Every Sunday, the crowd of devotees coming to pray at the Bhadrakali Mandir inside the Bhadra Fort, the city centre of ancient Ahmedabad, swells. Adjacent to the temple is the Government Book Depot, housed in a Mughal-style building with a magnificent 18-foot-high entrance and Persian epigraphy carved inside the gate’s recess. This building is what remains of Azam Khan Sarai.
Built in 1637, the caravanserai, known as ‘the house of virtue and beneficence’, was commissioned by the then viceroy of Gujarat, Azam Khan. In M S Commissariat’s A History of Gujarat (1957), he says the Sarai, “along with the Shahi Bagh Palace, is one of the few secular architectural monuments in Ahmedabad”.
After the British government took over Ahmedabad in 1817, this structure was converted into a central prison for nearly a century. Eventually, it was transformed into government offices such as the Government Book Depot, offices of the joint director (Vigilance), Scheduled Castes welfare department, and the Archaeological Survey of India.
The building consists of a central block 240 feet long and 210 feet wide, with extensions on the north and south sides. The captivating entrance leads into an artistic octagonal hall. Above the hall is a projecting gallery in front of a low balcony made of open-cut stone.
The Sarai, an inn built for travellers, was repurposed as an arsenal during the later period of Mughal rule in the middle of the 18th century. After the British government took over Ahmedabad in 1817, this structure was converted into a central prison for nearly a century. Eventually, it was transformed into government offices such as the Government Book Depot, offices of the joint director (Vigilance), Scheduled Castes welfare department, and the Archaeological Survey of India.
Today, the grand entrance of the Sarai is often taken over by hawkers and two-wheelers parked by visitors to the temple or nearby shops. Several carts and stalls have been set up in front of the entrance, making the Sarai appear worn out compared to the well-maintained Bhadra Fort.
Samabhai, a tea shop owner resting under the entrance gate, said, “I have been running the tea stall opposite the Government book depot for around 50 years. I don’t know much about this monument, except that it houses the government book depot. I sit under this gate during rains or scorching heat in the afternoon.”
Around the backside of the Sarai lies the city civil court and the sessions court Ahmedabad. A part of the Sarai that housed the courts was demolished to make room for a new building. The old courthouse, which was a significant part of the Sarai and held historic importance, was demolished in 2014 after the Gujarat High Court denied a resident’s petition.
The building consists of a central block 240 feet long and 210 feet wide, with extensions on the north and south sides. The captivating entrance leads into an artistic octagonal hall. Above the hall is a projecting gallery in front of a low balcony made of open-cut stone.
Gujarat High Court Advocates Association president B J Trivedi, who was the advocate for the petitioner, said, “They could have shifted the construction of the new court into some other area like the then developing riverfront and could have avoided demolition of a heritage building.”
The high court had stated in its order that it could not accept Trivedi’s request to relocate the new court building. The court hademphasised that it was not within its jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India to determine the suitability of the site or location for constructing a court building. The court had said that this decision was to be made by the appropriate authority or government.
(Vidhi Turakhia is an intern with The Indian Express)
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