AMDAVAD

AMDAVAD

It was already the first week of July and there was sporadic showers during  the past two days and the citizens of Mumbai were worried. The Meteorological department had predicted heavy showers for today. But our trip to Ahmedabad was already planned ,so we were ready to fly, come rain or shine. I had expected traffic jams, water logged roads and flight delays. None of these happened because there was not a drop of rain and the sky was clear. I was happy because I got a fantastic birds eye view of Mumbai after the aircraft takeoff. It was a blue sky with a few cumulus clouds scattered around letting the sun shine through on to the Mumbai skyscrapers. The view of Mumbai was like thousand pins sticking out of a pin cushion. The “Bandra-Worli Sea Link” gleamed in the sunshine and looked gorgeous from that height. In an hours time we landed at Sardar Vallabhai Patel Airport. It hadn’t rained here either. It was hot minus the humidity which is pretty distressing for a person living in Mumbai. We quickly located the car that would transport us to the guest house that was booked for us. I had heard and read so much about Gujarat and its transformation  to a near Utopian land, that I was eager to see with my own eyes. So from the airport  we headed towards the border of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The car sped over the bridge and I could  see the Sabarmati river way below as a small stream ,and most of the river bed dry and covered with wild foliage. I was quite disheartened, but still remained hopeful for other better things to come. The road was good, wide and sidewalks well painted and bush lined too. We reached our destination somewhere in the Chandkheda area on New CG Road. Gandhinagar is being developed as the twin city of Ahmedabad. Most of the construction was recent and the roads were wide with lots of trees-specifically Neem trees.

     After a nights rest, I was fresh the next morning , and ready to roam around Ahmedabad. The locals call their city “Amdavad” and that is the original name. I had picked up a tourist pamphlet at the airport, and so armed with that I requested the car driver to take me to the Swaminarayan Temple in the city center . This is one of the temples built in the recent past when drills and other machines could be used to carve copiously in marble. Most of the temples here are elaborately carved. The Hathee Singh Temple a few road crossings away is elaborately carved in stone. It is a Jain temple and from a distance it looks grey and drab. As you go closer one will be floored by the beautiful carvings on grey stone.  The temple was build in the 19^th century and dedicated to Dharamanath, the 15^th Jain Tirthankara. The inner sanctum houses  a marble statue of the Tirthankara. When we went inside we found a group of people  congregated and a  religious discourse  with musical chanting was on in Gujarati. I couldn’t understand the words of the chants but I could decipher the tune of the chants – “Mera Jeevan Kora Kagaz” , from a very popular Bollywood Movie. Photography was not allowed inside so I had to record the beautiful intricate sculptures in my head only, but the beauty is imprinted in my heart. Around the three edges of the main temple are shrines,  that houses all the “Tirthankaras”. One can walk along the corridor and see all the statues carved out of different colored stones , ranging from white marble to pink stone to bluish stone to green marble to black marble or granite. All polished to mirror finish. The saints are all sitting in the “Padmasana” yogic pose.  The distinguishing feature of this Jain temple is a tower , again intricately carved in yellow ochre stone. This is the “Kirti Stambha”. The people around this part of the world whether ancient or present , are passionate artisans who love to chisel into stone  . The stones are fashioned into, gods, goddesses, elephants, apsaras, flowers, leaves, decorative motifs and other imagined embellishments. There is fine carving , whether it is a temple or mosque or well.

          Yes even wells are ornately carved here. This is the only city I have visited till date I think that has two wonderfully carved wells. I don’t just mean digging out a well in the ground, but carving out a well in the ground that is so ornate , that it leaves you spellbound. The “Adalaj Vav” built during the 15^th century by Mohamad Begda for queen “Rani Roopba”, has intricately carved walls and pillars. It has steps that take you down five stories to the bottom of the well . It is spacious, sculpted and is just amazing. One may as well be inside a temple. Now the well is dry but they were a traditional source of water. Water, so precious and so revered that such a beautiful architecture is made around it!! Yes it is a temple, because water is life and so water is god!!  The surroundings of this step well has been well maintained with a garden and a nice approach road. There was one more step well that we visited and which was just as beautiful and mesmerizing as “Adlaj Vav”. “Dada Harir ni vav” was located in a slightly neglected part of Amdavad and it wasen’t that tourist friendly and it did take a lot of asking around , in order to locate it. But it was just as gorgeous with carved walls and pillars with village scenes, motifs ,  “whirls” and “tworls”.  “Vav” means step well. One goes down to the bottom of the well via these large and long steps. The total premises it seems is held together by many decorated pillars. The walls have small cutout enclosures, that perhaps would be useful to hold a pot of water while going up or down. A local chap followed us into the well and explained that during the old days the water from this well was used for irrigation too. With ground water being tapped in other parts of Amdavad, this well has run dry. This well was built in the 15^th century during the reign of Mahmud Shah, and Bai Harir Sultani or Dada Hari was the superintendent of the royal Harem. Next to this well there are two “Masjids”, again beautifully architectured and intricately carved. I feel this complete premises is a treasure and should be looked after a little more.

