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Dholka: A historical edifice
A journey to the ancient heritage town of Dholka in
Gujarat reveals a confluence of Hindu and Muslim
architecture. Did Lord Ram lose Sita here? Did the
legendary Pandavas sharpen their arrows here? Read on.
BY HARPREET KAUR
My journey to complete my book
on archaeology and gather first-hand information took me
to many ancient sites, including a place called Dholka
in Gujarat, approximately 40 km from Ahmedabad city on
the highway. It had a surprising number of old buildings
and one can draw the conclusion that this must have been
some place very important – archaeologists are said to
have discovered microliths, cherts of chalcedony, quartz
and agate from the Middle stone Age and Iron age tools
here. It was part of the Kheda district, till it was
surrendered by the Gaekwads to retrieve some of their
territory and was later incorporated into Ahmedabad
district during the British era. Battles were fought,
won and lost in and around this place.
FACT FILE
Dholka lies in the Ahmedabad
district of Gujarat, India, and is 40 km from there.
Catch a bus or hire a jeep/ car to visit the place.
It is worth the effort and an out-of-the-way place
too. Quiet and unassuming on the outside with a
fantastic collection of ancient buildings. Also,
read MUHAMMADAN ARCHITECTURE OF BHAROCH, CAMBAY,
DHOLKA, CHAMPANIR, AND MAHMUDABAD IN GUJARAT
[Archaeological Survey of Western India 6.] by James
Burgess, 1896. |
Regarded as the oldest
municipality in entire Gujarat, it has majestic mosques
(now in ruins) with tracery work, carvings and designs.
Dholka is also known to have an oilfield. Some monuments
here are called Pandav’s Pathshala and Ali Khan’s
mosque. There are mandapas and chattris in
Dholka, all marked by the ASI. The monuments here are a
mix – displaying both Hindu and Muslim architectural
styles. The layout is distinctly Muslim, but the
pillars, pilasters, beams and roofs have designs which
are distinctly Hindu. It can be easily called an
architect's paradise, for here, there is a lot to see,
understand and make sense.
Very close to the jungle, there
is a small lake, beside which Lord Ram is believed to
have rested and lost Sita. But the lake has a retaining
wall all around, with a sluice at west end and steps on
east and west side, leading down to the water.
Right next to the lake is the
Dholka idgah or main mosque, which has
mandapas on either side of its structure; in fact,
it covers a vast area. The mandapas are on both
sides, but they are certainly not very close. The mosque
towers around 200 ft high, with three massive domes
covering each hall. Stairs on either side from the
outside lead to the top of the structure and another to
the muezzin’s tower. The entire structure has been built
with bricks and limestone mortar. The doorway has
massive writings, praising the lord god and his prophet.
The back side of the mosque has
jalis made in limestone and an intricate design
work which surprises any visitor. The centre room has a
mimber or pedestal where the imam stands and lectures.
This is very high and made in marble, and is completely
intact. From here, even a soft spoken voice resounds in
the entire massive structure, approximately covering an
area of three halls each of over 100ft X 100 ft.
Each room has a spot which
demarcates the west, with a niche representing the Mecca
with small pilasters. Windows are high up in the wall to
let light and air in. Huge, plain and little design make
it one impressive and mysterious mosque. I have found no
reference to it anywhere in the history books except for
one at the Bombay University written by a British author
and the book was over a 100 years old (mentioned below).
Information available in the Web just says the area has
very interesting historic monuments, but no more. This
Dholka edifice is also called Ali Khan’s mosque or Alif
Khan’s mosque built around 11th century.
Within the premises of the
idgah fallen pillars, grave stones with intricate
pattern on all sides and broken chattris can be
found in the area close by. Paved ground just peeps
through the grass underneath. A chattri marks the
beginning and end of the mosque area. These are
reminiscent of those found in Rajasthan.
Close by, there are more
monuments which local people call Pandava’s Pathshala.
This is where the pandavas are supposed to have
practised and honed their war skills. There is a massive
fort-like structure enclosed on all sides, very
distinctly Hindu in architecture with four chattris
on four corners. There are battlements and guard
positions all around, with halls in the centre of this
structure or boundary wall, which is being used as the
mosque.
Entry to the place is
restricted, as it is a functioning mosque. The idgah,
in fact, is not used anymore; although not in a
dilapidated state, it has massive beehives which have
taken over the mosque from inside, and do not allow
entry to anyone except if you enter quietly and leave
quietly without disturbing them.
BY HARPREET KAUR |
