Sabarmati Aashram - Ahmedabad

 History and Story of Sabarmati Ashram

The Sabarmati Ashram is an ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation. Whose old name was Satyagraha Ashram. It is located on the banks of the Sabarmati near Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India. Since it was situated on the banks of the Sabarmati river, it was named Sabarmati Ashram.

History of Sabarmati Ashram

It was established in 1917 in Ahmedabad. Some time after the establishment of the Satyagraha Ashram, its name was changed to Sabarmati. On one side of the Sabarmati Ashram is the Central Jail and on the other side is the crematorium, yet one can be surprised to see the peace here. Mahatma Gandhi spent 12 years together with his wife in this ashram.

When Gandhiji returned after completing his studies from South Africa, he first established an ashram on May 15, 1915 at a place called Kochrab in Ahmedabad, which was named Satyagraha.

But after 2 years this ashram had to be shifted because Gandhi ji wanted that work like farming, animal husbandry, khadi should be done here but due to less space this ashram was shifted to the banks of Sabarmati river and it is named after this river. The name was kept Sabarmati. Mahatma Gandhi ji fought the freedom struggle in 1930 by staying in this ashram and also did Dandi march from here and broke the salt law after reaching Dandi.

When this ashram started, there was no proper living space here and the number of people living here was 40, but slowly everything changed and Sabarmati Ashram became bigger and people were not facing any problem in living here.

Mahatma Gandhi ji was about non-violence, self-restraint, truth and he wanted to change the country through social and economic revolution. By creating unity among the people there, Gandhi ji tried to improve the economic condition through khadi, charkha and rural work and tried to get freedom for the country only through non-violence. Due to which he also got success in that.

Sabarmati Ashram was made such a school in Gandhiji that considering agriculture, literacy and human labor as the center, he started talking about everything. After some time, when the freedom struggle progressed, Mahatma Gandhi took oath on March 12, 1930 and he said that I will not return to Sabarmati Ashram until India gets independence.

After a lot of struggle with Mahatma Gandhi and freedom fighters, India got independence on 15th August 1947 but Mahatma Gandhi died on 30th January 1948 and Gandhiji could never return to the ashram he had built.

Presently located places in Sabarmati

After the death of Mahatma Gandhi, the Sabarmati Ashram was converted into a museum in his memory. At present it is also known as Gandhi Memorial Museum. Different places of this ashram have been given different names which are as follows –

heart arch

This is the place of the ashram where Gandhi used to live which is in the center of the ashram. The name of this place was given by Hriday Kunj Kaka Saheb Kalekar. Gandhiji also started the Dandi march from here.

Nandini Guest House

The place where people coming to the ashram used to stay has been called Nandini Guest House. This is a guest house at a short distance from the ashram. Many great people have lived here like Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, C. Rajagopalachari, Rabidranath Tagore and many others have lived here.

prayer ground

The people living in this ashram used to start their suhab with prayer and this is the place where everyone used to pray everyday.

Vinoba- Meera Kutir

The name of a place in the Sabarmati Ashram is Vinoba-Mira Kutir. Its name was Vinoba Bhave and Gandhiji named his disciple Vinoba Bhave as Meera. Vinoba Bhave spent a few months in this ashram, hence the name of this place is Vinoba-Mira Kutir.

Udyog Mandir

This is the place in the ashram where Gandhi ji had set up charkhas to make Khadi clothes to practically change the economic situation. Along with Gandhiji, his followers also used to come here and spin the charkha and Gandhiji used to teach everyone to make Khadi clothes. On the same basis it was named Udyog Mandir.

tourist places

Sabarmati has now become a tourist destination, where about 7 lakh people come to visit every year. And this ashram remains open from 7 am to 8 pm. Here the spinning wheel used by Gandhiji is still preserved and the people coming here are shown all the things there.

All the things of Gandhiji's life have also been kept in this ashram. There is also a library in the Sabarmati Ashram, in which 34,000 manuscripts of Gandhiji, 6000 photo negatives and 200 photostat files have been kept. Also there are 35000 books in this library.

History of city palace - Jaipur

 History of City Palace, the pride of Jaipur city

City Palace - The City Palace is situated in the heart of the city of Jaipur, as well as the palace complex is also built on high hills, which is five miles to the south of the city of Amber.

