Ahmedabad

In 1487,

During the period of

The

Following independence and the partition of India in 1947, the city was scarred by the intense communal violence that broke out between Hindus and Muslims in 1947. Ahmedabad was the focus of settlement by Hindu migrants from Pakistan,^[54] who expanded the city's population and transformed its demographics and economy.

By 1960, Ahmedabad had become a metropolis with a population of slightly under half a million people, with classical and colonial European-style buildings lining the city's thoroughfares.^[55] It was chosen as the capital of Gujarat after the partition of the State of Bombay on 1 May 1960.^[56] During this period, a large number of educational and research institutions were founded in the city, making it a centre for higher education, science, and technology.^[57] Ahmedabad's economic base became more diverse with the establishment of heavy and chemical industry during the same period. Many countries sought to emulate India's economic planning strategy and one of them, South Korea, copied Ahmedabad's second "Five-Year Plan".^[58] Post independence Ahmedabad has seen development in manufacturing and infrastructure.^[59][60]

In the late 1970s, the capital shifted to the newly built city of

The 2008 Ahmedabad bombings, a series of seventeen bomb blasts, killed and injured several people.^[66] The terrorist group Harkat-ul-Jihad claimed responsibility for the attacks.^[67]

Ahmedabad is one of few cities in India that has hosted the premiers of major economies such as the US, China, and Canada. On 24 February 2020, President Donald Trump became the first US president to visit the city. The event was named Namaste Trump. Earlier, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the city.^[68][69][70]

Demographics

Population

Population census

Year Pop. ±% 1872 119,762 —     1881 127,621 +6.6% 1891 148,412 +16.3% 1901 185,889 +25.3% 1911 216,777 +16.6% 1921 274,007 +26.4% 1931 313,789 +14.5% 1941 595,210 +89.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1951 842,643 +41.6% 1961 1,156,788 +37.3% 1971 1,750,134 +51.3% 1981 2,534,641 +44.8% 1991 3,324,197 +31.2% 2001 4,488,237 +35.0% 2011 5,633,927 +25.5%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Source: Census of India

City population increased by 23.43% from 4,519,000 as of the

Estimated population of Ahmedabad city is 7,692,000 while that of the urban agglomeration area is 8,772,000 as of 2023.[71] The 2021 census of India has been delayed to 2024-25 and the deadline to freeze administrative boundaries has been extended to 1 January 2024.^[75]

Poverty

In the mid-1970s and early 1980s, the textile mills that were responsible for much of Ahmedabad's wealth faced competition from automation and domestic specialty looms. Several mills closed down, leaving between 40,000 and 50,000 people without a source of income, and many moved into informal settlements in the city centre. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the governing and administrative body of the city, simultaneously lost much of its tax base and saw an increased demand for services. In the 1990s, newly emerging pharmaceutical, chemical, and automobile manufacturing industries required skilled labor, so many migrants seeking work ended up in the informal sector and settled in slums.^[76]

Ahmedabad has made efforts to reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of poor residents. The urban poverty rate has declined from 28% in 1993–1994 to 10% in 2011–2012.^[76] This is partly due to the strengthening of the AMC and its partnership with several civil society organizations (CSOs) representing poor residents. Through projects and programs, the AMC has provided utilities and basic services to slums. However, some challenges remain, and there are still many residents who lack access to sanitation, clean running water, and electricity. Riots, often rooted in religious tensions, threaten the stability of neighborhoods and have caused spatial segregation across religious and caste lines. There remains to be seen a concerted effort to balance pro-poor, inclusive development with national initiatives that aim to create 'global cities' that are the focus of capital investment and technological innovation.

Informal housing and slums

As of 2011, about 66% of the population lives in formal housing, with the other 34% living in slums or chawls, which are tenements for industrial workers. There are approximately 700 slum settlements in Ahmedabad and 11% of the total housing stock is public housing. The population of Ahmedabad has increased while the housing stock has remained generally constant, and this has led to a rise in density of both formal and informal housing and a more economical usage of existing space. The Indian census estimates that the Ahmedabad slum population was 25.6% of the total population in 1991 and had decreased to 4.5% in 2011, but these numbers are contested and local entities maintain that the census underestimates informal populations. There is a consensus that there has been a reduction in the percentage of the population that lives in slum settlements, and that there has also been a general improvement in living conditions for slum residents.^{[76][needs update?]}

