Let’s start the trending topic ” Things To Do In Ahmedabad Today” – Thus goes the legend of Ahmedabad: Sultan Ahmed Shah went hunting on the banks of the Sabarmati in 1411 and saw an unusual sight of a rabbit chasing a dog.Upon recognizing the inordinate strength of a place where even a small animal could face a predator, he established the royal city here.

Former INTACH convener Umang Hutheesing believes Ahmedabad is the gateway to the rest of Gujarat. Still, the culture and heritage have been pushed by the wayside, given its status as a business and academic destination.

Ahmedabad’s modern architecture tells yet another version of the story of the duality of a city; the walled enclave, along with the urban sprawl which encapsulates it, with its adjoining disarray. The best places to visit in Ahmedabad bear the proof of this enchanting co-existence, dovetailing an appreciation for various aspects of arts, architecture, values, and life.

Best Things To Do In Ahmedabad Today

1 – Jama Masjid – Old City

Constructed by Ahmed Shah in 1424, the mosque is a mix of Hindu and Islamic styles of architecture and is considered one of the best mosques in Ahmedabad. Built of yellow sandstone and consisting of a large paved courtyard, the mosque has a prayer hall, a facade with seven intermediate arches, and a central arch with domes and minarets on either side.

The 260 columns bearing the 15 domes of the prayer hall’s roof reflect Hindu influence. In the windows, intricate jalis decorated with geometry and floral motifs can be seen; many places on the walls are inlaid with Arabic calligraphy inscribed in black. “Some of the domes on the roof are carved like lotuses while hanging bells are etched into the columns so it clearly shows its blend of architectural diversity,” Arundhati Dutta, an Ahmedabad-based architect, says.

Timings: 6am-10pm

Tickets: Free – Womens are not allowed to enter.

2 – Sidi Saiyed Mosque, Old City

Called locally Sidi Saiyyid ni Jali, the 16th-century mosque is one of the most beautiful buildings awarded by the descendants of the Sidis, East Africans who were brought to India as enslaved people.

“The mosque is popular for their unique crafted stone jali or lattice work,” says Abhay Mangaldas, who has founded the urban heritage hotel House of MG. “The jewel in the crown is the Sidi Saiyyed Jali, which is the 16-foot structure with the Tree of Life motif,” he says.

3 – Swaminarayan Mandir – Old City

The founder of the Swaminarayan sect (1781–1830) is worshipped here as God, and in 1882 , this multi-colored and lavishly carved wooden temple in the old city was constructed. The Akshardham in Gandhinagar is the largest temple in the state, located in the capital of the state and is a part of Swaminarayan Temple ‎Nar Narayan Dev Gadi. This beautifully handcrafted temple is built of Burma teak wood which is known for its resistance for decades. “The architecture features a blend of Gujarati, Marathi, Rajasthani, Mughal and British styles — all within a single market, which highlights all the many influences that have ruled the city over the course of centuries,” Dutta says.

Timings: 4:30am-12:15pm; 4pm-9pm; 

Tickets: free

4 – Hutheesing Jain temple, Old City

Situated near the Dilli Darwaza, the Hutheesing Temple was built by an affluent Jain merchant, Hutheesing Kesarisinh. The temple was built in 1848 by architect Premchand Salat , who combined the old Mara-Gurjara architectural style with modern “haveli” elements.

The temple faces west and includes three shrines: an Ardha mandapa, a closed hall with porches, and a mahamandapa. Dedicated to the 15th Jain Tirthankara, its courtyard is enclosed by a colonnaded cloister with 52 devakulikas (deity shrines).

Timings: 9am-12pm, 5pm-7pm; 

Tickets: free

5 – Jhulta Minar, Old City

The Jhulta Minar – Swaying Minarets – It is encompassed by the arched middle dome which served as the entrance to Siddi Bashir Mosque.The mosque, reportedly established in 1452, was destroyed by the war between the Marathas and the Gujarat Sultanate in 1753.

The horizontally striated sandstone minarets, which extend to a height of 34 meters (about 112 feet), have long puzzled architects and designers with an enigma: How does a push at one set of topmost arches of the two minarets cause swaying of the other? Even though the passage between these two minarets is not damaged at all. The ‘swaying’ was first noticed by Colonel Monier Williams, then the Surveyor-General of the Bombay presidency, who visited the site to study it after an earthquake in Kutch in 1819 caused a panic across the subcontinent.

6 – Badshah No Haziro and Rani No Haziro, Old City

The site where Ahmed Shah and his successors are buried, together with a mosque, forms part of ‘Badshah no Hajiro’ which, along with ‘The Tomb Sitiya Rani’ a part of Sitiya Rani’s dream complex is situated at the perimeter of Manek Chowk market.The building is built of yellow sandstone and is square in plan, standing on a central dome and featuring smaller domed kiosks in each corner.

The “Badshah and his kin are entombed in white marble structures in the central domed chamber. There is a drum room above the entrance of Badshah no Hajiro, access to which is gained by a staircase. In ancient times, a drumming session (Current drumming session) at the mausoleum’s eastern gate indicated that the city gates were about to be shut.

The practice is still in place, with drumming at sunset (7:30 pm) and night call (11 pm). Adjacent to this tomb is the Rani no Haziro, an octagonal tomb complex Shah had built in 1445 to house the remains of the queens of the Gujarat Sultanate. 

7 – Bhadra Fort, Old City

Bhadra Fort was built by Ahmad Shah in 1411 that derives its name Bhadrakali Temple.. While situated in the middle of a city’s sprawl now, the fort’s neglected form still echoes of a past when it was adorned by a jumble of temples, 14 minars and 8 grand gates.  

On the eastern end lies Teen Darwaza – a grand gateway built as an entrance to a public square now connecting to a flourishing souk. This unique old clock that is 19th century old setted on the wall between two towers behind the gate.

8 – Sabarmati Ashram and River Front, Sabarmati

The Gandhi Ashram is situated on Sabarmati river banks and you have to watch this Gandhi trail. Gandhi lived at the Sabarmati Ashram from 1917 to 1930, and it was the starting point of the independence movement of Indian people. On 12 March 1930 Gandhiji started the Dandi March against the British salt law. 

The ashram is divided into two sections: Hriday Kunj, the room where the Mahatma resided and one of the most visited parts of the premises, and the Charles Correa-designed museum, which comprises the Gandhi in Ahmedabad, the Painting Gallery, and the My Life is My Message Gallery. You could then head to the Sabarmati RiverFront, which the celebrated architect Bimal Patel has reimagined with broad walkways and a thriving biodiversity park.

9 – Amdavad Ni Gufa, Navrangpura

The quirky Amdavad ni Gufa on the CEPT Campus in Ahmedabad is the product of a friendship between master architect BV Doshi and artist MF Husain. A series of connected domes in the cave, like a subterranean structure lined with tiles. Inside are tree-like irregular columns with Husain’s bold artwork (think his famous horses) on the walls. “Husain and I each were fiercely independent and yet interdependent. That is why the Gufa is so special,” Doshi, discussing the building, had once told me.

10 – Kochrab Ashram, Paldi

Kochrab Ashram was the first ashram that Gandhiji established after he returned to India in 1915 from South Africa, and it served as his home for nearly two years. Such a whitewashed structure belonged to his friend and colleague, lawyer Jeevanlal Desai, which he gifted him.

Exactly within the same premises lies the Gandhi Memorial Museum, which displays several items, including a writing desk, a charkha, some dated pictures, and other important relics linked to Gandhi’s life.