• To know a city experience its local food. Author and food critic Anil suggests what you should eat and see during a food cum heritage walk in the walled city of Ahmedabad. This piece has many pictures too. 

Text by Anil M and Photos by Dinesh Shukla

The walled city of Ahmedabad, founded in 1411 AD by Sultan Ahmed Shah on the Sabarmati River's eastern bank, is the first UNESCO-listed World Heritage City from India.  Though the fortified walls were mostly demolished, the city has about a dozen medieval gates intact showing the limits of the walled city. Within the  old walled city are majestic medieval mosques and mausoleums, Hindu temples, attractive Jain derasars, colonial-period public buildings, wholesale markets,  densely packed neighbourhoods called `pols’, and  some fine havelis featuring exquisite wood carvings. 

This walled city has some of the most successful heritage walks in India, including Mandir-se-Masjid-Tak which is perhaps the first guided walking tour of India that has a daily guaranteed departure.

The walled city hides a rich culinary heritage with several food enterprises that are more than fifty years old and continue to be popular.  A walk in the  royal enclave that includes the Bhadra Fort that marked the foundation of Ahmedabad’s walled city in 1411 and the  Jama Masjid where the Sultans came for their Friday prayers in the 15^th and 16^th centuries offers a taste of Ahmedabad’s culinary diversity. 

1. CHANDRAVILAS

Start your morning at Chandravilas on Gandhi Road, widely considered the birthplace of the Gujarati Thali. Chandravilas opens by 7.30 am for tea and breakfast. The owner Malay Joshi tells us that it was launched in 1900 by Chimanlal Hemraj Joshi. From a small tea and snack stall, Chandravilas developed into a dining hall and this is where the concept of the Gujarati thali with snacks, three vegetables, pulses, roti, dal, kadhi, rice, and sweets started. This has become the template for all Gujarati restaurants.  

Another contribution of Chandravilas to the city’s culinary tradition is their Dusshera special festive offer for fafda-jalebi. Even today, it is a ritual for families in Ahmedabad to have fafda-jalebi for breakfast on Dussehra.

Unfortunately, during a communal riot in Ahmedabad, a fire spread through the area and destroyed Chandravilas, including its British fans, old oak furniture  and heirlooms. The owners re-started it as a modest place to eat but Chandravillas still draws the crowds. The memorabilia here includes an insurance policy worth Rs 200 that covered the late Chimanlal Hemraj Joshi, taken from a Lahore firm in pre-partition India. The owner has created a collage of black-and-white photographs of eminent personalities who have dined at Chandravilas, including Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Raj Kapoor, Narendra Modi, among others.

Don’t miss the fafda-jalebi here – the salty fritters, the sweet jalebi, fried chillies, chutney and papaya relish called cheen comprise one of the most popular breakfasts for Gujaratis.  

2. MANEK CHOWK and RATANPOL

After your snacking,  you can explore some of the narrow alleys called `pols’ where you can see the havelis with elaborate woodcarvings and stonework, and markets called ols – each of the market alleys are thriving with each lane specializing in different commodities - the bullion market  and jewellery bazaars at Manek Chowk open early.  

Superbly carved wooden facades of Ahmedabad haveli. 

Ahmedabad Heritage Walk. 

Ratanpol has a hive of bustling cloth and jewellery markets where you will also find a strong Jain presence in old derasars (Jain Temples), attractive old houses and places selling onion-and-garlic free snacks like kela wada made using bananas instead of potatoes.

Have samosa enroute. 

Market of the walled city.

Jain Temple abound in the walled city.   

3. JAMA Masjid

About 15 minute walk from Chandravilas, Jama Masjid is one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture that thrived in Gujarat during the reign of the Sultans. This is one of the largest mosques in Gujarat. When built in 1424 it was the largest in India. It is easy to miss the entrance to this Indo-Islamic complex because of the shops and hawkers around it. Once inside, you can get a feel of spaciousness with the large courtyard, the ablution tank at the centre of the courtyard, the galleries around the courtyard and the façade of the main sanctuary with three main arches. 

The minarets collapsed in the 1819 Earthquake but the domes can be seen. The interior has 260 pillars placed to create grids. The zanana reserved for women has stone screens that enable them to hear the prayers but be separated visually from the men. 

4. BISCUIT Galli

Walk for about 8 minutes from Jama Masjid, and you will find the entrance to Biscuit Galli across the road. This lane, as the name suggests is known for its bakery shops, and it leads to other markets like those for bamboo products.  The most iconic shop here is Hussaini Bakery, said to have opened 125 years ago.  The British posted in Ahmedabad patronized this place for rogani biscuits. Today, they are known for a variety of bakery items including their buttery khari biscuits.

You can get freshly baked naan breads at the bakeries, including khumas i.e. a rich bread made on traditional ovens.

