First up in our tour of Gujarat's World Heritage sites, is the historic city of Ahmedabad.
Founded in 1411 as the capital of Gujarat (a purpose it still serves today), the old
core of Ahmedabad still exists in many places. The highlight here are the Pol, clusters of
houses that serve as tiny neighbourhoods in their own right. Complete with houses, shops,
walls and gates, the Pols were originally created to stifle religious tensions between
Muslims and Hindus. These days the Pols serve as little reminders of the city's rich history.
Ahmedabad is also home to several fascinating temples and mosques, most of which are still
in use.
Next up is Rani ki Vav, or the Queen's Stepwell. Stepwells are a type of underground water
storage facility, unique to this part of India, and Rani ki Vav is one of the largest and
most beautiful. Constructed around the 10th or 11th century, it reaches an impressive
depth of 27 metres underground. The walls and pillars are covered in intricate decorations,
some of them religious and some of them secular, but all with incredible detail and artistry.
Interestingly, the carvings on-site are all original and mostly in pristine condition,
as the stepwell was buried by river silt centuries ago, and only rediscovered in the 1980s. Fascinating!
Last up in Gujarat is a combination site: the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park.
The site has two components: a Hindu pilgrimage site on Pavagadh hill, and the nearby historic
city of Champaner, dating back to the 8th century. For our visit we chose to focus on
Champaner, where most of the buildings date from around the 15th century during a period
of Muslim rule. Here you'll find a series of impressive mosques, temples, city walls,
tombs, and terraces. The enormous Jama Masjid is particularly impressive, built in a typical
Indian Muslim style - very reminiscent of the buildings we saw in Agra and Delhi.
There's also large sections of the city walls and gates remaining, which were fun to explore
around! Nearby you can also find some royal pavilions, and of course step-wells too - many
of which are beautifully decorated and in great condition.