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| Moti Shahi Mahal, Ahmedabad, GJ planetgujarat.com |
Above image: Moti Shahi Mahal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The palace is now a government museum .The museum showcases artefacts and belongings of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to give glimpse in his life. The multimedia halls shed light on Sardar's life through interactive exhibits. The main attraction is 3D light, sound and laser show which shows journey of our country through Vedic period, Mughal Era, British domination to free India...........
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| Moti Shahi Mahal, Ahmedabad, GJ Gujarat tourism.com |
The city of Ahmedabad has numerous monuments, most of them were made with fine Indo Islamic architecture. Besides the gates of this city, tourists never fail to visit the Moti Shahi palace built by ruler Shah Jahan. Owned by the Indian government it is a memorial to Sardar Patel, a great freedom fighter from this state.
The Moti Shahi Mahal, a historical palace in Ahmedabad on the banks of the Sabarmati river, Gujarat built by Mogul emperor Shahjahan between 1618 and 1622 is located in Shahibaug, Set in the midst of a well-kept garden, it houses the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (since 1980) National Memorial. Patel was a great and an impeccable patriot and soon after partition of India in 1947, he played a vital role in getting the numerous princely states of India to join the Indian union
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| Interior Moti Mahal, Sardar Patel Museum, Ahmedabad tripnetra.com. |
Emperor Shah Jahan built the palace between 1616 to 1622 with a dual purposes: To build a retreat for him and to alleviate his subjects in this area that was reeling under the severe famine. His generosity helped the poor a lot. The Shahibaug garden attached to the palace with lots of shadow producing trees helped the residents in the palace a lot during the hot summer. A century later the water courses were not in good condition but still the bagh was attractive with so many trees forming big canopy over them and keeping the surrounding place cool. For unknown reasons, Shah Jahan, then the governor of this area shifted his residence to his Bhadra Palace.
During the colonial rule government offices were functioning in Moti Mahal. Later in the mid 19th century, it became the official residence of the British Resident in Ahmedabad. After independence in 1947, this place was converted into Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor of Gujarat. In 1975, decision was made to house a memorial for Sardar Patel.
Moti Mahal is a fine piece of Mogul style architecture. The literary figure James Douglas made a comparison between Moti Mahal and the Taj and said the former is a bud and the latter is a starter for his Taj Mahal.
Moti Shahi Mahal is constructed with red, brown and white sandstone. The palace is a unique piece of construction, The walls of the building are covered with a white stucco work shining like a quality marble. The ceiling is painted in small compartments with much taste. There are 8 small octagonal rooms, four below and many above with independent stairs to each. They are linked to the angular recess. The salon is spacious quite matching the lofty palace's majesty and royal look.
https://www.ahmedabadonline.in/city-guide/moti-shahi-mahal-ahmedabad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardar_Vallabhbhai_Patel_National_Memoria
www.mericity.com/place/Gujarat/Ahmedabad/859/Sardar_Vallabhbhai_Patel_National_Memorial
