Six Months in India Book

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. AHMEDABAD AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. The city of Akmedabad is said to have been founded A.d. 1412 by the Sultan Ahmed Shah, as the capital of the then rich empire of Guzerat, and he named it after himself. Ancient Hindoo capitals supplied materials for raising many of the structures of the new city. It was built along the river Sabarmati, which forms the base of a city of semicircular form. It remained a powerful place under various rulers, until in the eighteenth century the Marathas obtained possession of it. In 1780 the English stormed and seized it. Afterwards it was restored to the Marathas, and remained in their hands until 1818, when, on the fall of the Peishwa, it finally reverted to the British. The city is surrounded by a substantial wall, averaging fifteen feet in height and five in thickness, which is more than five miles in length. There are bastions at almost every fifty paces and eighteen gates. The walls are in substantial repair, for in 1832 the municipal authorities levied a special tax for their thorough restoration. Three centuries of Mahometan rule left many traces of grandeur in the architecture of the city; the splendid tombs and mosques, built with much richness of detail and often beauty of design, show that it was once inhabited by a very superior race. But great devastations are evident everywhere, and the general appearance ofthe city indicates rather departed grandeur than present prosperity. Yet the fine old walls with their bastions and gates have a very striking appearance, and the Mahometan buildings, which are seen in every direction, tempt the traveller to spend many days in exploration. Murray tells us in his guide-book that a week at least will be required to view over the principal sights of the place, and many interesting excu...Read More