VECHAAR- Utensils Museum in Ahmedabad

Considered as one of the unique museums in India, VECHAAR (Vishalla Environmental Center for Heritage, Art, Architecture and Research) is located inside the famous Vishalla restaurant in Ahmedabad, Gujrat. It was started by Mr. Surendra Patel in 1981. It houses more than 3000 antique utensils some of them dating back to 1000 years old.

Our first visit to the museum was a disappointment as we chose to visit on a Monday, a day when the museum is closed! But we did revisit it after two days and I am glad that we did. Though not very appealing from outside (almost unattractive/ invisible from the main road), this place bears a village-like appearance upon entering. We had directly entered the Utensils museum without stopping at the Vishalla restaurant as we had already developed an aversion towards thalis after binging on it for several days at a stretch.

The corridor and pavements at the entrance of the museum are lined up with earthen clay pots. The wooden plank (made from a single tree trunk for sure) used as a resting place in front of the main door is sure catch everyone's attention.


The entrance of the Museum...

Utensils on display at the entrance...

Clay utensils displayed on the courtyard...

Door locks...

The varied range of utensils made of brass, copper, bronze and German silver are all arranged according to the purpose they serve in day- to-day activities- water storage, items used during worship, travel utensils, cooking and so on. 

Water storage containers...

Pooja Items...

Pestles and other kitchen accessories...

Kitchenware...

Dowry Boxes...

The glass cases filled with nut- crackers is another unique feature of the museum. One can find exquisite and artistic nut-crackers in this section made of brass, iron and copper. 

The building with its' quadrangular shape provides easy access to all the sections of the museum. The clay plastering of the exteriors of the building blends with the collection of these antique utensils. 

Havelis in the 'Pols' of Old Ahmedabad

A trip to the old capital of Gujrat had meant nothing but visiting its' innumerable step wells, relishing its' famous 'thalis' and moving one's body to the tunes of  'Dandiya Ras'. Ahmedabad's old city with its' 'pols' and 'havelis' was unheard of. Once the real planning for visiting the place had started, I came across various websites and blogs that depicted and spoke about the immense beauty of the "havelis" that couldn't be missed by any one who loves history, architecture and photography.

In an urge to stay in a Heritage Haveli, my family had decided to accommodate ourselves ( only for two days before moving to a fancy hotel:) in Dodhia Haveli that fit into our budget. Situated in the Kalupur area of Old Ahmedabad, it can give a feeling of disappointment at first  as the access road to the haveli (called Relief road that literally gives no relief from traffic) quite a ride. But, once inside the narrow lanes one can feel safe.

The warm and cozy look of the haveli and its' wooden staircase leading to the suites reminded us of our ancestral home back in Karnataka. There are only two suites in this tiny settlement with a kitchen to serve the guests and very hospitable and helpful care taker- Narayanji. In fact it was he who took us on a tour of all the pols, narrow lanes and havelis of the old city.

Dodhia Haveli is a 200 year old haveli bought and restored by a Nairobi based businessman- Chandrkant Dodhia in an effort to bring back the lost glory and splendour of crumbling historic structures of Old Ahmedabad.

Exteriors of Dodhia Haveli...

Dodhia Haveli- interiors...

Our 'unofficial' heritage walk (unlike the official one arranged by the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Corporation- AMC) on the following day was guided by our haveli's caretaker. The first place we visited after passing through various narrow lanes and  pols was a stunning Jain temple made entirely of wood with intricate carvings on pillars and ceiling.

The entrance of the Jain temple...

Pillars...

Crossing over the 'pols' we reached the haveli that I had been eagerly waiting to see- Tankshal ni Haveli. It is considered as one of the exquisitely carved havelis with the longest wooden façade (25m long) in Old Ahmedabad. Hidden in the narrow lanes, this haveli gives anyone with a camera a tough time as it's almost impossible to capture its' beauty in one frame because of its' length and the narrow distance.

Here are a few images:

Our next stop was at Deewanji ni Haveli. This haveli was bought and restored by Mr. Rajiv Patel, a realtor who also owns the famous French haveli. Its' large open courtyard, an underground well that covers 1/4th area of the haveli and the wooden staircase stole our hearts.
                                                                                               

The large open courtyard...

A room used to hold conferences and meetings...

Moving ahead, we came at another beautiful haveli- Mangaldas ni Haveli. To our disappointment, it was closed for renovation. So we could not get a glimpse of  the haveli held from inside. The owner of this haveli- Abhimangal Das, is the same person who also happens to own the very popular urban heritage hotel in the heart of Ahmedabad- The House of MG. This is how the haveli looks from outside:

Unaccustomed to the unusual September heat of the place, we were completely exhausted and famished (especially so as we were accompanied by our 8 year old kid). We decided to end our 'Heritage Walk' watching and clicking pictures of some more old buildings on our way back.

Love for the old doors...

Another interesting one- story building...don't miss the pulley in the first image that was used to lift the water from the well which was located right in front of the house!

Last piece of advice: Do venture out for a heritage walk only if you have the time, patience and energy.

Bhongir Fort

My first glimpse of the Bhongir Fort was way back in 2012-13 on my way to Warangal. The enormous egg- shaped rock formation that could be seen from the highway had made me promise myself that I would visit the place some day.

The entrance of the fort...

When we (my hubby and I) finally etched out the plan this monsoon, no one was more excited than my daughter. She was ready with her perfect khaki pants, pair of shoes, her own backpack containing all refreshments and energy drinks  and an umbrella (yes, an umbrella as it was one of those monsoon days)!

Half-way through the climb...

Bhongir is situated in Nalgonda dist., of Telangana state, around 40-45 kms from Hyderabad. Named after the Western Chalukyan king Vikramaditya-VI also known as Thribhuvanamalla, the fort is built on a monolithic rock. Its' named gradually changed into Tribuvanagiri, Bhuvangiri and is presently called Bhongir. Built across an impressive 50 acre area at a height of 500 feet over the hill, the trek to the fort gives a breathtaking view of the surrounding paddy fields, villages and also a serpentine railway track in between the fields. The moat that encircles the fort is believed to have a secret underground chamber that connects to Golconda fort situated in the city of Hyderabad.

Paddy fields...

The monolithic rock one needs to climb to reach the fort on top...

After embarking on the way through the little steps cut out on the rocky hills, we were thrown open to a vast area that overlooked the fort built on the egg- shaped rock formation. We took our lunch break in that sprawling open space with fresh breeze pushing us across from all directions. The climb to the top of the fort 'will drain out all the energy' (as narrated by father-daughter duo who managed to reach the top; I had decided to stay back as I was feeling sick) as there are no steps at some points on the rock. The traces of this was very clearly evident on my daughter's face who looked completely dehydrated:(

The fort on top...

Though we had also planned on travelling further and visiting the Jain temple at Kolanupaka, no one was in a condition to take upon that distance after completing this tiring trek.