Province of Gujarat

The Akshardham

This is the beautiful temple of the Swaminarayan sect. The first stone was laid on December 14, 1979. 33 meters high, it was built in 6 years by faithful volunteers. 6,000 tons of Rajasthan pink sandstone were needed for its construction and no metal was used in the construction. Hundreds of craftsmen took turns to leave the sandstone of magnificent rooms. It is surrounded by lush gardens and beautiful fountains. Inside, visitors can see a gold statue of Swaminarayan and its relics. The place is also presented by the faithful as a cultural center and numerous shows and multimedia exhibitions are presented.

On September 25, 2002, two terrorists managed to penetrate the gardens and attacked the visitors without succeeding in entering the temple itself. The attack killed some 30 people. This attack provoked great emotion in the country.

The Ashram of Gandhi

Gandhi settled in Ahmedabad after returning from South Africa. He founded this ashram in 1918. It made it a place of struggle for independence but also for the right of the untouchables. It is from this place that Gandhi began its salt march in 1930. Today it houses a memorial, a museum and a library. You can see some of Gandhi's personal effects.



The Jama Masjid

This mosque was erected in 1423 by Ahmed Shah. Mixing the Hindu and Muslim styles, it has 260 pillars that support 3 rows of 5 domes. One enters the mosque by a large arch decorated with carved friezes.

Inside, the faithful find themselves on a large courtyard paved 75 meters by 66 in the center of which is a basin. Near the east entrance are the tombs of Ahmed Shah, his son and his grandson.



The Bhadra fort

This fortress, built by the Mughals in 1411, owes its name to the goddess Badrakali, whose temple was erected in the fort by the marathas when they occupied the city.

The site now houses administrative offices and is of little interest. To the east you can still admire the Darwaja Teen which is the largest gate of the surrounding wall. It is a triple ark which served as a royal entrance and from which the sovereigns attended the processions between the palace and the Jama Masjid.

The temple of Hathee Singh

It is a Jaïna temple built in 1848 in white marble and dedicated to the fifteenth tirthankara. Like most Jaina temples, it is very richly decorated by magnificent sculptures.



The mosque Sidi Saiyad

This small mosque was built in 1573 by Sidi Saiyad, a slave of Ahmed Shah. It has magnificent carved windows in the shape of a tree.

The dada Hari Wav

It is a baoli (well with galleries) built at the beginning of the 16th century by the favorite of the sultan. These galleries allowed travelers and locals to rest in a refreshing place. The well itself is octagonal in shape and is often dry.



The Museum of Textiles

Opened in 1949 it houses magnificent fabrics from all over India. Part of the museum is devoted to textiles for religious use, while the other part presents the costumes, carpets, tapestries and tapestries of historical origin. The museum presents the different weaving techniques used throughout India today and in the past. Particular attention is paid to the preservation of exposed textiles.

The temple Bala Hanuman

It is in this temple, founded by Bhikshuji Maharaj that one can hear, 24 hours a day, since August 1, 1964, sung invocations intended for the god Rama. This uninterrupted song is written in the Guinness Book of Records. It is at nightfall that the animation around and in the temple is the most important.



The Lakhota Palace

Located on an island in the middle of the lake this palace was once the Maharaja of Nawanagar. Today it serves as a museum where one can see pieces dating from the 8th to the 18th century, including sculptures. On the same island is found the Bastion Kotha which serves as an arsenal.



The Shantinath Mandir and the Adinath Mandir

These two Jain temples are dedicated, as their name suggests, to two of the tirthankaras. Their walls, their columns, their ceilings are colored and decorated in a spectacular way. They are surmounted by brightly colored domes.

The fort Uperkot

This fortification was built during the reign of Chandragupta in 319 BC Being besieged 16 times without falling, the fort was abandoned in the eighth century and gradually covered by the jungle. Rediscovered and cleared of vegetation the citadel shelters some archaeological curiosities. A triple door leads inside. One can see there the "Nilamtope", an old cannon taken from a Turkish sultan by the nagab of Junagadh; the Jama Masjid, a mosque; Buddhist excavations at least 1500 years old: two beautiful baolis (wells with steps); etc.