The history of the City Palace is intertwined with the history of the city of Jaipur and its rulers, beginning with Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who ruled the city from 1699 to 1744.

The credit for the construction of the palace is first given to him, because he was the one who started the construction of the wall spreading over a lot of acres in the palace here.

Initially, the Maharaja ruled Jaipur from his city of Amber, which is located at a distance of 11 km from Jaipur.

But in 1727, due to the problem of population and lack of water in Amber, he made Jaipur his capital. According to Vastu Shastra, he had planned to divide this city into 6 different parts.

He did all this at the behest of his mentor Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali architect living in Nainital. Initially he was the account-clerk of the treasury of Amber and later the king made him the chief architect of the court.

After Jai Singh's death in 1957, the Rajputs of the region were at war with each other but maintained cordial relations with the British Raj.

Maharaja Ram Singh also sided with the British in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and established himself as the imperial ruler.

It is said that this is the reason for all the heritage of Jaipur being pink, according to the sources, according to the plans of the ruler, the city was named Pink City aka Pink City. Since then this color has become the trademark of the city of Jaipur.

Man Singh II, the adopted son of Maharaja Madho Singh II, was the last Maharaja of Jaipur, who ruled the Chandra Mahal of Jaipur. From the very beginning, this palace has become a place of residence of royal families, in fact, in 1949, despite joining the Indian Union of Jaipur Kingdom along with Rajasthan's Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner, the royal family lived here.

After this, Jaipur was made the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan and Man Singh II was made Rajpramukh and later he was also made India's ambassador to Spain.

The City Palace is located in the central-northeastern part of the city of Jaipur, whose complex is quite spread. Its complex is surrounded by many palaces, gardens, pavilions and temples. The most famous monuments inside the complex include Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and City Palace Museum.

City Palace Entrance gates

The main entrances to the City Palace include Virendra Pol, Uday Pol and Tripolia Gate. Out of which only the people of the royal family enter from the Tripolia Gate.

The general public and travelers are given entry inside the City Palace through Virendra Pol and Uday Pol or Atish Pol. After entering from Virendra Pol, it directly takes us to Mubarak Mahal. The entrance to the City Palace is adorned with ancient architecture.

Mubarak Mahal

Mubarak Mahal meaning 'Auspicious Palace', was built as a reception center by Maharaja Madho Singh II in the 19th century based on the ideas of Islamic, Rajput and European architectural styles.

It is a museum: in which the costumes of the royal family and their clothes, shawls, Kashmiri clothes, ancient sarees, etc. have been displayed. There is also a display of the clothes worn by Sawai Madho Singh I, which is 1.2 meters wide and weighs 250 kg and is said to have had 108 wives.

Pritam Niwas Chowk – Pritam Niwas Chowk

 This is the inner courtyard of the palace, from where we can Mahal. There are also four small gates, decorated with the theme of Hindu Gods.

These gates are mainly the North-Eastern Peacock Gate (Peacock motif is made on this gate) which also represents autumn and this gate is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the South-Eastern gate is the Lotus Gate, which represents the summer season. represents and this gate is dedicated to Lord Shiva-Parvati, the north-west gate is the green gate, also known as Laheriya and this gate is dedicated to Lord Ganesha and the last gate is the Gulab Dwar which is dedicated to the goddesses and this last The shape of flowers has also been made on the door.

Diwan-e-Khas

The Diwan-i-Khas is an enchanting hall, whose ceilings are decorated in rich red and gold colors, which still seem alive to us today. This is the main attraction of the Mubarak Mahal complex.

This room is currently being used as an art gallery, displaying many ancient Rajasthani, Mughal and Persian paintings, ancient inscriptions and Kashmiri carpets.

Its ceiling is also beautifully decorated. Ancient Manusmrutis are also displayed in this art gallery. Also, in this art gallery, we also get to see the royal throne (Takht-e-Rawal), which used to be the chair of the Maharaja during public audiences.

When the Maharaja used to travel outside the palace, he used to ride on his elephant accompanied by his horse riders and he was also accompanied by a palanquin holder. Two huge elephants are made of marble stones at the entrance of this hall.

