones long lasting. The 13-meter-high structure with two massive and highly carved columns supports the wide stone beam and vaulted pediment with sculptures. Nearly 2000-year-old temple of Hatkeshwar Mahadev situated near Kirti Toran is the devotional centre for millions of people today.

Route: Kirti Toran, ArjunBari Paru, near Sharmistha Lake, Ashapura, Vadnagar, Gujarat 384355

Hatkeshwar Mandir

The great Mughal historian Abul Fazl in Ain-e-Akbari (1590 A.D.) described Vadnagar as a city of Brahmins, having 3000 temples, each with an adjoining water tank. It's a proof that the city abounded in temples even in the 16th century. It is believed that Muslim rulers had destroyed many temples Vadnagar and had disfigured Hindu temples remains in and around Vadnagar. The most important temple at Vadnagar is that of Hatkeshwar Mahadev. It has a huge ‘shikhar’ and is believed to have been built during the Solanki period.

A reference about the Hatkeshwar Mahadev is found in the Nagarkhand of the Skanda Purana. Hatkeshwar Mahadev is the family deity of the Nagar Brahmins. The shivling in the temple is believed to be ‘Swayambhu; (self-emerged). The temple walls are profusely ornamented with carvings, depicting Hindu myths like Samudramanthan, Dashavatara and various forms of Gods and Goddesses. Thousands of devotees come here for darshan, especially on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri.

Route: Hatkeshwar Temple Vadnagar, GJ SH 56, Gujarat 384315

Buddhist Monastery

The most significant discovery at the Vadnagar site is a burnt brick structure which has been identified as a Buddhist monastery. Interestingly, this monastery is located within the fortified area near the present Ghaskol Gate of Vadnagar. It measures about 14.04 x 14.04 m. On plan, the monastery is quadrangle with an open square courtyard in the middle surrounded by cells on all sides. It is evident that originally there were only nine cells. The construction arrangement of cells around the central courtyard follows a ‘swastika’- like pattern which was possibly meant to provide easy access to the cells located at corners.

This arrangement is comparable to a few Buddhist monasteries like Sanchi and Sirpur in central India and Taxila in Pakistan. At Vadnagar, the red polished ware, a diagnostic ceramic of early centuries of Common Era makes its appearance with the construction of the monastery, hence tracing and acknowledging the existence of monastery back to 1st century CE to 7th century CE.

Route: Buddhist monastery ruins, Mahadev Puri, Vadnagar, Gujarat 384355