1. SUBMITTED TO : Prof. SANDIP CHAUHAN
GOVERNMENT BBA COLLEGE
AN ASSIGNMENT ON AHMEDABD AS A HERITAGE CITY
SUBMITTED TO : Prof. SANDIP CHAUHAN

2. SUBMITTED BY : DOMADIYA RITU (5012) GOHEL MITAL (5014)
GOHIL NEEDHI (5016)

3. HOW AHMEDABAD BECOMES HERITAGE CITY
In June, members of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO had visited Ahmedabad and had informed the Central govt that it has deferred Ahmedabad’s world heritage city nomination. The WHC had stated that it was not satisfied with the documentation related to the “outstanding universal values” for Ahmedabad’s walled city. The 606-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad, which was founded by emperor Ahmed Shah, has become India’s first World Heritage City. The World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO announced it on Twitter after a meeting in Krakwo, Poland. “Thrilled to announce! Ahmedabad has just been declared India’s first World Heritage city tweeted Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to UNESCO For over 600 years, Ahmedabad has stood for peace, as a landmark city where Mahatma Gandhi began India’s freedom struggle. It has stood for unity with its elegant carvings in its Hindu and Jain temples as well as standing as one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture and Hindu Muslim art.

4. And beyond this, it epitomizes the United Nation’s objective of sustainable development as it accelerates in its development,” she said during Ahmedabad’s inscription. The quintessential Amdavadi does not believe in confrontation or conflict. They believe in negotiations and dialogues. Since they are entrepreneurs, they believe in looking for success, prosperity, solutions and striking compromises in the process. Ahmedabad and its heritage status is a combination of this spirit to forge ahead.
Spread over 5.43 sq km, the walled city of Ahmedabad was preferred over Mumbai and Delhi during the nominations last year. With a population of 3.75 to 4 lakh, the city’s living heritage being the 600 odd ‘pols’ or neighbourhoods with clusters of centuries-old residences. Ahmedabad’s nomination was supported by several countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Cuba and Poland. “The entire credit for this goes to the citizens of the city. It took us 20 years, and now I think the work has just started. We have become a national example and we have to make sure we stand by it. The government will also benefit from this and the old city will get better. People will now show interest in preserving their properties in the old city,” said Debashish Nayak, director of the Centre for Heritage Management at Ahmedabad University, who had launched the first heritage walk in the walled city.

5. “It started as a small step in 1996 when we started the heritage cell
“It started as a small step in 1996 when we started the heritage cell. Since then we have people dedicated to heritage management… We will now have to ensure that we perfectly maintain the 2,600 odd heritage sites in the city,” Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad Mukesh Kumar said. In June this year, members of the WHC had visited Ahmedabad and had informed the Central government that it has deferred Ahmedabad’s world heritage city nomination. In a detailed note, the WHC had stated that it was not satisfied with the documentation related to the “outstanding universal values” for Ahmedabad’s walled city, referring to the city’s urban fabric, spaces, and buildings. Welcoming the decision, architect and conservation specialist Rajdeep Routh said: “We have to make sure that we do not take this tag for granted. We have to set an example for the rest of the country as professionals, citizens and stakeholders. This status would also mean a sharp rise in property prices in the old city. I have observed the rise in price in the last five years, but now it will start shooting up.”

6. Jigna Desai, assistant professor at Cept University credited the status to Rabindra Vasavada, a retired professor of Cept University, who and his team took six years to put together the dossier for the walled city. Builder-turned-conservation expert Rajiv Patel, who has restored three havelis in the walled city, said, “This will give a boost to tourism. All the missing policies will fall in place to ensure that properties are restored and taken care of… We will have demarked areas in the city and problems like traffic will have to be resolved.”
Most cities and people usually get influenced by people who come and occupy their cities and space. This is where Ahmedabad stands out. Whether it were the Rajputs, the Marathas, the Mughals or the British, Ahmedabad was a place that adapted changes but did not change it cultural landscape. Ahmedabad, as most of us call it now, has the strength to co-exist in a synergy of the past and the present. It welcomes outsiders and outside influence without letting its cultural landscape change. A few influences here and there but otherwise, Ahmedabad sanctimoniously protects its space, culture,traditions.

7. When Ahmedabad was declared India's first world heritage city in July, eyebrows were raised. As to why Ahmedabad. Why not Benares, Madurai, Ujjain, Kolkata, Delhi, or Patna. Maybe Ahmedabad does not offer the continuity that Benares offers or a history that Patna or Pushkar offers, but when looked at holistically, Ahmedabad fits the criteria of a heritage city on account of multiple reasons that a Pushkar or an Ujjain could not. The Mills, The Mahatma, The Mahajan and Modi should be credited for the city being crowned as India's first world heritage city, leaving marvels like Benares behind. For the outsider, a typical Amdavadi is mostly a calculative, business inclined, quiet Gujarati. But as an outsider who has made Ahmedabad her home, I can vouch for the Amdavadi's insight and vision. To quote a world heritage city list criteria, Ahmedabad "bears testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation which is living or has disappeared", "representing a masterpiece of human creative genius", and "exhibiting an important interchange of human values over a span of time, or within a cultural area of the world".

