Ahmedabad (Gujarati: અમદાવાદ Amdāvād) is the seventh largest city in India with a population of 8.5 million. Although it is the commercial hub of one of the most prosperous states of India, Gujarat, it's not the state capital, which is its twin city of Gandhinagar, 30 km (19 mi) to the north. Ahmedabad is a good example of contrast between the materialistic attitude and the spirituality of self-renunciation. One of the fastest growing cities in India, Ahmedabad is a centre for information technology, education and industries.
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The classification below is according to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). The West Zone and New West Zone are on the west side of the Sabarmati River while all other zones are on the east side. Locals rarely refer to these zones, but rather to one of dozens of neighbourhoods of which the city is made up.
Ahmedabad was built by Sultan Ahmed Shah, who conquered Gujarat and named the new city after himself. The city was built in an open and spacious plain to the east of the Sabarmati River. It included a smaller known fort as Bhadra Fort. The city wall had twelve gates. The city gradually expanded in every direction, with well laid out beautiful buildings, lakes and mosques on both sides of the river. In 1753 the combined armies of Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad took the fort, ending Mughal rule in Ahmedabad. During the 64 years of rule by Gaekwad and Peshwa, the city became cleaner. In 1818 the British annexed Ahmedabad.
The services of AMTS and BRTS run from 6AM to 11PM. The local city buses are run by Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS). since 1947, forming a wide network covering almost all the points of Ahmedabad. Any destination in the city can be reached from anywhere in the city by AMTS.UTTAR PRADESH To identify them and distinguish them from the state transport GSRTC buses or the private luxury buses here is the key: The older buses in this service are painted in red and white or in red and yellow, whereas new bright red ones put up under JnNURM are having electronic display boards. You may easily ask around the people esp.
Ahmedabad has several floridly carved historic monuments including the Stepwell at Adalaj and the Rani Mosques (dedicated to Rani Sipri and Rani Rupmati). There are some museums and art galleries. Modern office buildings and malls dot the more recently developed areas. Important places to see include: The Gandhi Aashram or Sabarmati Aashram in West Zone was once the house of Mahatma Gandhi and he founded the ashram in 1915. Today, without doubt, it is the biggest visitor attraction in Ahmedabad. It lies on the tranquil stretch of the Sabarmati river and was referred to as the Satyagraha Ashram during the lifetime of the Mahatma.
Ahmedabad Heritage Walk Watch a Gujarati film at Gauri Cinema in East Zone, or at Sapna Cinema in New West Zone. Watch a Bollywood (Hindi) or Hollywood film at Cinépolis, Sunset Drive-In Cinema, PVR Cinemas or Mukta A2 Cinema in New West Zone; or Grand Cinemas in West Zone. Diwali — one of the popular festival in Ahmedabad. It's called the festival of light. People make many sweets and meet each other on this day. It is a festival of Lord Rama and belongs to Ramayana. Makar Sankranti (International Kite Festival, Uttarayan) — it marks the end of winter and return of the sun to northern hemisphere in 14 January.
Ahmedabad is a gastronomic paradise, and there are many restaurants. Gujaratis are fond of eating and the food generally tends to be on the sweeter side. Gujaratis are mostly vegetarians hence most local dishes are vegetarian. However, with the recent advent of international and domestic food chains non-vegetarian food has become popular. Ahmedabad is famous for its ice-creams because of abundance of dairy products in the state and Gujaratis' penchant for sweets.
Gujarat is one of the few Indian states where alcohol is prohibited. But this applies only to Indians. If you have a non-Indian passport / green card holder/ PR status, you can get an alcohol permit valid for one month by going to an alcohol shop in a large hotel and purchasing one. Hotels that have alcohol shops include: Cama Hotel in Khanpur, Hotel Inder Residency, Opp. to Gujarat College, Comfort Inn President Hotel at CG Road among others open Monday to Saturday noon-8PM, ph no. +91 79 26467575. Many local people will be able to direct you because they can purchase alcohol on a 'health' licence.
People are friendly and the police will help you when you have an emergency. Ahmedabad is relatively safe because alcohol is not permitted: no late-night rowdyism as seen in other cities. Ahmedabad City Police has around 35 major police stations besides the minor police chowkis. For emergency, dial 100. Find your police station depending on the area. Contact details (e-mail IDs and phone numbers) can be found when clicking on the respective station.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Ahmedabad typically sees ~32°C daytime highs and 25 rainy days.
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