Ailsa’s theme for this week is Architecture and I very nearly missed it. For this theme I’ve chosen to showcase the architecture of the old city of Ahmedabad, or the ‘walled city’ as it is called because it lies within the walls of the old fort . The walls now hardly exist but efforts are being made to preserve the city within, as Heritage. The unique thing about this part of the city is the ‘Pol’ system of housing. People of a community or religion lived within a cluster of homes with a common central area and a gate or ‘pol’ that enclosed that particular colony. Of particular interest are the different types of architecture visible here, and the carved wooden brackets. The pols were self sufficient, as they had their own wells and rain water harvesting systems, a proper sewage system and their places of worship.
The old ( and the first) Swaminarayan temple
The temple gate
old buildings with carved wooden balconies and brackets
The old stock exchange building
Some wooden brackets
A ‘chabutara’ or a bird feeder
Some doors