Diwan-i-Aam

The Diwan-i-Aam is a hall of public audience. The surface of this hall is decorated with marble. Along with this, there is also a 1.6 meter high silver vessel, which has a capacity of 4000 liters and weighs about 340 kg. These were made by melting 14000 silver coins without stitching them.

His name also holds the record of being the world's largest silver vessel. These pots were made by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, who was a pious Hindu.

He made these pots to carry water from the Ganges to drink during his visit to England in 1901, because according to him, if he consumed English water, his Hindu religion would be corrupted. After this the name of these utensils was also named Gangajali.

There are also many chandeliers decorated with crystals, which hang on the ceiling of Diwan-i-Aam, which are often decorated on many festivals at present. (At present they are covered with cloth due to damage from dust.)

Chandra Mahal

Chandra Mahal or Chandra Niwas is the most famous building of the City Palace, which is built at the western end of the palace.

It is a seven-storied building and each floor is named differently, such as Pitam-Niwas, Sukh-Niwas, Rang-Mandir, Shri-Niwas, Chabi-Niwas, and Mukut-Mandir or Mukut-Mahal. . There are many attractive paintings, mirrors and walls in this palace.

At present, only the ancient followers of the Jaipur rulers live in this palace. Travelers are allowed to go here only on the lower floor, where a museum is built, in which we see many things related to the royal family.building,

While entering the palace, there is also a beautiful peacock gate here. Also, there are many beautiful balconies in the palace, from where we can see the charming and exquisite form of Jaipur city.

Govind Devji Temple – Govind Dev Ji temple

Govind Devji Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shri Krishna, which is built in the city complex. It was built in the beginning of the 18th century. In this temple we also get to see European chandeliers and Indian paintings. The ceilings of the temple are decorated with gold ornaments.

It is built at such a place that we can directly see the Maharaja from the Chandra Mahal complex here. Here the devotees see the deity only seven times in a day while performing the aarti.

Maharani Mahal

Actually Maharani Mahal used to be the residence of the royal queens. But later it was converted into a museum, where the weapons used during the imperial war are kept, some of which were also used in the 15th century.

Unique frescoes have been done on the ceilings of this room, which are decorated with dust of jewels. The main weapons displayed here mainly include scissors – functional scissors.

Other weapons displayed in the hall include a sword with a pistol attached, which is said to have been gifted by Queen Victoria to Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh.

Baggi food - Bhaggi Khana

Baggi Khana is also built in the palace complex of the City Palace, which is a museum. Antique carriages, palanquins and European taxis are on display here.

The attractive buggy was presented to the Maharaja by the Prince of Wales in 1876, also known as the Victoria Buggy.

Other items displayed here include Mahadol, which is a palanquin made of bamboo and this palanquin was used to carry the priests from one place to another. Also, this palanquin was used for Hindu deities during Rath Yatra.

Rani ki vav - Patan

 Famous for its amazing artwork and unique structure "Rani ki Vav"             

                Rani ki Vav, famous worldwide for its amazing structure and unmatched beauty, is located in Patan village of Gujarat city of India. It is one of the oldest and historical heritage of India. Built on the banks of Saraswati river in Gujarat, this is a grand step well, whose building is seven storeyed.

      The only one of its kind step well "Rani ki Vav" is surrounded by very attractive artifacts and sculptures from all sides. This historical stepwell was built by his wife Rani Udayamati in the memory of King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty in the 11th century. This stepwell situated on the banks of Saraswati river has also been included in the list of World Heritage by UNESCO in the year 2014 because of its amazing and huge structure.

           This in itself is its unique and unique structure, which is slightly different from underground water sources. More than 500 sculptures are displayed in a splendid manner inside this huge historical structure. This historical stepwell has also been printed on the new note of 100 rupees issued by RBI in the year 2018, so let's know about the history of this stepwell famous all over the world and interesting facts related to it - 

Brief information about Rani Ki Vav at a glance - Rani Ki Vav Information

Where is located Patan district, Gujarat (India)

When was the construction done in 1063 AD

Who got the construction done Rani Udaymati (Queen of Solanki dynasty)

Architecture Maru-Gurjara architectural style

Type Cultural, Stepwell

World Heritage Site by UNESCO 22 June 2014

      

 Construction of Rani Ki Vav and its history – Rani Ki Vav History     

This huge Rani ki Vav, famous all over the world for its unique architectural style, is located in Patan city of Gujarat. This grand stepwell was built by Udayamati, the wife of Bhimdev, the ruler of the Solanki dynasty, in the memory of her late husband in the 10th-11th centuries. Around 1022 to 1063, this 7-storey stepwell was built.

