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Teja Lele

Rohit Dev, a banking professional living in New Delhi, has booked his flights. Mumbai-based writer Ismat Amin has reserved a hotel. Rakesh Patel, founder of The Bharat Army, one of the largest Indian cricket supporters groups, is sitting in London waiting for confirmation of match tickets.
In a time when politics and religion divide the country there’s one thing that unites India: cricket.
The passion for the sport is so pervasive that the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 (October 5 to November 19) has led to an upsurge in sports tourism.
“The event has always been one of the most sought-after in India,” says Krishna Rathi, country director for India, Sri Lanka and Maldives at online travel agency Agoda. “And it is great to see interest from international travellers.”

The competition involves 48 matches in 10 stadiums – in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune – and Agoda data shows that the sporting spectacle has led to a 237 per cent increase in searches for accommodation in those cities around match dates.
One city, however, has grabbed the spotlight more than any other: Gujarat’s commercial capital, Ahmedabad, which has been unofficially anointed the cricket capital of India, with a venue renamed for the current prime minister.
The Narendra Modi Stadium will host four marquee games – the opener (England vs New Zealand), the much-anticipated match between bitter rivals India and Pakistan (currently scheduled for October 14), England vs Australia, and South Africa vs Afghanistan – as well as the final.
As a result, most four- and five-star hotels in Ahmedabad are fully booked from October 14 to 17, even as prices have soared (80,000 rupees/US$965 per night is not unusual). Agoda has reported a 1,702 per cent rise in people looking for hotels in the city for those dates.
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The demand is such that cricket fans are even booking into hospitals.
A twin-share hospital room is “a pocket-friendly alternative for people coming to watch the Indo-Pak cricket match”, says Bharat Ghavi, president of the Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes, Gujarat.
“People are requesting full-body check-ups to get admitted for dates around the match. Most requests are from NRIs [non-resident Indians] willing to pay for any room, twin, deluxe or suite.”

Given India’s obsession with the game, this doesn’t come as a surprise to Mumbai-based actor Manav Gohil, who says a World Cup India-Pakistan match promises fireworks ahead of Diwali (November 12), the Indian festival of lights.
“There’s no way a cricket fan can miss this,” he says.
The grudge match is clearly the big-ticket attraction, but Ahmedabad has much more to offer visitors.

Founded by Ahmad Shah in the 15th century on the banks of Sabarmati River, the city was the capital of Gujarat for six centuries, until nearby Gandhinagar took over in 1970.
“Ahmedabad is one of three cities in the world not built by kings and emperors. It was built by the merchant class; the mahajans of Ahmedabad following in the footsteps of the merchants of Venice and the medicis of Florence,” says Umang Hutheesing, cultural revivalist and former convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
He adds that the city has long had a rich cultural heritage, having even inspired a young Shah Jahan (1592-1666), emperor of the Mughal Empire and builder of Agra’s Taj Mahal, with its architecture.

Hutheesing quotes from the book Glimpses of Old Bombay and Western India (1893), by historian James Douglas: “The bud was here. The blossom and fruit to be in Agra? Everything has a beginning: Greece before Rome, Damascus before Cairo, Agra follows Ahmedabad.”
Now, centuries-old mosques and mausoleums, traditional residential clusters and narrow streets, and buildings by architects such as Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn and B.V. Doshi stand cheek by jowl.
“The beauty of the built environment led the 600-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad to be recognised in 2017 as a Unesco World Heritage City, the first Indian city to make it to the list,” says Hutheesing.
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At the Bhadra Fort, I begin a walking tour of an old city characterised by its distinctive wooden havelis (mansions), pols (gated residential communities) and khadkis (inner entrances to the pols) with features such as bird feeders, wells and religious institutions.
Constructed in 1411, the fort contained many mosques, temples and other structures, but was taken over by the British in 1817 and used as a prison until India’s independence, in 1947. Renovated in 2014 under the Archaeological Survey of India, Bhadra Fort now houses government offices.
Teen Darwaza is a massive, three-arched gateway that opens out onto what was once the public square; it now offsets a bustling marketplace in which everything from home essentials and apparel to handicrafts and souvenirs is sold.

Five hundred metres away is Jama Masjid, a 15th century blend of Hindu, Islamic and Jain architecture in burnished yellow sandstone.
The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque is a 16th century structure that showcases India’s African architecture. The latticed windows, resplendent with intricately carved filigree work, were commissioned, along with the structure itself, by a leader of the Sidis, descendants of East Africans brought to India by Arab, Portuguese and British slave traders.

“The 16-foot [five-metre] Sidi Saiyyed Jali, which displays the Tree of Life motif and is often used as an unofficial symbol of Ahmedabad, is the most renowned [window in the mosque],” says Hutheesing.
The city’s mosques coexist with temples such as the Swaminarayan Mandir (1822), a multicoloured structure made of Burmese teak; and the Hutheesing Jain temple (1848), crafted from white marble and showcasing 12 ornate pillars and the Māru-Gurjara style of temple architecture, which was common in Gujarat and Rajasthan between the 11th and 13th centuries.