5. TEEN Darwaja

A few minutes from the galli, Teen Darwaja is one of the most famous of the 12 gates that once provided the entry to the walled city of Ahmedabad. Teen Darwaja literally means Three Gates, and gets its name from its three arches with the central one being the largest. Don’t miss the highly decorated buttresses on the faces of piers between the arches that are about 25 feet high. Built by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1415, this gateway has jarokhas protruding at the top from where Mughal princes could watch processions in the 16^th century.

Maratha governor Chimnaji Raghunath inscribed a plaque on Teen Darwaza in 1812 declaring equal right to women in inheritance of ancestral property. 

The bazaar is surrounded by markets selling utensils and other goods today.

6. BHATIYAR Galli

About 500 metres from Teen Darwaja, you can see kebabs being made on the street side. This is the entrance to Bhatiyar Galli, a lane in Khas Bazaar i.e. known for its food.  Bhatiyaras are `bhatti-operators’ and they cook using large tawas and handis. People flock to this market to have tawa-fried brain, kidneys, liver, mutton pieces, fish and chicken cooked in bold spices. The smoky charcoal-grilled chicken called Murg Aangar is one of the specialties here, but you can also look for other items like haleem, biryani and curries. Some of the establishments have old ownership documents, even those dating to the British times.  Bera has been making samosas and kebabs here from 1928.

Near Bhatiyar Galli, you can visit the iconic New Irani Café that is more than 50 years old. This is a good place to sit for a mid-morning tea, maska bun and even meat dishes.

7. BHADHRA Fort

The  Bhadra  Plaza is frequented by visitors to Bhadhra Kali Temple – though Bhadra Kali was the patron Goddess of the Solanki Rajputs who ruled the villages of Ashawal and Karnavati before the Sultans built the walled city of Ahmedabad, this temple dates from Maratha times. The present day Bhadra Fort is a remnant of what was once the royal plaza of the Sultans. 

The Azam Khan Serai, to the left of the entrance, was built by Azam Khan in 1637 when he was appointed by the Mughal Emperors as their governor in Gujarat. The main gate holds a British clock. Colourful stalls of hawkers and small shops can be seen around the fort. You can find old book-shops and old institution buildings if you explore the area.

Samosas shop enroute. 

Near the fort, a little park has the statue of Chinubhai, a pioneer of Ahmedabad’s textile industry. He was titled the baronet by the British and even respected by Mahatma Gandhi who came to unveil the statue though he left Ahmedabad in 1930.  The art deco Ahmedabad Electricity Company building is seen at the intersection near the fort. 

8. SIDI SAIYED MOSQUE

A Siddi administrator built the mosque in the 1570s. It at the end of the Sultanate period and the beginning of the Mughal reign over Gujarat. The highlight of this mosque is a series of stunning jalis (intricate stone screens) that comprise much of the eastern façade, the best being the finely carved vine-and-palm tree of life that has become an enduring symbol of Ahmedabad. 

9. LUCKY Restaurant

Started in the 1950s as a tea place, Lucky expanded to become an eatery with sitting arrangements around old graveyards.  It has for long been known for it’s tea and maska bun with fresh white butter, and has also added popular items like South Indian snacks to its menu.  Its famous patron, the late M F Hussain who came here for tea during his visits to Ahmedabad gifted them his painting that hangs near the cash counter.

Though many patrons feel the standards of the food have slipped recently, Lucky is an icon because of its Hussain painting and the unusual seating among graves.

Lucky gets much patronage from the banks set around this area.  Those interested in modernist architecture, can look at the Central Bank of India building designed by Balkrishna Doshi near the restaurant.

10. HOUSE OF MG

Across the road, House of MG is an early-20^th century mansion complex of textile tycoons, Mangaldas Girdhardas and Chimanlal Girdhardas. The mansions were renovated and converted into a boutique luxury hotel reflecting the heritage of the buildings. 

If you are looking for lunch, they have two iconic restaurants – The Green House in the courtyard with an eclectic menu comprising Gujarati, North Indian, South Indian and some western dishes, and Agashiye upstairs for an elaborate Gujarati thali.

The Indo-European style building also has museum collections of textiles, jewellery and heirlooms.

Author Anil Mulchandani is an author, internationally published freelance writer and food critic. He was awarded Best Travel Writer by MP government, Culinary Trail Blazer  by International Hospitality Council, Heritage Preservation Award by Atulya Varso, and Vocational Service Award by Rotary. He publishes Culinary Entrepreneurs magazine and www.feamag.com website that offer free information about best practices for food entrepreneurs.

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Food is an important part of Indian Culture. eSamskriti had earlier shared What to Eat during a Heritage Walk in Jodhpur, Places to eat in Jaipur, Best Places to eat in Amritsar, Best Places to eat in Kolkata, Best things to eat in Lucknow during winter , Indore is a great place for Street food , Places to eat in Guwahati , There is more to Bihari food than LITTI CHOKHA and What to eat at Sarafa, Indore – Editor.  

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