The Mahabat Maqbara

The construction of this extravagant mausoleum began in 1878 under the impulse of the nabab Mahabat Khanji and ended in 1892, under the reign of his successor Bahadur Khanji. It is distinguished by its unique architecture, its silver doors and its minarets surrounded by spiral staircases.



The edicts of Ashoka

They can be seen on a large rock outside the city and sheltered by archaeological authorities. The existence of these inscriptions was reported in 1822 and was seriously studied in 1837. It was then discovered that these were edicts of Ashoka, more than 2000 years old, written in Pali, the common language of the time . Other Sanskrit inscriptions were added later.

The mount Girnar

This hill, which dominates the city, is sacred to the Jains. 16 temples were built between the 12th and 15th centuries. To go to the summit it will be necessary to climb at least 7000 steps, 10000 for the most courageous and for the Jain pilgrims. Sedan chairs are available. This immense staircase was built between 1889 and 1908 with the money of a lottery. The most important temples are the time of Neminath (XIIth century), the temple of Mallinath (XIII) and the temple of Amba Mata.



The hill of Shatrunjaya

From the foot of the hill to its summit (603 m above sea level), no less than 863 temples were built. There are two phases of construction: a first between the 11th and 12th centuries and a second in the 16th century after the destruction of many buildings by the Muslims. To reach the top of the hill, there is no other way to climb the 3950 steps of the huge staircase built on the slope. The less courageous or the less healthy can always hire the services of porters.

The temples are grouped into tuks whose religious importance is greater or less according to the divinity to which the tuk is consecrated. The buildings are of varying sizes and interest. The temple Chaumukha (1618) is dedicated to Adinath, the first Tirthankara Jain. This temple is at the top of the collline and is visible by the pilgrims at 40km from Palitana. Located in the tuk Khartavasi it shelters four statues of Adinath, turned towards the four cardinal points. The temple of Adiswara, in the Vimlavasi tuk, is the most richly carved and decorated. One can admire in particular its pillars and marble roofs in which dragons were carved. The temple of Vimalshah and its 5 central domes representing the 5 sacred hills of the jains.

Also on this hill is the tomb of a Muslim saint, Angar Pir. Women wishing to have a child come to collect themselves. At nightfall everyone leaves the summit, including the priests. No soul should remain in temples which are, in the night time, left to the gods.

The temple of Dwarka

According to the legend it was built in one night by the grandson of Krishna. In fact most of the temple would have been built under the reign of Akbar . Some older parts were dated from the 15th century. The entrance to the temple faces the north. The main body of the temple consists of five floors supported by 60 sculpted columns. Each year, the anniversary of the birth of Krishna is celebrated with pomp.



The temple of Somnath

Very little is known about the construction of the first temple as its history is confused between myth and reality. Legend has it that it was built in gold by the god of the Moon, then silver by Ravana after its destruction, then wooden by Krishna then stone by Bhimdev after a final demolition. The historians leaned for an edification under the reign of the Vallabhi kings in the sixth century. Very soon the temple became an important religious center because it contained one of twelve jyothirlingams (lingam, symbol of Shiva, natural). Many legends were built around this temple, contributing to its wealth and reputation.

It was probably this wealth that attracted Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026. He plundered and destroyed the temple. From then on, the history of the temple was punctuated by the Hindu rebuilding and destruction by the Muslims, especially in 1296, 1375, 1469 and 1706 (under the reign of the terrible Mughal Aurangzeb). Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore rebuilt a temple in 1783 which remained as it was until 1950. The temple then lost its sacred character. S.V. Patel, one of the fathers of the Indian constitution and a great figure in Gujarat, decided to reconstruct it and re-established it as a pilgrimage site, a jyothirlingam having been resettled. It is this seventh temple that can be admired today. The richly decorated entrances, the sculptures of gods and goddesses, give the ensemble great beauty. The Jaïna influence can be detected in the architecture of the place.