Slum Networking Project

In the 1990s, the AMC faced increased slum populations. They found that residents were willing and able to pay for legal connections to water, sewage, and electricity, but because of tenure issues, they were paying higher prices for low-quality, informal connections. To address this, beginning in 1995, the AMC partnered with civil society organizations to create the Slum Networking Project (SNP) to improve basic services in 60 slums, benefitting approximately 13,000 households.^[76] This project, also known as Parivartan (Change), involved participatory planning in which slum residents were partners alongside AMC, private institutions, microfinance lenders, and local NGOs. The goal of the program was to provide both physical infrastructure (including water supply, sewers, individual toilets, paved roads, storm drainage, and tree planting) and community development (i.e. the formation of resident associations, women's groups, community health interventions, and vocational training).^[77] In addition, participating households were granted a minimum de facto tenure of ten years. The project cost a total of ₹4,350 million. Community members and the private sector each contributed ₹600 million, NGOs provided ₹90 million, and the AMC paid for the rest of the project.^[77] Each slum household was responsible for no more than 12% of the cost of upgrading their home.^[76]

This project has generally been regarded as a success. Having access to basic services increased the residents' working hours, since most work out of their homes. It also reduced the incidence of illness, particularly water-borne illness, and increased children's rates of school attendance.^[78] The SNP received the 2006 UNHABITAT Dubai International Award for Best Practice to Improve the Living Environment.^[79] However, concerns remain about the community's responsibility and capacity for the maintenance of the new infrastructure. Additionally, trust was weakened when the AMC demolished two of slums that were upgraded as part of SNP to create recreational parks.^[76]

Religion and ethnicity

According to the 2011 census,

• The Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Mirzapur is the cathedral of the Diocese of Ahmedabad.^[81][82]
• Most of the residents of Ahmedabad are native
  Jewish community.^[84] There is also one synagogue in the city.^[85]

Religious group	1891[86]
	Pop.	%
Hinduism	102,619	69.14%
Islam	30,946	20.85%
Jainism	12,747	8.59%
Christianity	1,031	0.69%
Zoroastrianism	723	0.49%
Animism	156	0.11%
Judaism	153	0.1%
Other	37	0.02%
Total population	148,412	100%

Geography

Ahmedabad lies in

There are nine bridges on the river Sabarmati that connect the eastern and western regions.

The Sabarmati Riverfront is a waterfront area being developed along the banks of the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, India. Proposed in the 1960s, its construction began in 2005, and it opened in 2012.^[101]

Climate

Ahmedabad has a

Some of the most visited gardens in the city include Law Garden, Victoria Garden, and Bal Vatika. Law Garden was named after the College of Law located nearby. Victoria Garden is located at the southern edge of the Bhadra Fort and contains a statue of Queen Victoria. Bal Vatika is a children's park situated on the grounds of Kankaria Lake and houses an amusement park. Other gardens in the city include Parimal Garden, Usmanpura Garden, Prahlad Nagar Garden, and Lal Darwaja Garden.^[125] Ahmedabad's Kamla Nehru Zoological Park houses a number of endangered species including flamingoes, caracals, Asiatic wolves, and chinkara.^[126]

The

Looking at the health of traffic police staff deployed near the Pirana dump site, the Ahmedabad City Police is going to install outdoor air purifiers at traffic points so that the deployed staff can breathe fresh air.^[136]

• 
  Sidi Saiyyed Mosque
• 
  A marble screen from the exterior of the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque
• 
  Jama Mosque
• 
  Hutheesing Jain Derasar main entrance
• 
  Old Ahmedabad
• 
  Sabarmati Riverfront
• 
  Kankaria Lake, Ahmedabad

Civic administration

Ahmedabad is the administrative headquarters of

The city is divided into seven zones constituting 48 wards.[140]^[141] The city's urban and suburban areas are administered by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA).

• The city is represented by two elected members of parliament in the
  Vidhan Sabha
  (state legislative assembly).
• The Gujarat High Court is located in Ahmedabad, making the city the judicial capital of Gujarat.^[142]
• Law enforcement and public safety is maintained by the
  Police Commissioner, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.^[143]

• Health services are primarily provided at
  Ahmedabad civil hospital, the largest civil hospital in Asia.^[144]
• Electricity is generated and distributed by Torrent Power Limited, which is owned and operated by the Ahmedabad Electricity Company (a previously state-run corporation).^[145] Ahmedabad is one of the few cities in India where the power sector is privatised.^[146]

Culture

Ahmedabad is known for its rich architecture, traditional housing designs, community-oriented settlement patterns, urban structure, as well as its unique crafts and mercantile culture.

