Amdavad! Or, Ahmedabad! A city named after its founder Ahmed Shah! It is an imp0l1ant city ofIndia. It is chosen to be set up at the cross roads of not only the routes from North to South or Saurashtra, but also of nearly all the highways that crisscrossed across the country. Earlier it was also named after another founder ruler, Asha Bhil and was called Ashavalli or Ashaval. It marked, later, southern border of the kingdom of the Solanki ruler Raja Karnadev. It was situated en route to the southern region known as 'Lat Pradesh'. In order to make the victory over that rich area, Karnadev, the father of Siddharaj, occupied· this city and camped here. This enhanced its importance and it became almost another capital during his rule. That is why it came to be also called Karnavati after him. It is believed that Karnavati occupied the area beyond the present Jamalpur Darwaza and around the Calico Mills. While digging the foundation of some buildings of the Calico Mills, some pieces of old temples had been found.

After Karnadev and during the rule of Siddharaj the Jain minister Udayan Mehta who anived here as the Durgpal or Fort In Charge, developed the city a great deal. The trade and commerce flourished, several big buildings were constructed . and excellent Jain temples were also built in his time. The small town of Karnavati turned into a prosperous city. The population was mostly of Jains and Brahmans. The contribution of Jain community has been great in the development of the city since old times and even in the present times. This community has worked for the development of trade, commerce and industry here and made the city rich and wealthy. Due to their religious inclinations and charity a number of iristitutions and Jain temples have flourished in Ahmedabad. The famed Jain scholar and ascetic, Devchandrasuri had lived in Arishtanemipraasada temple of Karnavati. Also, Kalikalsarvagnya Hemchandracharya studied here and in modem times the great scholar of Jain Thought, Pandit Sukhlalaji, also lived and studied here. Udayan Mantri and another prominent Jain resident built the Udayvihar Jain temple that has 72 Jinalayas. The glory of this city in those days was something wonderful.

In the early 14th century the Rajput rule came to an end. The governor or Subas of Sultans of Delhi now began to rule over Gujarat and made Patan as their headquarters. Later on these governors asserted their independence from Delhi and set up their separate rule as Sultans of Gujarat. Ahmed Shah, the grandson of the first Sultan of Gujarat, keeping in mind the large and growing area of his kingdom, and Patan turning geographically away from its center, and also keeping in mind the movement of his armies and the trade routes that led allover India, chose the site near Karnvati, the old capital, as his new capital city. Thus in 1411 AD Patan lost its status as the capital of Gujarat and it was replaced by a new city. The site ran along the old structures of Karnavati on flat land and thus the city came up after a plan was drawn for it

The first brick of the first structure here was laid on 1st April 1411 AD by four most honored persons of the time at an auspicious moment. Thus the city has regiosity and purity in its very foundation. The first structure was the Bhadra Fort and the first Mosque was also built next to it. The Jumma Masjid came later

Foundation of Ahmedabad

For the founding of the city of Ahmedabad, permission was sought from Paygambar Al Khizr Khwaja through the saint of Sarkhej, Sheikh Ahmed Khattu Ganjbaksh. The conditions laid for this were most demanding. Four individuals with the name of Ahmed who have spent their-lives by the rules of the religion, and never missed one Namaj throughout their lives should hold the thread while the foundation stone was -being lowered. If this condition was fulfilled the city that was founded on it would -flourish and prosper, it was said. This strange condition was fulfilled. Among the four Ahmeds, the ruler was also added for he too was a religious and devout enough not to have missed any Namaj in his life. Sheikh Ahmed Khattu was the second such holy person. The third was Malik Ahmed (whose tomb is in Pathanwada at Kalupur) and the fourth was Kaji Ahmed whose tomb is in Patan.