       Next I asked our driver to take us to the Jama Masjid. He was a bit reluctant ,so I didn’t press further. It is only the day after that I would know the reason for the reluctance. He took us to the “Sidi Saiyed Mosque “ though, which was bang next to a very busy road. The tourist pamphlet informed that this mosque is known for its beautifully crafted stone jaali  windows. Of all the windows ,each with different Jaali work, the “tree of life” motif has become iconic for the city. Though the intricate stone work was good the entire premises wasn’t too impressive. I had already clicked a few photographs when someone called me and told me that women are not allowed inside the mosque. He pointed out to a Notice board hung out on a tree trunk—“Lady visitors are not allowed to enter into the Masjid premises under any circumstances.” “Visitors in half naked dresses are strictly prohibited to enter into the Masjid premises”. “Visitors should take off their shoes before entry.”

    Our next stop was at the “Sabarmati Ashram” where Mahatma Gandhi’s living quarters, his spinning wheel and many other belongings have been preserved. It is a large area with huts scattered about. The huts enclose exhibits related to Gandhiji’s personal and public life. Browsing through the exhibits is a very pleasant experience, because of the way in which the huts have been designed—Open and seamless. One can sit around and watch the working of the “charkha” or sit under a Neem tree and soak in the serenity , or watch the Sabarmati river flow by. It was heartening to see the Sabarmati river full from one bank to the other and flowing with water. I believe the Sabarmati is pumped in by water from the Narmada river.

       To get a flavor of the modern experimental design we headed towards Vastupura , into the IIM Ahmedabad campus. This part of the city is very  green. The institute buildings were nestled between trees and gave an earthy and spacious look. The buildings had clear cut lines with no frills and were made of red bricks (sans the plaster) that had aged into a brownish red colour. The hallmark was the large arches and gaping holes of the buildings. We walked around the garden and buildings for a while before heading back to the guest house at Chandkheda. We had reserved the next day for “Akshardham temple” where one can spend the whole day if one wishes. The security measures here is very strict and all are frisked thoroughly. All belongings (including mobiles and water bottles ) had to be deposited at the entrance and we were allowed in with the clothes that we were wearing and our wallet. So we walked in swinging our arms and soaking in the grandeur of the temple , dedicated to Swaminarayan. Carvings and embellishments were exquisite, and done mainly in a reddish brown sand stone. Inside the temple a giant sized statue of Saint Swaminarayan is made of white marble. There are many exhibits in the form of paintings, sculptures, model villages and IMAX styled movies. All this is aimed towards imparting knowledge about the saint’s life, times , teachings and his social work. We enjoyed the landscaped gardens and finally the laser light show, before returning back to rest at the guest house.

       We had one more day at Amdavad. I spend it shopping at the “Law Gardens” . Here temporary small shops extend along the footpaths and small time traders  display their goods from  five o,clock in the evening to 12 o’clock at night. One can pick up very interesting  things made of typical embroidery , done in these parts of the country. After spending some time here I hailed an “auto-rickshaw” to return to the guest house. The driver turned out to be a friendly person and a great communicator. He said that he could take us to the Jama Masjid, which was not to be missed at all. I reminded him that women were not allowed inside any masjid or mosque so the travel to the Jama Masjid would be futile. He said that , no body can stop me from entering and he would escort us inside the mosque. So first we travelled to see the “Sidi Bashir Mosque”, in a very crowded part of the city. With a smart and skilled driver ,the auto could thread its way through the crowded streets. This mosque is famous for the two “minars” of the entrance archway, that sway in resonance when only one of the “minars” is shaken. We saw the impressive “minars” but did not see the resonant swaying. After this the enthusiastic auto-driver took us to the Jama Masjid. Again we were passing through narrow winding, confusing lanes. The lanes were over crowded with street vendors, buyers, children , hens and cocks running helter-skelter, goats of all sizes and colour making their way through and much much more. A car could not have passed through these streets and now I understood why a day before the driver was reluctant to take us to the Jama Masjid. A large arch way welcomed us into the Masjid and we removed our shoes and stepped into a huge courtyard like space, completely paved in white marble. There stood the majestic mosque on the other side of the courtyard. As expected it had beautifully carved walls and was supported by many beautifully carved pillars on the inside. We walked around, enjoying everything around us and getting some insights about the Jama Masjid from our constant guide ,the auto-driver.

    Our last and final stop was at the   “River front”. The Sabarmati river bank is completely paved in concrete and stone. This definitely rivals many European city river fronts. The best part is that , the river front is at a lower level than the city roads. There is a large parking area and an amusement park area at the street level and one has to come down to a lower level to reach the river . So after parking one can leave all the cacophony above and enjoy the river and a walk along its paved banks. Though they say that the river is polluted, it wasn’t evident to the naked eye. Everything was new, clean and neat. A plaque made of black granite said that this was inaugurated in  2012 by the then chief minister of Gujarat.

       Early next morning we were on our way back to Mumbai. We landed in Mumbai and heavy rain fall greeted us.

