Ahmedabad Travel Guide

Ahmedabad is the sixth largest city of India. It is the commercial hub of the state of  Gujarat, though it is not the capital, which is Gandhinagar, 30 km to the north.  Although it is not very well known as a ‘tourist’ place, it is certainly worth a visit. Located on the banks of the River Sabarmati, the city is the administrative centre of  Ahmedabad district, and was the capital of Gujarat from 1960 to 1970; the capital  was shifted to Gandhinagar thereafter. The city is sometimes called Kar?avati, a  name for an older town that existed in the same location; in colloquial Gujarati, it is  commonly called Amdavad.

The city was founded in 1411 to serve as the capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat, by its  namesake, Sultan Ahmed Shah. Under British rule, a military cantonment was  established and the city infrastructure was modernised and expanded. Although  incorporated into the Bombay Presidency during the British rule in India, Ahmedabad  remained the most important city in the Gujarat region. The city established itself as  the home of a booming textile industry, which earned it the nickname “the  Manchester of the East.”

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Ahmedabad has been  inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashapalli or Ashaval. At that  time, Karandev I, the Solanki ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), waged a successful  war against the Bhil king of Ashaval. Soon after the victory, he established a city  called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati at the site of modern Ahmedabad.  Solanki rule lasted until the 13th century, when Gujarat came under the control of the  Vaghela dynasty of Dholka and Ahmedabad was conquered by the Sultanate of Delhi.