There are many restaurants, which serve Indian and international cuisines. Most of food outlets serve only vegetarian food, as there exists a strong tradition of vegetarianism that has been maintained by the city's Jain and Hindu communities over centuries.[153] The first all-vegetarian Pizza Hut in the world opened in Ahmedabad.^[154] KFC has a separate staff uniform for serving vegetarian items and prepares vegetarian food in a separate kitchen,^[155][156] as does McDonald's.^[157][158] Ahmedabad has a number of restaurants serving typical Mughlai non-vegetarian food in older areas like Bhatiyar Gali, Kalupur and Jamalpur.^[159] Manek Chowk is an open square near the centre of the city that functions as a vegetable market in the morning and a jewellery market in the afternoon. However, it is best known for becoming a vast congregation of food stalls in the evening, which sell local street food. It is named after the Hindu saint Baba Maneknath.^[160]

Art & Crafts

Parts of Ahmedabad are known for their folk art. The artisans of Rangeela pol make tie-dyed bandhinis, while the cobbler shops of Madhupura sell traditional mojdi (also known as mojri) footwear. Idols of the Hindu deity Ganesha and other religious icons are made in large numbers by artisans in the Gulbai Tekra area. In 2019, there was a surge in demand for eco-friendly idols due to increased awareness surrounding the effects of submerging the traditional plaster-of-paris idols in the Sabarmati river.^[161] The shops at the Law Garden sell mirrorwork handicrafts.^[125]

Three main literary institutions were established in Ahmedabad for the promotion of Gujarati literature: Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad and Gujarat Sahitya Sabha. Saptak School of Music festival is held in the first week of the new year. This event was inaugurated by Ravi Shankar.^[162][163]

The

The Shreyas Foundation has four museums on its campus. The Shreyas Folk Museum (Lokayatan Museum) has art forms and artefacts from various Gujarati communities. The Kalpana Mangaldas Children's Museum has a collection of toys, puppets, dance and drama costumes, coins, and a repository of recorded music from traditional shows from all over the world. Kahani houses photographs of fairs and festivals of Gujarat. Sangeeta Vadyakhand is a gallery of musical instruments from India and other countries.^{[168][169][170]}

The L. D. Institute of Indology houses 76,000 hand-written Jain manuscripts with 500 illustrated versions and 45,000 printed books, making it the largest collection of Jain scripts, Indian sculptures, terracottas, miniature paintings, cloth paintings, painted scrolls, bronzes, woodwork, Indian coins, textiles and decorative art, paintings of Rabindranath Tagore, and art of Nepal and Tibet.^[171] The N. C. Mehta Gallery of Miniature Paintings has a collection of ornate miniature paintings and manuscripts from all over India.^[172]

In 1949, the

Primary and secondary education

Schools in Ahmedabad are either run publicly by the AMC, or privately by entities, trusts, and corporations. The majority of schools are affiliated with the

Several institutions of higher education with a focus on engineering, management, and design are located in Ahmedabad.^[citation needed] Among the universities in Ahmedabad, Gujarat University is a collegiate university established in 1949^[174] and has 286 affiliated colleges, 22 recognized institutions, and 36 postgraduate departments.^[175] Indira Gandhi National Open University, commonly known as IGNOU is a public university in India and having an active regional centre in Ahmedabad region to offer 290 ODL programs and 40+ online programs to the students lives in the city. ^[176] Other state universities in the city include Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University,^[177] Gujarat Technological University,^[178] and Kaushalya Skill University.^[179] Gujarat Vidyapith, located near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 and became a deemed university in 1963.^[180]

Private universities located in the city include Ahmedabad University,^[181] CEPT University (formerly Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology),^[182] Indus University,^[183] Nirma University,^[184] GLS University,^[185] and Silver Oak University.^[186] Two Institutes of National Importance are located in the city—Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad^[187] and National Institute of Design.^[188]

Other institutions located in the city include the Physical Research Laboratory, which was established in 1947 by the physicist and astronomer Vikram Sarabhai.^[189] It is an autonomous research institute under the Department of Space with a focus on research in astronomy, experimental and theoretical physics, and earth sciences.^[189] The Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (ATIRA), registered in 1947, is an autonomous, non-profit association engaged in operational and applied research in the textile industry.^[190]

Media

Newspapers in Ahmedabad include English dailies such as

The gross domestic product of Ahmedabad was estimated at $64 billion in 2014.