New Delhi: Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat is a vibrant place where people from different communities live in harmony. The city is home to a rich culture and wonderful architecture, which draws thousands of travelers every year to the place. The city has several important historical places and they offer an unique experience to its visitors. The Sarkhej Roza is one of the prominent landmarks in the city and it is a must-see place in Ahmedabad, offering spirituality and serenity. Once, eminent Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier visited Sarkhej Roza and he compared it to the Acropolis of Athens.
The history of Sarkhej Roza: A prominent centre of Sufi culture once upon a time
When Sultan Ahmad Shah founded the city of Ahmedabad, Sarkhej was a village with a population consisting of weavers and indigo-dyers who were predominantly Hindu. It became associated with Shaikh Ahmed Khattu Ganj Bakhsh, who was a friend and adviser of Ahmad Shah I, the ruler of the Gujarat Sultanate from 1411 until his death in 1442.
During the last few years of his life, Bakhsh went to Sarkhej to lead a quiet life away from the city and he passed away there in 1445. The next ruler, Muhammad Shah II ordered the construction of a mausoleum in his honour and also a mosque. In 1451, the construction of these two monuments came to an end. The next sultan, Mahmud Begada built the Sarkhej Lake around the tomb and expanded the complex by excavating a central tank and adding several pavilions. It turned Sarkhej into a place of repose and the royal family’s summer resort. Also, he built a mausoleum for himself and his family right opposite Ganj Baksh’s tomb where his son Muzzaffar II and his queen Rajabai were buried.
The architecture of Sarkhej Roza
The elegant, though dilapidated buildings of of Sarkhej Roza cluster around a great tank. Its complex is elegant and unique and is an example of the region’s early Islamic architectural culture. The architecture of Sarkhej Roza is a fusion of Islamic style influenced by Persia with Hindu and Jain features which forms the “Indo-Saracenic” architectural style, something which would be later popularised by the Mughal architectures. Hindu craftsmanship and construction know-how was overlaid on Islamic sense of geometry and scale. In 2001, the place was damaged by earthquake and the Archaeological Survey of India restored it. Today, the complex is a Monument of National Importance.
Sarkhej Roza, a significant landmark in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is a stunning architectural complex blending Islamic, Hindu, and Jain styles. Founded as a mausoleum for Shaikh Ahmed Khattu Ganj Bakhsh, a friend of Sultan Ahmad Shah I, it later became a royal summer resort under Mahmud Begada. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