               

 Swaminarayan Temple at the Ahmedabad city center.

Hathee Singh Jain Temple.

Kirti Stambh at Hathee Singh Jain Temple.

Jain Tirthankara made of marble at the Kirti 

.

Entrance of Dada Harir ni Vav.

AView from the entrance
of Dada Harir ni vav.

 

Pillars and steps at Dada Harir Ni Vav.

Motifs and embellishments in stone along the well area wall.

Steps leading to the bottom of well.

The different levels of the well structure.

The actual well seen from top to bottom at Dada Harir Ni Vav.

Masjid next to Harir Ni Vav.

Entrance of Adalaj Vav.

Adalaj Vav Complex.

In a square well. One of the many ornate cutouts along the walls of the well area.

Ornate walls at Adalaj Vav.

Skylight seen from the bottom of the well at Adalaj Vav.

Gandhiji's Sabarmati Ashram.

In the shade of a Neem Tree ---Sabarmati Ashram.

Sabarmati River from Sabarmati Ashram.

Demonstration--- Working of the "Charkha".

IIM Ahmedabad campus buildings with arches and gaping holes.

Building at IIM Ahmedabad.

Swaying minars at Sidi Bashir Mosque.

Close up of the Minar.

Jama Masjid.

Inside the Jama Masjid.

Marble floored Jama Masjid courtyard.

"River Front"

Plaque at River front.

Koyna Dam

Koyna Dam

After many many years I had the chance to see  a star studded sky. We were on top of a plateau in the Sahyadris, overlooking the Koyna Dam. It was a long week end and Koyna Nagar was just seven hours drive from Mumbai via Pune and Satara. We were four friends out to make the best of the long week end. The drive was comfortable on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and then the National highway four. The road was lined with blooming Bouganvilla and many shrubs and bushes. We turned in towards Koyna Nagar at Patan and reached our destination, the Hotel Presidency. The place  was neat and clean with well manicured gardens and a hospitable staff. After a long time I found the perfect peace and quiet on this plateau. I enjoyed the Sun rise over the Sayadri Range with dew and grass at my feet, and the gorgeous panorama of wind mills lined up at a distance on the next Plateau. After sundown I enjoyed the vast star studded sky that seemed to engulf you. I think I could sit on this lawn endlessly and watch the days go by. What else could one desire?- Pollution free air and the distinct and clear call of the birds.  But then I did want to explore the area.

    So we went down to the lake, Shivaji lake (Koyna Reservoir) , formed due to the dam. This lake extends up to Mahableshwar, North of Koyna. An hours boat ride in the lake was exhilarating. The lake was not up to its maximum capacity, so the red soil was visible patterned in horizontal striations marking the level of water as it receded over the year and waited in expectation for the next rainy season. The boatman explained as he took us across the lake and along the banks. He told us that leopards living in the forest lining the lake, were spotted sometimes. And then we found something very very interesting. The exposed red soil of the banks was temporary home for migratory birds. They had made tiny caves for their eggs and chicks. The birds were grey with orange beaks. We could get a glimpse of the newly hatched chicks. They were all huddled together because they were not old enough to fly. We did want to see the Dam  an engineering feat ,at close quarters. We were four friends with a scientific temper, and wanted to see this marvelous engineering project with as much details as possible. But without an earlier permission we were not allowed to visit the Dam from within. At the nearby Nehru Park there was a small theatre and exhibition hall that projected the history and development of the project. It is a huge project that began in 1960 and has followed up to the fourth stage over the years and there is scope for further development to satisfy the growing needs of the population in this region.

     We could not miss the wind mills that beaconed us. So we drove down to Patan and turned towards Whaga-gaon. It was an uphill climb for an hour and half via narrow winding roads to Whaga- gaon on top of the plateau. The vast flat space had 107 wind mills spread out. The land is leased out to “Suzlon” for this green and clean energy source. We drove around the wind swept plateau with the windmills towering above us and dwarfing the trees. We chit chatted at the “Suzlon” office and substation premises and just before sun down we were back at the hotel and plateau over looking the Koyna Dam. Once again the beautiful starry sky enveloped us as we relaxed with “chai” and “pakoras” on the hotel lawns. The next day we were back on the road to Mumbai. This time we took another route that was slightly longer than the previous but just as interesting. This time we descended from the plateau via a road that took us to Chiplun,  that is situated at the base of the Sayhadri range. Here we picked up crates of “Alphonso” mangoes and then moved in the direction of Highway sixty six that took us back to Mumbai. We did take a detour just on the outskirts of Chiplun at Parshuram Lote temple. Its location is at the perfect height that gives one a birds eye view of the valley below. Absolutely picturesque with meandering rivers , villages and lush green lowland.

   This highway  too was tree lined almost all the way. Closer to the Mumbai region, the tree lining gave way to a lot of construction and thus barren land. We had a comfortable journey along this route too, and that left us less exhausted.

Sunrise over the Sahyadris

Parshuram Lote Temple

The Dam and Reservoire from the hotel premises

Windmills at Whaga-gaon

Substation at the Whagha-gaon Plateau.