8. Ahmedabad encapsulates all of these and this is what makes it unique
Ahmedabad encapsulates all of these and this is what makes it unique. Much before Mahatma Gandhi decided to make this city his home to carry on his Independence movement, the city had its own importance amongst who so ever the rulers were. Ahmedabad was, to some extent, an exception. Here was a city with a corporate tradition and spirit, a hereditary bourgeois elite, and a history of indigenous financial, commercial, and industrial activity," he wrote. The traders and business community of city shaped and significantly contributed to the economy of those who ruled. Ahmedabad, even before Sultan Ahmad Shah decided to establish it in 1411 AD was known as an outstanding trading hub of the continent with a very strong local population that prided in welcoming all nationalities, but successfully resisted all attempts by foreign or domestic rulers to intrude into its sociological framework. If we glance into history and heritage of the city, we realise how meticulously Amdavad has "guarded" itself against foreign cultural impositions. As noted historian K S Gillion meticulously noted, Ahmedabad could not be compared to any city in the West.

9. This is a speciality of Amdavad
This is a speciality of Amdavad. It may change its rulers, its ideology, its focus, but it has never let outsiders dictate its culture or sociology. So while the city welcomed Ahmad Shah or the Marathas or the British, the Mahajan, the trading community that has been the invisible rulers preserved its pratha and asmita. There are historical accounts of Dutch coming in to the city for trading indigo, saltpetre and textiles. Hindu Islamic and Jain Islamic architecture is at its best in Amdavad. It took two Amdavadis, both called Hariprasad, to convince Mahatma Gandhi to set up his base in this city. The Mughals indulging and marking their presence with outstanding architecture, the Marathas struggling to leave their mark on the city or the Britishers trying to woo the city traders with lavish lifestyles were all a part of Amdavad's history, but the Amdavadi was keen to preserve their origins and did so. This is one reason the wonderful architecture in the city, even when ruled by Mughal monarchy or the British, continued to have a strong local tone and touch in its creations. The quintessential character of Amdavad are its wonderful pols which exhibit a strong touch of Jain and Hindu traditions of living and worship.

10. The wealth in the city and the culture of non-violence set by the Jain and Hindus played a vital role in Mahatma Gandhi choosing Amdavad as a base for his first Ashram and his freedom struggle. Though the Mahajan tradition of Amdavad where the wealthy mill owners displayed outstanding magnanimity is on a visible decline in contemporary context, it was not so when Gandhi chose Amdavad. He was helped by the wealthy mill owners. The Jain elite in the city which played a pivotal role in shaping the city and its dynamics, from Mughal era to the Modi era have believed in nonviolence, vegetarianism and a strong community spirit. Interestingly, often the owners played an active role in both the management and the worker's welfare. This bode peace and progress. Vikas, now propagated by Modi, was always an outstanding Amdavadi characteristic. The Swadeshi movement was born here. The charkha was popularised from this city. And though the wealthy mill owners often hosted the British rulers, they gave out their hearts to Gandhi and his struggle for independence. Whether the Marathas, Mughals or the British, the Amdavadi trader had the ability to calmly, patiently and almost invisibly find a way for himself to prosper. Once that was achieved, the Amdavadi trader would focus on giving out to the society.

11. After being honored as India’s first World Heritage City by UNESCO, it is essential that we all know a little something about Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad or as it is dearly addressed by its residents; “Aapnu Amdavad” is a unique blend of contemporary culture with enormous wealth of history in the form of monuments, recorded events, stories from the locals, textile industries, food and festivals.
Below is a list of all the prestigious must-visit places in this quirky and vintage town.
1. The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque or ‘Sidi Saiyyed ni Jaali’ 
Built in 1573, in the last year of existence of the Sultanate of Gujarat, this mosque is considered as an unofficial symbol of the city of Ahmedabad. Following an Indo-Islamic style of architecture, the most intricate work is performed on the jaalis. Take a look;

12. 2. Adalaj Stepwell or “Adalaj Ni Vav”
Adalaj ni vav, is a five storey deep step well located in Adalaj; a small village very close to Ahmedabad. Gujarat was renowned for the construction for such step wells in the earlier times. The residents used it for drinking, washing and bathing. These ‘vavs’ were also a platform for several traditional rituals and festivities.

13. 3. Jama Masjid or “Jami”
Jama masjid, also known as jami or jumma mosque, is the most splendid mosque of Ahmedabad, built in 1424 during the reigon of Ahmed Shah. The inscription on the mihrab commemorates of the mosque by Sultan Ahmed Shah. It was built with yellow sandstone, the mosque complex is centered on a large rectangular courtyrd 75 meter long and 66 meter wide. One enters the court by three entrances, one at the centre of each side. The prayer room is also rectangular and covered by four domes.

14. 4. Havelis 
Not belonging to the family of ‘monuments’, havelis in Ahmedabad have found their own prestigious stature of being representative of the history, tradition and culture of the city. These belong to the citizens and go back to as old as 350 years. Some of these havelis also provide accommodation for guests; The French Haveli, Mangaldas ni Haveli, Dodhia Haveli and Deewanji ni Haveli. While you are there, do not forget to have a meal at the House of MG.

15. 5. Jhulta Minara or “Shaking Minarets” 
There are two sets of Jhulta Minaras in the city of Ahmedabad; near Kalupur Railway Station and the other opposite Sarangpur Darwaja. These Minarets are an architectural marvel and have left several experienced in the field, speechless. The reason being, when one minaret is shook, the other minaret automatically vibrates even though there seems to be no vibration in the connecting passage between the two. However, demonstrations of the vibrations are not displayed anymore in order to maintain and preserve the structure.

16. There are many other places in Ahmedabad, which are put their contribution to became Ahmedabad as a World’s first heritage city like Riverfront, Kankaria lake, Bhadra fort, monuments, wells, carnivals, architectures, pols, parks, etc….

17. THANK YOU