Ahmedabad : the city as I see it

Today the #XploreBharatBlogTrain has come to Ahmedabad/ Amdavad/Karnavati from Vizayanagaram which we travelled with Suhasini

Call it by any name you wish to but the city will still be as exuberant as it was when it was founded in 1411 by then then ruler Ahmad Shah.

This city has it’s own pace and is growing up so fast, at least in the last decade that I have been witness to. I came to Ahmedabad for the first time for my internship after which I got placed at the same place I interned with and since then…..I am here at ‘aapnu Amdavad’. The city is well connected to neighbouring states and is accessible by air too.

Ahmedabad is also called as ‘ the Manchester of India’ because of it’s similarity with the cotton textile center, Manchester of Great Britain. There are many industrial hubs in the city and around the city too which also has a good population of people from many other neighbouring states. This has also resulted in a wide variety of food choices being available in the city which was mostly known as a city with only vegetarian preference.

There are many places to visit in and around the city. Ahmedabad has recently been announced by UNESCO as India’s first World Heritage City and speaking about heritage, one can take heritage walks around the old city. The old city area has it’s own charm and one can witness the charm of the yesteryears haveli’s , temples, step -well too. These heritage walks can be booked at https://heritagewalkahmedabad.com

Amongst the many things to experience in the city, some are :

• Gandhi Ashram: situated in the banks on the river Sabarmati, this place houses Mahatma’s artefacts and his living premises too. It was here that Bapu started off his Dandi March in 1930. This place is named after the river on the banks of which it was built after he shifted his ashram from Kochrab.

• Sabarmati Riverfront: the banks of the river have been converted into a riverfront where beautiful flower shows are organised, there are water sports activities too. The riverfront also has a beautiful garden which is really huge and one can also witness the fast and steady pace of life while the river flows through the city.

Picture Credit : @mommy_account_says ( i.e me) Riverfront at night

• Ratanpol : this place is buzzing with people looking for shopping for clothes, utensils, furniture stuff and all things that are also available in hypermarkets but at a higher price. One needs to have good bargaining skills though and you can have steal deals.

• Food Truck Parks: this is an organised set up of food trucks that cater to food choices of people that be non- vegetarian too. One can easily get spoilt for choices.

• Swaminarayan Mandir: situated in the Kalupur area of the city, which is also one of the busiest through out any time of the day, this temple was the first temple of the swaminarayan sampraday in the year 1822. The temple seems like a splash of colour in the old city area.

• Manek Chowk: a bustling jewellery area by the day and a foodies delight zone by the night. One can get chocolate dosa’s, chocolate sandwich apart from the famous dhokla,dal wada, methi na gotta, khaman, khandvi and there’s Bhatiyar Gali nearby too that is a heaven for non-vegetarian’s.

Around the city, there are many places to visit too like NalSarovar, Thol lake, Adalaj Vav ( stepwell), Adalaj Jagannath Temple, Akshardhaam, Sidi Sayed ni Jali, Pols and many more such places.

Festivals like Uttarayan ( kite flying) are also good times to visit the city during which one can witness International Kite Flying Festival and also gorge on delicacies like undhiyu which is especially had during the festival.

Picture Credit: @mommy_account_says ( i.e. me) International Kite Flying Festival

Picture Credit: @mommy_account_says ( i.e me) Delicacies that are especially had during Uttarayan

Picture Credit: @mommy_accpunt_says ( i.e me) Methi na Gotta with Kadhi and Sambharo.

I will take you through these places, albeit virtually, and many more but in a other blog post soon.

This post is a part of the #XploreBharatBlogTrain hosted by Aditi, Esha, Maheshwaran, PraGun, Preeti, Saba, Sanjota, Sonia, Sudip, Suhasini, Supriya

A special thanks to our sponsors:

KAIV, is a personal grooming accessory and appliances brand under the business unit of Orkus Private limited, offering a wide range of world-class products catering to the domestic and international market, enabling you to showcase your vibrant side of your personalities on a day to day basis and transforming yourself from head to toe with their new era of grooming products.

For more details check their website- www.kaiv.in

FabZania is an upcoming Food, Travel, Entertainment and Lifestyle web portal.

The next stop of this #XploreBharatBlogTrain is at Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh.