Tambekar Wada- where the canvas is its' walls...

One may have numerous reasons to visit the very famous and grand Lakshmi Vilas Palace when in Vadodara and only a few reasons to peek at the mural paintings of Tambekar Wada, but the beauty of both the places can leave anyone spellbound equally. Though Tambekar wada is in no way comparable to Lakshmi Vilas palace in terms of size and grandeur, the former holds the onlookers' inquisitiveness due to its' homely appearance.

Located in one of the tiny by- lanes of old Vadodara, the Tambekar Wada was the Haveli of erstwhile Divan of Baroda- Vital Khanderao Tambekar or Bhau Tambekar. It is a three- story, typical Maratha mansion built in the 19th century that houses some of the most intricate mural paintings on walls and ceilings.

Most part of the  building is in a sad state and is restored by Archeological Survey of India (ASI). As the caretaker leads his visitors through the steep, wooden staircase, one would have the feel of entering an ancestral mansion. Once the doors are open, the visitors are thrown open to a vast room filled with colours- on walls, ceilings and even doors and windows.

The paintings mainly depict the scenes from Mahabharata, especially from the life of Krisha. Other scenes portray the stories from Anglo-Maratha war. The colours used are mostly red, green and yellow and each scene is demarcated with strips of floral borders or frames. The wooden frames of the doors and jaalis of the windows too are painted with intricate floral motifs to merge with the wall paintings.

Originally made in 1870s, the technique used in the painting is Secco. It is a technique where colour pigments are mixed with a binder (such as lime) and applied on a dry plaster.

We were allowed to visit only two rooms of which most of the paintings were either peeling off or smudged due to weather conditions.

Photography is not allowed but we were allowed to click only a handful with our phone. So they are a little blurred and not composed well. 

The city of Ahmedabad- in a nutshell

Navrathri festivities, bustling streets, shopping outlets, Dandiya and Ras Garbha fervor- our timing to visit this busy city couldn't have been better.

We had entered the city with lot of expectation- to witness the Navrathri madness, to get awed (and 'vav'ed) by the popular stepwells,  to savour some delicious Gujju thalis and to walk through those hundreds of 'pols' to appreciate the architecture of old city. 

This post predominantly showcases the city highlights especially the places that we visited. Our first day had started with a walk in the streets of old city. Read more about the old city and the havelis here. 

One of the havelis in old city... 

Our next stop was at Hutheesing Jain Temple. It was built by a wealthy trader Shet Hutheesing in 1848. Though, started by him, his wife looked after the construction after his death. The architect of the temple was Premchand Salat and was built during a perid when Ahmedabad was hit by severe famine and the construction work provided livelihood to hundreds of families for two years. 

The total cost of the temple was Rs. 8 lakh, a huge sum for that period and is dedicated to 15th Jain Thirthankara, Dharmanatha.

Mahasthambha (column of victory) at the entrance of the temple...

Moving ahead, we stopped at Jama Masjid. Built in 1424 during the reign of Ahmed Shah I, the mosque is an amalgamation of Mughal, Hindu and Jain architecture. The main prayer hall is the main attraction of the mosque with 260 stone pillars that hold the ceiling. 

Ceiling inside the prayer hall...

On our way, we had also stopped at another mosque- Sidi Syyed Jaali well-known for its' stone jaali work. We could not go indoors as the prayer had started so clicked a few pictures from outside. 


The jaali work- the inspiration behind IIM- Ahmedabad's logo...

And to finish the day with a madness, we decided to hit the street food of Manek Chowk. Though we guiltily ate numerous varieties of items, the one that I liked the most was Pinealpple Sandwich. Here's a glimpse of the chaos and madness that surrounds Manek Chowk at night.

Interestingly, this packed street food market turns into a vegetable market in the morning. It is named after a HIndu saint Baba Maneknath who lived during the reign of Ahmed Shah I. When Ahmed Shah was building a 'walled' capital in Ahmedabad, Maneknath disrupted his construction work through his magical powers. Astonishingly, Baba would weave a mat during the day when the construction was going on and then undo it in the night that resulted in the fall of built walls.

When this was discovered by the Sultan, he tricked Baba to show his powers by putting himself in a glass jar. When Baba did as told, Sultan sealed the jar and buried it in the  soil!

Panaromic view of the food stalls in Manek Chowk...

The second day was meant for a visit to Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar and nearby Adalaj stepwell. 

Akshardham temple, which is dedicated to the teachings and life of Swaminarayan, is built in a 23 acre complex with the Mandir measuring up to 108 feet high. The Mandir's central chamber houses a seven- feet tall, gold- leafed statue of Swaminarayan. To follow the Vedic architectural principles, no iron or steel has been used in building the temple. So the entire structure has been built using pink- sandstone from Rajasthan.

The temple complex has numerous exhibition halls depicting the life of Swaminarayan through audio-visual presentations. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple premises so I could not take any pictures. 

Akshardham visit was clubbed with a visit to the very popular Adalaj stepwell (Adalaj ni vav in Gujrati). Ola/ Uber cabs are easily available to reach Adalaj and back to either Gandhinagar or Ahmedabad. 

Adalaj stepwell was built in 1498 by Rana Veer Singh of the Vaghela dynasty. Though started by him, it was completed by a Muslim ruler Mehmud Begada who killed Veer Singh in a war. The legendary story of how this Muslim ruler completed the stepwell is very elaborate and will be taken up in a separate post exclusively about Adalaj.

View through the stone pillars and columns...

  

We were fortunate to get free passes to witness the Ras Garbha that night at the most happening University in Ahmedabad- CEPT University. Against the backdrop of the very neat and contemporary architecture of the University, the night had come to life that kept us awake till mid-night. Here are a few lightings that were created for the event at the campus (all the pictures are shot with my phone though):

The third day was spent (till afternoon) in the quiet premises of the Sabarmathi Ashram. My daughter was the most excited among us all with a pen and a paper in her hand jotting down all important facts from Gandhiji's life. 

Gandhi Ashram is a place where Gandhiji lived after returning from South Africa and conducted some of his experiments with farming, cow breeding and Khadi. Read more about the history of this place here.

At the main entrance of the Ashram...

Magan- Nivas ...where various types of 'charakas' are kept for display...

Next, we drove to VECHAAR- the utensils museum. Here is the link to separate post about the museum. 

Evening was spent on the streets of Law Garden admiring the colourful lehengas displayed for Navarathri sale and stopping at Sabarmathi Riverfront.

A shop in Law Garden...

Sabarmathi Riverfront at night...

There were many more places which we couldn't visit due to time constraint and other factors but was glad to have witnessed these at the least.

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.