India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (320 page)

GETTING AROUND
Taxis and metered auto-rickshaws are ubiquitous and you can generally negotiate a day rate dependent on what you want to cover and for exactly how long. Ask your hotel to arrange or step out into the road and bargain. The Municipal Transport Service runs city bus tours from the bus stand at Lal Darwaja (9am–1pm, 1:30–5:30pm; Rs 60)

GETTING THERE & AWAY
The easiest way to get here is to fly; check
www.yatra.com
for best prices. To and from the airport by prepaid taxi is Rs 250–Rs 300 and by auto-rickshaw is Rs 150. Alternatively, catch a train. If traveling from or to Mumbai, you will need to book the Gujarat Mail 8 hours 40 minutes, or Shatabdi Express (7 hr., 5 min.). To Delhi take the Ashram Express departing Ahmedabad at 5:45pm and arriving in Delhi 161⁄2 hours later. To Udaipur take the Udaipur City Express, which departs Ahmedabad at 11:05pm and takes 8 hours and 35 minutes. To Jodhpur hop on the Ranakpur Express at 12:25pm arriving at 9:45am the following day. If you are heading out to Kutch, the Nagari Express departs Ahmedabad at 11:25pm on a journey of 7 hours and 35 minutes.

WHAT TO SEE & DO IN THE CITY

If you have time to do only one thing in Ahmedabad, step back in time with the city’s
Heritage Walk
, which takes you through the historic heart and soul of the old city and unveils the true nature of its people and the way they used to, and still do, live. The guided walk (
079/2539-1811;
daily at 8am for 21⁄2 hrs; Rs 50) is preceded by a short but informative slide show, before leaving from Temple Swaminarayan and covering about 3km (2 miles), through the labyrinthine alleyways and old carved wooden residences which are so much a part of the fabric of the city, and ending at Jama Masjud (see below). It provides excellent photographic opportunities, especially of its picturesque
pols
(the self- contained neighborhoods defined by trade, not religion). The ornate architecture, community wells, secret passages, old wooden gates and doors, and the many chabaturas for housing and feeding birds provide a true sense of wonder of how a bygone era can still infuse life in the city today. Note that the Municipality also runs city bus tours for areas not covered by the walk (
079/2550-7739;
9am–1pm and 1:30–5:30pm; Rs 60; depart from the bus stand at Lal Darwaja).

The Calico Museum of Textiles
This museum is another compulsory history lesson and offers an unrivaled insight into the warp and weft of the history and culture of a city as told through the woven thread. It is without doubt the finest collection of textiles and local indigenous crafts in the country, if not in the world, and is a prerequisite for anyone wanting an understanding of the diversity and depth of the value and skill of the craftsmen and women who produce these fine textiles. The museum, set in lush grounds with koi ponds and a 200-year-old relocated Burmese teak
haveli,
is a welcome respite from the road and rail traffic outside its large wooden gates. Appropriately gifted by a wealthy textile merchant, the museum fully occupies his aged mansion and fills up room after musty room with exquisite garb and craftsmanship. The tours explain the rich history of textiles in India, and showcases garments made for the British and Portuguese, the Indian royal family (including royal tents) as well as religious vehicles. It’s a startling array of styles of weaving and design including embroideries, tie-dye, block printing as well as the technical explanations of different stitching methods and the respective needles or looms used in this fascinating profession. The tours are free, and the morning tour (daily 10:30am–12:30pm) displays the vast range of textiles in its wooden galleries; the afternoon also take in the collection of Indian deities and the textile galleries (2:45–4:45pm). In the off-season it is collapsed into one long morning tour. Do call to check and book.
Note:
Take water and dress lightly as the rooms can be rather stuffy.

Sarahai Foundation, 3km (2 miles) north of Delhi Gate, across from Shahibagh underbridge.
079/2786 8172.
Admission free. Daily 10:30am–12:30pm, no entry after 11am, and 2:45–4:45pm.

Jama Masjid
At the end of the Heritage Walk you will arrive at the Jama Masjid, completed in 1424 by Ahmed Shah with the material of demolished Jain and Hindu temples. Set aside some time to study its 260 intricate pillars (legend has it they are impossible to count exactly as one always arrives at a different number) of which no two are the same. You will also notice the two stunted minarets that were destroyed in the 1957 earthquake and the similarities to the beautiful Fatehpur Sikri complex (near Agra), which this predates and inspired. The Tomb of Ahmed Shah stands just outside the Jama Masjid’s east gate and includes the cenotaphs of his son and grandson. Across the road and in poor condition is his queen’s tomb.
Note:
No shorts or short dresses or bare shoulders. Women are not permitted into the central chamber. Avoid Friday when it is at its busiest!

MG Rd (close to Teen Darwaja). Open 24 hr.

Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram
Peacefully located on the river’s west bank, this renowned ashram was Gandhi’s base and headquarters from 1917—1930 during his protracted and resolved fight for Indian independence. It was also from this very site that he set out on his famous salt march to Dandi on the Gulf of Cambay in protest against the British control of the essential mineral. His frugal quarters are well preserved, including his belongings (spectacles, sandals and some utensils) and there is an excellent record of his life and times in chronological context, as well as excerpts from his speeches, political missives and autobiography. The testimonials from famous peers and colleagues are both humbling and inspiring and one leaves feeling a real sense of awe at this great man who said, “My life is my message.” There is also an excellent bookshop where you can buy his works and some Gandhi memorabilia (we incidentally recommend
The Life of Mahatma Gandhi
by Louis Fischer, one of the most readable biographies on Gandhi).

Northern end of Ashram Rd.
079/2755 7277.
Free admission. Daily 8:30am–6:30pm.