The presence of Hindu, Jain and Zoroastrian temples, mosques, churches, and a synagogue in the walled city speak to the diversity of it residents.
That diversity can also be seen in Ahmedabad’s many museums. These include:

the Calico Museum of Textiles;


Sanskar Kendra, which houses the kite museum (Ahmedabad hosts Uttarayan, the festival of kites, in January to mark the day when winter begins to wane, according to the Indian calendar);


the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, which commemorates the life and legacy of the Gujarat-born nationalist;


the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum, a repository of India’s multicultural heritage;


and the Auto World Vintage Car Museum, a large personal collection of vehicles that includes a 1921 Maybach and a 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.

It would take about 40 minutes for either of those cars to be driven from the museum to the Sabarmati Ashram, one of the many monuments to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi that reveal the role Ahmedabad played in India’s freedom struggle.

Gandhi lived in this ashram from 1917 to 1930 and it was here that he launched the Dandi March, to protest against the British Salt Law.
Other reminders of the political ethicist in Ahmedabad are the Kochrab Ashram, which was set up to follow Gandhian ideas of self-sufficiency; Gujarat Vidyapith, a multidisciplinary university founded by Gandhi in 1920; and Dandi Kutir, Gandhinagar, a museum devoted to his life and teachings.

Known for its mercantile ethic, the city is also a repository of the Indian craft tradition. Its artisans are known for their mojaris (shoes), khata (clothbound ledgers), kites, copper utensils, baskets and white metal meenakari painting.
Sanjay Chitara’s family have been creating sacred Mata ni Pachedi cloth for more than 100 years. The craft was created as an act of rebellion by the nomadic Vaghari people in the 19th century, when they were barred from temples. At his workshop, Chitara tells me that Mata ni Pachedi means “behind the mother goddess”, and the cloth itself represents a temple.
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“We first destarch the cotton fabric and treat it with harada paste so it becomes absorbent,” says Chitara. “Block printing and freehand painting are used with two natural dyes [black and deep red] to create figures of the female deity. The strong lines and bold colours reflect the power and energy of the goddess.”
A trip to Ahmedabad wouldn’t be complete without a sampling of its cuisine, which is influenced by the state’s geography, history and culture.

Most Gujarati dishes are an unusual combination of sweet, salty and spicy. A typical meal comprises rotli (a flat bread), dal (lentils) or kadhi (a yogurt-based curry), shaak (a dry or gravy-based vegetable preparation), kathol (pulses or whole beans), farsaan (a snack) and rice. Everything is held together by an array of condiments and rounded off with a mishthaan (sweet dish).
The best Gujarati dishes combine in the thali, an often astonishing variety of delicacies now reserved for special occasions and celebrations. To do the 10 to 15 dishes of a thali justice, it’s necessary to skip a meal (or two) beforehand.
Renowned for its thali experience is Agashiye, a restaurant on the terrace of The House of MG, a 38-room boutique hotel housed in a building boasting early 20th century colonial architecture. From a menu that changes daily, the food is served by staff known for their gentle agrah (coaxing) and attempts to serve you just one more puri or bhakri.

The India-Pakistan match was originally scheduled for October 15 but was brought forward a day so as not to coincide with the first evening of the Navratri festival, which celebrates the victory of good over evil.
Gujarat celebrates Navratri over nine nights, each of which begins with an aarti (prayer), followed by garba, traditional dancing that celebrates the mother goddess and tends to draw everyone in with its fervour and joy.
Performances are held in housing societies, clubs and parks, and parti­cipants sing to musical accompaniment traditionally provided by a dhol (double-headed drum), a dholak (smaller drum), cymbals and clapping.
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Radhikaraje Gaekwad is among those welcoming the BCCI decision, as she wouldn’t want to miss either the cricket or the garba.
Gaekwad is a member of the royal family of Vadodara, a two-hour drive south of Ahmedabad, but whatever happened, her husband, Samarjitsinh, who played cricket for his city’s cricket team, was sure to be at the India-Pakistan match.
Like many, many other cricket-mad Indians, “the husband will head to Ahmedabad, for sure”, she tells me.


