Business Traveler, February 2015

48 n February 2015 Visit businesstravelerusa com n 4 Hours Peaceful spaces and havens for book lovers are among the notable discoveries to be found in this Gujarati city AHMEDABAD 1SABARMATI ASHRAM GANDHIS ASHRAM Start your tour of Gujarats largest city with a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram more frequently referred to as Gandhis ashram The Mahatma founded the ashram a spiritual hermitage in 1915 and moved it to this site on the banks of the River Sabarmati a short distance from the city center two years later He lived here for about 12 years and it was from here that he led a march to the coastal city of Dandi over 250 miles away in protest of the British Salt Law an event that was instrumental in helping India to gain independence Today Sabarmati Ashram is a museum with exhibits about Gandhis life including a photo gallery and an archive of his letters and journals and you can tour the his old living quarters A bookstore sells tomes on Gandhi in English that arent available outside the subcontinent Children play cricket on the ashrams grounds and you may even be asked to join in Open daily 8 30 AM 6 30 PM free entry Ashram Road Old Vadaj ghandiashramsabarmati org 2 JAMA MASJID For about Rs 150 250 you can hire an autorickshaw to take you the 4 miles from the ashram to the Jama Masjid Friday Mosque one of the citys most spectacular buildings Built in 1424 under the auspices of Ahmedabads founder Ahmed Shah the yellow sandstone structure blends traditional Indian aesthetics with Islamic structural design At its center is a 246 foot long courtyard while the huge prayer hall is flanked with 260 intricately carved columns that support 15 domed sections The interiors incorporate decorative elements and iconography usually associated with the Jain and Hindu faiths including lotus flowers and the Om symbol it is believed that the mosque was constructed using remnants of destroyed Hindu and Jain temples and the non Muslim symbols were likely pulled from these previous holy sites Both men and women should dress modestly ladies should cover their heads Open daily dawn dusk free admission Mahatma Gandhi Road 3 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DESIGN Grab an autorickshaw from the front of the Jama Masjid to take you to the National Institute of Design NID a 15 minute drive away As one of Indias premier arts schools the NID attracts the best and brightest budding designers in the country Its campus doubles as an open air art museum and there are displays showcasing the best of the students projects dotted around the campus Make sure you visit the gift shop where youll find a high quality selection of everything from handmade jewelry to unusual furniture all designed by the NIDs students faculty and alumni Open Mon Fri 9 00 AM 6 00 PM admission is free Bhagtacharya Road Paldi nid edu 4 ART BOOK CENTRE This family run bookstore about a five minute ride away is located on the first floor of a quaint old house and specializes in hard to find art and design 2 By Margot Bigg 3 1