Let us tell you that Bhimdev, the ruler of the Solanki dynasty, ruled Vadnagar Gujarat from 1021 to 1063 AD. Built at a distance of about 140 kilometers from Ahmedabad, this historical heritage queen's Vav is considered a symbol of love.

It is believed that this unique stepwell was built for proper management of water, as the rainfall in this area is very less, while according to some folklore, Queen Udayamati built it with the aim of earning merit by providing water to the needy people. This huge stepwell was constructed.

This huge step-shaped stepwell situated on the banks of the Saraswati River was gradually buried under the debris of mud and mud due to the floods in this river for many years, after which the Archaeological Survey of India restored this structure in the 80s. Excavated the place. After a lot of digging, this stepwell came in front of the whole world.

And the good thing is that even after being buried in the debris for years, the sculptures and craftsmen of Rani Ki Vav were found in very good condition. 

Amazing design and structure of Rani Ki Vav – Rani Ki Vav Architecture

"Rani Vav" located in Gujarat is a unique example of 11th century architecture. This stepwell has been constructed using the Maru-Gurjar architectural style. This unique specimen of this water harvesting system has been designed in such a way that it best reflects the intricacy of the proper technique of water harvesting, the exquisite craftsmanship of details and proportions.

The entire structure of this grand stepwell with stairs is situated below the ground level, which is about 64 meters in length, about 20 meters in width, while it is 27 meters deep. It is one of the oldest and wonderful monuments of its time. The walls of this step well have been carved with exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful sculptures. 

Along with this, the excellent figures made on the steps of this huge stepwell fascinate the tourists coming here. Let us tell you that from its entrance to its depth, this unique step well is fully equipped with excellent craftsmanship. The amazing structure and unique craftsmanship of this huge stepwell is unique in itself.

The most important thing is that this stepwell is in very good condition due to being cut off from the outside world.

Sculptures and artefacts of the stepwell related to Lord Vishnu: 

Beautiful sculptures and amazing carvings of artifacts have been done on the walls of this unique step well with seven storeys. There are more than 500 big idols in this unique stepwell, while there are more than 1 thousand small idols. The idols of Lord Vishnu's Dashavatars have been engraved in a very attractive way in this stepwell designed in the form of a temple.

Here the artworks of Narasimha, Vamana, Ram, Varahi, Krishna and other major incarnations of Lord Vishnu have been engraved. Apart from this, the artwork of all the gods and goddesses including Mata Lakshmi, Parvati, Lord Ganesha, Brahma, Kuber, Bhairav and Surya can also be seen in this huge stepwell.

Apart from this, 16 adornments of the Indian woman have been depicted in a traditional manner very splendidly on this grand stepwell. Not only this, wonderful statues of some snake girls are also seen inside this stepwell. This historic 'Rani ki Vav', printed in a 100 rupee note, has a pillared corridor at each level, which connects the walls on both sides of it.

While standing in this attractive corridor, one can take a view of the amazing stairs of Rani ke Vav. This unique stepwell of its type has been molded in the shape of an urn. The geometrical and sketches made on the walls of this wonderful stepwell are made on sight.        

 Rani Ki Vav Step Well

The world famous Rani ki Vav situated on the banks of the Saraswati River in Gujarat has a deep well at the topmost level, which can be seen from above. Stairs have been made to go deep inside this well, but if you look at it from top to bottom, it looks like some chamber coming out of the walls, which was never used before to keep some kind of object etc. was used for.

The most special thing about this unique stepwell is that on going inside the deep well of this step, one can see the wonderful idol of Lord Vishnu lying on the bed, seeing which the tourists who come here get overwhelmed and worship it with religious faith. Also seen by adding.

Rani Ki Vav World Heritage Site

Due to its unique craftsmanship, wonderful texture and its magnificence, this seven-storey historic and huge stepwell has been included in the list of World Heritage in the year 2014 by UNESCO, its World Heritage Site, due to the use of underground water and excellent water management.