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Why Ahmedabad, host of India vs Pakistan World Cup match, is well worth visiting besides the cricket

A general view shows the ancient Hutheesing Jain temple in Ahmedabad on August 19, 2020, ahead of the annual holy ‘Paryushan Parva’ Jain festival. (Photo by SAM PANTHAKY / &#xA;&#xA;Credit: AFP

The ancient Hutheesing Jain Temple in Ahmedabad, India on August 19, 2020, ahead of the annual holy Jain festival of Paryushan Parva. The city will host five 2023 Cricket World Cup matches, including India vs Pakistan. Photo: AFP

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the 2023 Cricket World Cup game between India and Pakistan. Photo: Getty Images

Ahmedabad’s Sidi Saiyyed Mosque is a 16th century structure that showcases India’s African architecture. Photo: Shutterstock

Boutique hotel The House of MG’s autorickshaw tour is an easy and fast way to take in the heritage monuments in Ahmedabad’s walled city. Photo: The House of MG

The Sheth Hutheesing Haveli is illuminated for the Diwali holiday in Ahmedabad. Photo: AFP

The arched Teen Darwaza gateway in Ahmedabad. Photo: Getty Images

The filigreed window with the Tree of Life motif in the 16th-century Sidi Saiyyed Mosque. Photo: Shutterstock

A devotee visits the Hutheesing Jain Temple in Ahmedabad. Photo: AFP

A demonstration of the charkha (spinning wheel) at the Sabarmati Ashram. Photo: Shutterstock

A portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in his room at the Kochrab Ashram. Photo: Shutterstock

Thali is a delicious platter of authentic regional Gujarati food. Photo: Agashiye

Agashiye is a restaurant on the terrace of The House of MG, a 38-room boutique hotel. Photo: House of MG

Why an Indian town on an island in Tamil Nadu that was battered by a cyclone and abandoned is attracting tourists again

When a cyclone demolished Danushkodi, in India’s Tamil Nadu state, in 1964, the town was more or less abandoned. The fishermen moved back first, and now tourists are visiting the town on the edge of India. Photo: Shutterstock

Fisherman Aravind (above) lives in Danushkodi, a semi-ghost town in Tamil Nadu, India, that is becoming a hit with tourists. Photo: Kamala Thiagarajan

Many of the structures destroyed in the 1964 cyclone remain untouched. Photo: Kamala Thiagarajan

Murugeshwari opened a shop in Danushkodi five years ago, after her husband, a fisherman, died at sea. Photo: Kamala Thiagarajan

Vijidharan stands next to a pillar built of stone and coral in Danushkodi. Photo: Kamala Thiagarajan

A man walks under an arch in a ruined church that was destroyed in 1964 by one of the most powerful cyclones to strike India. Photo: Kamala Thiagarajan

In India’s coffee country, temples, waterfalls, and dosas washed down with a cup or two on a guided tour from our colonial bungalow homestay

India’s first recorded coffee plantation was in the southern state of Karnataka at Chikmagalur, where today, family-run plantations offer luxury homestays, and guests can visit temples and a nearby wildlife sanctuary. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

The Niraamaya Private Residence is a three-bedroom bungalow on the Blue Mountain Estate in Chikmalagur, southern India, surrounded by coffee plants and forests of silver oak and ficus. It offers a base from which to explore India’s coffee country. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Ripe coffee berries ready to be harvested on the Blue Mountain estate, Chikmagalur, Karnataka. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Coffee berries are usually hand-picked by women on the Blue Mountain estate in Chikmagalur. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Tall silver oak and teak trees provide a canopy and shade for the coffee plants. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Shrines dot the coffee estates around Chikmagalur. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

You can take a boat safari on the Bhadra reservoir (above), where you may see ospreys, hornbills egrets and cormorants. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Detail on the ceiling of a temple at Belur, about 30km from Chikmagalur. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

The temple at Halebidu has even more refined carvings than at Belur. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Thailand as it was before mass tourism: on Koh Kood and Koh Phayam, get up close with nature and have white-sand beaches almost to yourself

Workers walk the beach on Koh Phayam. Photo: Thomas Bird

Instead of heading to Koh Phi Phi or Maya Bay, as many visitors to Thailand do, explore its less well known islands, such as Koh Kood (pictured) and Koh Phayam. Photo: Thomas Bird

Sunset on Koh Kood. Photo: Thomas Bird

A 500-year-old “Makayuk” tree, wrapped in a golden ribbon, on Koh Kood. Photo: Thomas Bird

A view of Huang Nam Khiao Waterfall. Photo: Thomas Bird

Koh Phayam viewed from the Buddhist temple pier. Photo: Thomas Bird

A view of the Phayam Garden View resort in Koh Phayam. Photo: Thomas Bird

The Koh Phayam welcome sign featuring the iconic hornbill. Photo: Thomas Bird

The hole below the Hin Talu rock arch resembles a map of Australia. Photo: Thomas Bird

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The commercial capital of India’s Gujarat state is preparing to host five Cricket World Cup matches but this richly historical city has so much more to offer


Cricket fans are descending on Ahmedabad, in India’s Gujarat state, as it prepares to host five World Cup matches, but this richly historical city has so much more to offer.


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Why Ahmedabad, host of India vs Pakistan World Cup match, is well worth visiting besides the cricket

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}The commercial capital of India’s Gujarat state is preparing to host five Cricket World Cup matches but this richly historical city has so much more to offer

The commercial capital of India’s Gujarat state is preparing to host five Cricket World Cup matches but this richly historical city has so much more to offer