Coldplay fans will be treated to the British rock band performing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on January 25 and 26 with a happening Coldplay concert in India. The city was labelled “the Manchester of the East” due to its cotton industry in the 19th century, but the city is most well-known today for its rich architecture, traditional housing designs, community-oriented settlement patterns, urban structure, as well as unique crafts.
If you’re in the city for the concert and have already made the rounds of its top sights, here are some offbeat places to visit in Ahmedabad.
The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque is a throwback to the extraordinary architectural legacy of the African diaspora in India. Although their forefathers were originally brought to India as slaves and maritime labourers, the descendants of these Africans rose to positions of power as military commanders in the armies of the Sultans and became great patrons of art and architecture. Called Sidis (or Siddis), one of them, Sidi Saiyyed, constructed this eponymous mosque in 1573. Situated in the heart of the walled city of Ahmedabad, the design of the mosque is entirely in the arcuate system of construction, involving arches, domes, squinches and vaults. The mosque is set up like a theatre without a fourth wall and is celebrated for its intricately carved filigree work on its jalis (screen windows). The most impressive of them all is the Sidi Saiyyed Jali, located to the right of the central walled arch. This finely wrought motif has become an unofficial symbol of Ahmedabad, India’s first UNESCO World Heritage city.
Address: Bhadra Road, Opposite Electricity House, Old City, Gheekanta, Lal Darwaja, Ahmedabad 380001
The Calico Museum of Textiles, under the aegis of the Sarabhai Foundation, is India's premier textile museum. Its collection of Indian textiles is considered by many to be the finest and most comprehensive in the world. The displays offer a closer look at painted, printed, woven, resist-dyed and textiles from different periods and parts of the country. The standout items include a Mughal tent, a 27-feet long pattachitra, a large kalamkari, a ghaghra with 400 panels, and intricately patterned double ikat and tied-dye textiles. The galleries also have exhibits on ritual art and sculpture, temple hangings, miniature paintings, South Indian bronzes, Jain art and sculpture, and furniture and crafts.
Address: Opposite Underbridge, Jain Colony, Shahibag, Ahmedabad 380004
Amdavad ni Gufa is an underground art gallery that was designed by the architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi. It exhibits the works of the Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain and represents a unique juxtaposition of architecture and art. The cave-like underground structure has a roof made of multiple interconnected domes covered with a mosaic of tiles. On the inside, irregular tree-like columns support the domes. The structure's contemporary architecture draws on ancient and natural themes, with the domes being inspired by the shells of tortoises and soap bubbles. Husain used the gallery's walls as a canvas, painting on them with bold strokes and bright colours. His artworks depict human figures and motifs of animals, including his famous horse drawings.
Address: Kasturbhai Lalbhai Campus, Opposite Gujarat University campus, CEPT campus, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009
Formerly known as Victoria Garden, this urban park was proposed in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee and was opened in 1905. Spread over an area of about 28,260 square metres, it has a central lawn square with a bandstand, walkways, seating arrangements, a children's play area, a volleyball court, an open gym, fountains, toilets, a water tank and a drinking water facility. It also has a forest walk and a maze garden. Here, you will discover about 785 trees of more than 30 different species as well as more than 35,000 flowering shrubs and grasses of more than 100 species. There are statues of Queen Victoria and Lokmanya Tilak, as well as a Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) plaque and the Nanavetty Memorial Fountain.
Address: Swami Vivekanand Bridge, Old City, Lal Darwaja, Ahmedabad 380001
The Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum is a repository of Indian sculptures, bronzes, manuscripts, paintings, drawings, miniature paintings, woodwork, beadwork, and ancient and contemporary coins. It was the culmination of the joint efforts of Kasturbhai Lalbhai, a well-known and prominent Ahmedabad-based industrialist, and Jain Acharya Muni Punyavijayji, who donated his personal collection of illustrated and unillustrated manuscripts, bronzes and cloth paintings at the time of its establishment. The outstanding pieces of the museum include the largest head of Buddha (circa 5th century) in stucco from Gandhara, the earliest cult image of Lord Rama (early 6th century), a rare figure of Matrika Indrani (6th century) from Shamlaji (Gujarat), the Adinath bronze image (circa 7th-8th century) from Sirpur, the Jaina bronze images from Ghogha (Gujarat) and some of the finest examples of Buddha images from Mathura, Nalanda and Nepal. Besides this, the Madhuri D Desai Gallery includes some superb Chola sculptures (circa 10th-12th century) from Tamil Nadu.
Address: Gujarat University Clock Tower, L D Institute of Indology Campus, Opposite L D Engineering Hostel, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009