History of Ahmedabad

The history of Ahmedabad dates back to 11th century when it was inhabited by Karandev I, the Solanki ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan). He had established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the river Sabarmati at the same location as that of modern Ahmedabad.Solanki ruled Ahmedabad until the 13th century and thereafter the city was conquered by the Sultanate of Delhi.

In early 15th century, the Muzaffarid dynasty was established in Gujarat. According to traditions, Sultan Ahmed Shah, while camping on the banks of the River Sabarmati, saw a hare chasing a dog. This act impressed the Sultan who then decided to locate the capital of his kingdom here and called it Ahmedabad.

The further development of the city was expanded by Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah who fortified the city with an outer wall 10 km (6 miles) in circumference and consisting of twelve gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements. Till 1573 Ahmedabad remained under the control of Muzaffarid dynasty. Gujarat was then conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573.

During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the Empire's thriving centres of trade, mainly in textiles, which were exported to as far as Europe. The armies of the Maratha generals Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad captured the city and ended Mughal rule in Ahmedabad. A famine in 1630 and the constant conflicts between the Peshwa and the Gaekwad armies virtually destroyed many parts of the city, causing its population to run off. The British East India Company took over the city in 1818 as a part of the conquest of India. A military cantonment was established in 1824 and a municipal government in 1858.

Ahmedabad became the base camp for the Indian freedom movement, when Gandhiji created an Ashram on the bank of the river Sabarmati. He guided his followers to intensify the nationalist activities. In 1930, Gandhi initiated the Salt Satyagraha from Ahmedabad by embarking from his ashram on the famous Dandi Salt March. The city administration and economic institutions were rendered functionless by the large masses of people who took to the streets in peaceful protests in the early 1930s, and again in 1942 during the Quit India movement.

In 1947, India got its independence and the process of reorganization was initiated by Sardar Patel. Ahmedabad became the capital of the new state of Gujarat after the bifurcation of the State of Bombay on 1 May 1960. During that period, a large number of educational and research institutions were founded in the city which include Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Space Applications Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), making it a major centre of higher education, science and technology. Today, Ahmedabad is famous from various aspects like culture, education, industry and many more to rediscover.