The Ahmedabad Diaries - Day 2 contd (Jhulta Minar)

The auto took us a long way into the city and we finally got to Jhulta Minar which was in some corner, a rather impoverished area. Being a Friday we realised we could be interrupting the namaz time but it so happened that the namaz was just over.

Jhulta Minar

The Jhulta Minar or Swaying Minarets which is three storeys tall is considered an engineering marvel for the simple reason that the minaret sways when minimum force is applied to the uppermost arc. Not just that, the other minaret starts vibrating soon after though the passage connecting them does not. No one has been able to figure out the mystery behind this engineering. Passage to the stairs up the tower is not allowed so we just looked at it and imagined them swaying. Apparently they are the tallest minarets in Ahmedabad. Some say that the design was to detect earthquakes.

Interestingly this mysterious swaying phenomena was discovered by an Englishman in the 19th century - one Monier M Williams who, hold your breath, was a Sanskrit scholar.

Soon as we stepped in Jyo was concerned about his shoes and looked for a safe place to keep them - which we found. Martin found an immediate fan who came and asked him for a selfie which he obliged like a celebrity. After that we explored the mosque in peace, saw the tomb in front of the mosque.

As I noticed in Champaner, the pillars and the sculptures and designs have both Islamic and Hindu and Jain influences as one can see on these pillars. Apparently it came to be known as the Gujarat style of architecture.

We saw kids playing cricket outside. Most of them looked poor - it did look like a poor locality. While we waited for our auto a crowd of kids came up, intrigued to see a Chinese man. They hesitatingly asked him where he was from in Urdu. I translated it to him and told them he understood English. Then they asked questions in English - where are you from, what is your name etc. When he asked them their names one of them said - Mia Khalifa. Can't be more than nine years old! But jokes apart they were curious, well mannered and really amazed to see a Chinese man in their midst.

Suddenly one old lady with the cutest smile came and shook Martin's hand. One could see that she was very poor. I thought she might ask him money but she actually asked - Chai piyoge? (Will you have tea?) I told her we were expecting our auto any moment and she nodded and smiled and went on her way. The young kids (including Mia Khalifa) big Martin a raucous good bye as we got into the auto.

Martin was a revelation - he was very patient with everyone, playacted like he was taking away the icefruit of some small kids who refused to share it with him, shook hands with the beggar woman.