Thread by @MumukshuSavitri

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Once there was an ancient city famed for its artistry & architecture, invaded by an Islamic fanatic who massacred its citizens & destroyed its temples to build mosques. Today he is called the founder of that city known by his name.

This is the story of Karnavati & Ahmed Shah

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Millennia ago, Vedic Rishi Dadhichi is said to have built an Ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati river. Legend also knew him as Ashvashira (One with Horse’s head). This is likely the root of the word Ashaval which was the ancient name of the city near the site of Ahmedabad.

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In 11th c., Al Biruni referred to a great trading center in Gujarat called Ashaval, famed for its rich brocade fabric “Ashapalli” depicting Hindu motifs of gods, animals & nature. These intricate designs defined the arts of the city, reflected even in its temples & stepwells.

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In late 11th c. Chalukya Raja Karna conquered Ashaval & founded Karnavati. He built the Kochharva (Kaushalya) Devi temple (now Kochrab) & a water reservoir, Karna Sagar (now Karnsagar). The city was also called Rajnagar/Shrinagar as Jain traders & worship enriched it to prosper

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By 1391, Muzaffar Shah I (Zafar Khan) rebelled against the Tughluqs during Timur's invasion & seized Gujarat. He had his own son poisoned & let his grandson Ahmed lead the army. Ahmed’s cruel nature made him poison his own grandfather as revenge & grab the throne in 1410-11.

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In 1413-14, Ahmed Shah defeated the Bhil chief of Ashaval, looting & massacring the city's inhabitants & destroying Hindu/Jain structures. He reused their desecrated remains to "build" Islamic mosques & palaces & changed the name of the city to call it Ahmedabad after himself.

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In true Islamic tradition, Ahmed Shah’s entire life was a series of Jihads against Kafir Hindus & their gods. In 1414, he ordered destruction of Hindu Murtis & temples all over Gujarat. Savage attacks were unleashed to convert infidels by the sword & Jizya was imposed by force.

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In 1415, Ahmed attacked the holy town of Siddhpur desecrating the famous Rudramahalaya temple & forcibly building a mosque on top of the broken remains. Rajputs tried to oppose him, but by 1418, Ahmed also plundered Champaner & Sankheda demolishing temples to make mosques.

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Ahmed terrorized Hindus by demanding their daughters for his harem. Some Rajput chiefs retaliated by tricking him & marrying their daughters off, but there were horrific incidents where Hindu fathers killed themselves due to the dishonor caused by Ahmed’s molestations & torture

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In 1411, Ahmed "founded" Ahmedabad by enslaving Hindu craftsmen & looting pillars, ceilings & Murtis from destroyed Hindu/Jain temples cast into walls & foundations of mosques. Ahmed’s “new city” was built on broken remains of Chandravati, Anhilvad & ruins of Karnavati

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Ahmedabad's "foundation" stone was laid atop a Hindu Jogi’s domicile near the north west tower of the existing Bhadra fort in the city. When he resisted, Ahmed declared him a sorcerer & usurped the land. The tower is known as Manik Burj & Manik Jogi was buried alive there.

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The Bhadra fort was named after the city’s patron Devi Bhadrakali. It served as the strongest Mughal fort in India. In 1875, Hindu stone carvings were unearthed at the site, with an inscription dated to 1303 AD showing it was a Hindu fort before Ahmed Shah captured it.

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The first structure Ahmed “built” inside the Bhadra is Ahmed’s mosque. Pillars & panels displaying desecrated Hindu Murtis are clearly visible in this mosque. The latticed “Princesses Gallery” is completely Hindu & further proof that the mosque was raised on top of a temple.

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Broken remains of Hindu & Jain temples are found all over Ahmed's mosque. One of the pillars contains an old Gujarati-Sanskrit inscription from 1251 AD (150 years before Ahmed) from the reign of Visaladeva, recording the gift of a trellis window in the temple of Uttaresvara.

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The famous Jami Masjid was also supposedly "built" by Ahmed in 1424. Hindu carvings are apparent in its internal gate snatched from a temple, Inside the central hall arch is a beautiful black marble slab, which was the back of the holy Murti of Parasnath, the 23rd Jain saint.

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Similarly Haibat Khan’s (one of Ahmed’s nobles) Masjid has a HIndu dome & richly ornamented pillars taken from different desecrated temples. The famous shaking minarets & Sidi Bashir’s mosque are also of Hindu/Jain origin as they depict niches which previously held Murtis.

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Ahmed Shah decimated a magnificent, prosperous city, desecrating Hindu/Jain temples, disfiguring the remains into mosques & massacring thousands. One can only imagine the glory of the original Karnavati with its 2 forts, 360 Puras (suburbs), glorious temples & teeming markets.

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Tragically the only broken fragments left of the ancient Hindu site are ruins in the village of Asarva, where Dada Harir & Mata Bhavani stepwells are found. Said to be built by the Pandavas, Mata Bhavani well is the last standing ruin of the grandeur of Ashaval/Karnavati.

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It is a travesty that despite overwhelming evidence of the city's ancient Hindu & Jain heritage, Ahmed Shah is honored as the founder of Ahmedabad, when he was the destroyer of its original identity. It's an insult to the spirits of millions of ancestors who built Karnavati.

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To correct civilizational wrongs, cities’ names must reflect their true identity as proven by historical evidence. We must honor those who actually built Karnavati not destroyed it - by renaming the city. It's high time Ahmed Shah's name is thrown in the dustbin of history

Sources:

Some of the images used in this thread are for representational purposes only such as cover image of Ahmed Shah, because there are no portraits of his available. Similarly since there are no photos to imagine how the city originally looked, first image is an AI representation.