It was on the banks of the Sabarmati one morning, that an exiled king discovered a reason for building a city which, through the years has acquired a penchant for surviving through political and cultural upheavals. Ahmedabad has embraced diverse people and cultures in its constant search for growth, and therein lays its ability for survival. Originating in the Aravalis and culminating at Khambat, Sabarmati has been a living, vibrant source of trade and commerce bringing in much wealth and culture to the city of Ahmedabad.
Digging below the foundation stones of the city that Ahmed Shah built, one discovers the presence of an even older civilization that takes the chronological history of Ahmedabad further back in time. Like all other ancient civilizations, the banks of the Sabarmati caught the fancy of a wandering tribe and urged them to build a home. Puranic references place the Sabarmati on par with the Ganga. The Mahabharata, in fact, states that the same Sage Dedhichi whose bones fashioned the 'Vajra' (weapon) for the god king Indra, meditated at Dudheswar. Incidentally, Dudheswar seems to have lent itself to modern use, for it was here that the first storage facility for water was built by the Ahmedabad Municipality in 1891.
The Padma Puranas hail the Sabarmati as 'Sabarmati Mahatmya' and though the sanctity of the river is entirely questionable now, Puranic references serve to furnish us with concrete indications of the land, its ancestry and the fact that there existed a ‘godly’ city in the region.
This city thrived as a vibrant river valley civilization, dynasties came and went and the river continued to serenely float down. As the charkha of time turns, its spokes measure the fortunes and dynasties of people; this city changed hands many a time and yet it endured. From the Bhils to the Solankis, the Sultanate to the Mughals, the Marathas and the British; each fell in love with what the Sabarmati had to offer. And each christened the city in their own likeness. The names are cascading poetry; Asha Bhils Ashapalli, Karnadev Solankis Karnavati and Ahmed Shahs Ahmedabad. Dynasties came and went, trade prospered and the river endured a silent spectator to the gamut of history.
Interestingly for Ahmedabad today, a tributary of the Sabarmati once flowed through the commercial bustle of Manek Chowk. It is for this reason that the mausoleums of Ahmed Shah, his wife and other royal women were constructed on adjacent shores. There they stand today with a road and numerous hawkers dividing them, Rani and Badshah na Hajira, with the river having moved on.
The Sabarmati which witnessed rise and fall of military kingdoms also gave sanctuary to Gandhi's spirit of non-violence, and kindled the virgin flames of the struggle for freedom. You shut your eyes and reminisce the sound and light show at the Gandhi Ashram, surrounded as you are by delightful photographs, a chronological history of Gandhi housed in a post modern structure conceived by Charles Correa. I know of a Frenchman, a friend of mine who rode into the ashram on a white steed to exchange marriage vows with the Sabarmati as a witness.
An enlightened river, a city of tolerance and expectance Ahmedabad played host to a motley crew of intellectually aware people from all over the world during the 60s. Bressons footprints on the dry river bed daintily avoiding the undulating sheets of dyed fabric; fabric being the textile soul of Ahmedabad. The camera in his hands documenting for posterity the songs and stories of the river. Bernard Kohn the architect during the same period was visualizing the French Riviera on the banks of the Sabarmati therefore connecting it to the Seine. A gentle intermingling of ideas and water eventually leading to that humongous extravaganza which is the River Front Project today!
Then as well as now, In spite of human endeavor to shape the river to their ends, the Sabarmati is a strong psychological barrier as it physically bisects the so called old and new cities of Ahmedabad. The river is an open reservoir of tales which she sings in harmony with the winds as she flows on for a never ending debate with the oceans. Since earliest times she was a life giver, essential for human settlements to flourish. Time flows; today those reasons no longer seem important and we try to impose our sense of order and our modern fairytales on a tolerant, Gandhian Sabarmati!
Digging below the foundation stones of the city that Ahmed Shah built, one discovers the presence of an even older civilization that takes the chronological history of Ahmedabad further back in time. Like all other ancient civilizations, the banks of the Sabarmati caught the fancy of a wandering tribe and urged them to build a home. Puranic references place the Sabarmati on par with the Ganga. The Mahabharata, in fact, states that the same Sage Dedhichi whose bones fashioned the 'Vajra' (weapon) for the god king Indra, meditated at Dudheswar. Incidentally, Dudheswar seems to have lent itself to modern use, for it was here that the first storage facility for water was built by the Ahmedabad Municipality in 1891.
The Padma Puranas hail the Sabarmati as 'Sabarmati Mahatmya' and though the sanctity of the river is entirely questionable now, Puranic references serve to furnish us with concrete indications of the land, its ancestry and the fact that there existed a ‘godly’ city in the region.
This city thrived as a vibrant river valley civilization, dynasties came and went and the river continued to serenely float down. As the charkha of time turns, its spokes measure the fortunes and dynasties of people; this city changed hands many a time and yet it endured. From the Bhils to the Solankis, the Sultanate to the Mughals, the Marathas and the British; each fell in love with what the Sabarmati had to offer. And each christened the city in their own likeness. The names are cascading poetry; Asha Bhils Ashapalli, Karnadev Solankis Karnavati and Ahmed Shahs Ahmedabad. Dynasties came and went, trade prospered and the river endured a silent spectator to the gamut of history.
Interestingly for Ahmedabad today, a tributary of the Sabarmati once flowed through the commercial bustle of Manek Chowk. It is for this reason that the mausoleums of Ahmed Shah, his wife and other royal women were constructed on adjacent shores. There they stand today with a road and numerous hawkers dividing them, Rani and Badshah na Hajira, with the river having moved on.
The Sabarmati which witnessed rise and fall of military kingdoms also gave sanctuary to Gandhi's spirit of non-violence, and kindled the virgin flames of the struggle for freedom. You shut your eyes and reminisce the sound and light show at the Gandhi Ashram, surrounded as you are by delightful photographs, a chronological history of Gandhi housed in a post modern structure conceived by Charles Correa. I know of a Frenchman, a friend of mine who rode into the ashram on a white steed to exchange marriage vows with the Sabarmati as a witness.
An enlightened river, a city of tolerance and expectance Ahmedabad played host to a motley crew of intellectually aware people from all over the world during the 60s. Bressons footprints on the dry river bed daintily avoiding the undulating sheets of dyed fabric; fabric being the textile soul of Ahmedabad. The camera in his hands documenting for posterity the songs and stories of the river. Bernard Kohn the architect during the same period was visualizing the French Riviera on the banks of the Sabarmati therefore connecting it to the Seine. A gentle intermingling of ideas and water eventually leading to that humongous extravaganza which is the River Front Project today!
Then as well as now, In spite of human endeavor to shape the river to their ends, the Sabarmati is a strong psychological barrier as it physically bisects the so called old and new cities of Ahmedabad. The river is an open reservoir of tales which she sings in harmony with the winds as she flows on for a never ending debate with the oceans. Since earliest times she was a life giver, essential for human settlements to flourish. Time flows; today those reasons no longer seem important and we try to impose our sense of order and our modern fairytales on a tolerant, Gandhian Sabarmati!
Published:Ahmedabad Mirror
No comments:
Post a Comment