Some interesting facts related to Rani Ki Vav – Facts About Rani Ki Vav

This historical stepwell "Rani ki Vav" located in Patan, Gujarat is the only stepwell in the world, which was included in the World Heritage Site due to its amazing structure and unique texture and historical importance. Not only this, this world-famous Vavdi is also a proof of how excellent and magnificent the water management system was in ancient India.

Considered a symbol of love, this huge stepwell was built around 10-11th century by Queen Udayamati of Solanki dynasty in the memory of her late husband Bhimdev Solanki (founder of Solanki dynasty).

It is also said about this stepwell located on the banks of Saraswati river that due to floods for many years, this stepwell slowly got buried in mud, sand and mud debris and then in the last years of 80s Indian The Archaeological Survey Department (ASI) excavated this place completely, this step well came in front of the whole world and the special thing is that despite being buried in the debris for many years, the idols and craftsmen of this grand queen's stepwell are in better condition. meet.

Built in Maru-Gurjar architectural style, this stepwell is about 64 meters high, 20 meters wide and about 27 meters deep, which is spread over an area of about 6 acres. It is one of the largest and grandest structures of its type.

There is also a small gate under the world-famous step well, inside which there is a tunnel about 30 kilometers long, which opens in Siddhpur of Patan. It is believed that this mysterious tunnel opens at Siddhpur in Patan. Earlier, this secret route was used by the king and his family in war and difficult situations. At present, this tunnel was closed with mud and stones.

This stepwell of Gujarat, famous all over the world for its unique structure and amazing texture, is an excellent example of underground water resources and storage system.

The most historical and interesting fact about the world famous Rani ki Vav is that about 50-60 years ago there were many types of Ayurvedic plants around this stepwell, due to which the water collected in Rani ki Vav was very beneficial for fever, viral diseases etc. It was considered good. At the same time, there is also a belief about this stepwell that diseases do not spread by bathing in this water.

Due to its amazing texture and grandeur, this unique stepwell located in Patan, Gujarat has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List on June 22, 2014.

Inside this 11th-century architectural masterpiece, there are many artefacts and beautiful sculptures related to Lord Vishnu inside. There are many idols built here in the form of Dashavatar of Lord Vishnu, mainly of which Narasimha, Kalki Ram, Vamana, Krishna Varahi and other main avatars are also included. Apart from this, idols of many gods and goddesses including Maa Durga, Lakshmi, Lord Ganesha, Shiva, Brahma ji, Surya have been made in this grand stepwell.

The Rani ki Vav located in Gujarat has more than 500 huge sculptures and more than a thousand smaller ones carved very brilliantly on the stones. The craftsmanship and carvings of the walls and pillars of this step well attract the tourists coming here.

The fourth floor of this 7-storey stepwell is the deepest, one of which leads to a rectangular tank of 9.4 meters to 9.5 meters.

In this unique stepwell, which is included in the list of World Heritage, the traditional Solah Shringar of Indian women has also been displayed in a very spectacular way through sculptures.

Two idols made in the 11th and 12th centuries were also stolen in this wonderful stepwell, famous all over the world for its unique sculpture, one of these idols was of Ganapati and the other of Brahma-Brahmrani.

This seven-storey stepwell was built mainly for the proper management of drinking water, although there are many folklores behind its construction, according to one of which, Queen Udayamati got this huge stepwell built because she She wanted to earn virtue and religion by giving water to the needy people.

In this unique seven-storied stepwell, earlier there were 7 rows of stairs, out of which 2 have disappeared.

The Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for the maintenance of this historical stepwell. This grand Rani ki Vav is located in the earthquake prone area of Gujarat, so Indian archeology has to be alert all the time regarding its disaster management.

Famous for its artwork, this huge historical stepwell has been awarded the "Cleanest Iconic Place" award at the Indian Sanitation Conference held in Delhi in the year 2016.

In the year 2016, at the Indian Cleanliness Convention, this grand Rani ki Vav located in Patan, Gujarat got the status of India's cleanest and most prestigious place.

In July 2018, RBI has printed this unique model of water harvesting system on its new 100 rupee note.