Walled City : Ratan Pol | Winter School 2016 | CEPT University

WALLED CITY: RATAN POL

Ahmedabad: Mapping Economy And Housing Over Time Pooja Jaiswal PA102916 | Aditya Bhattacharya PP0000216 | Ravi Shekhar PP0007616

Faculty: Prof. Madhu Bharti, Dr. Sharadbala Joshi

WALLED CITY: RATAN POL

Ambli Pol

Satbhai Ni Haveli

AMBLI POL

SATBHAI NI HAVELI (MID 1800s)

ECONOMY –

ECONOMY –

Present: Shops selling Owner : Satbhai Shah, jewellery businessman.

Safas(turbans) & Pre 1940s: Satbhai migrated with his entire family to imitation jewellery for Mumbai for better business opportunities, thus keeping marriages. the building vacant.

HOUSING –

Zaveri Chamber Waghan Pol

ZAVERI CHAMBERS (1986)

Building facade

2003-Present: Haveli (rear part) renovated & converted into a Jain dormitory with the donations and the other deeds of the Jain Trust.

Jain dormitory building

The internal street of Ambli Pol leads to a Ownership has not been transferred. There is no profitable economy very historically from the Jain dormitory to maintain the Haveli. The land ownership has not tangible square having: been leased or rented & still owned by Satbhai’s family.

- Haveli, HOUSING – - Zaveri Chamber, The servants’ quarters is in - Entrance to deteriorated condition as there Waghan Pol. is no maintenance. This is the only original construction of the Haveli.

Entrance

Nagarsheth Market Association

German Silver market

ECONOMY & HOUSING – Building uses through time – • Swadeshi market during the British rule, selling Khadi and leather goods.

• School building – Shut down because of outward migration of people from the old city.

• Nagarsheth market association which exists till present time.

Present: • Ground Floor Jewellery stores (owners live in Ambawadi and Kalupur & they import the jewellery from Rajkot), • 1st floor - Courier offices (Angadias, /unofficial courier & banking services).

Entrance

Clothes shops (outside)

Jewellery shops (G floor)

Central open space with Chabutra

Zaveri Chambers

Waghan Pol

G+4 storeyed buildings

HOUSING – Most of the shops (G floor) & workshops (1st floor) often remain closed.

The structures are dilapidated and need to be restored immediately.

• Ground floor: Administration office and the dining halls for the dwellers.

Building uses through time – • Jain residential area with jewellery market, • Predominantly residences for labourers from West Bengal & Gujarat.

Existing characteristic of the pol is residential & the workers go to surrounding pols for work.

• Market for clothes, lockers, safes and hardware.

Ahmedabad: Mapping Economy And Housing Over Time Pooja Jaiswal PA102916 | Aditya Bhattacharya PP0000216 | Ravi Shekhar PP0007616

The open space in the courtyard is used as a parking space for 2 wheelers due to lack of on-street parking spaces.

• Upper floors: Rooms which are residences of the Jains and the dwellers.

ZAVERIWAD POLICE STATION

Present usage • Residences of the gold workers from WB, Gujarat Entrance

Internal courtyard & rooms on the upper floors

Present usage –

Location – At the entry of Ratan Pol from relief road.

Entrance & Interiors

- Renovated in 1961 - G+4 storeyed building - Construction cost : INR 3 lakhs.

Entrance

Entrances (up) and Interiors (bottom)

Residents living here work as laborers in the nearby Jewellery stores.

Surrounding Jain temples

The contrast between the traditional Gujrati pol influence (chowks, otlos) and the Colonial influence (arched gates, corinthian pillars, louvers)

Present:

SHETH NI POL

Central open space – Evolution from Congregational space to vehicle parking.

JAIN DHARAMSHALA (1932)

ECONOMY – Building uses through time: • Mayank school - Shut down because of the outward migration of people away from the old city.

• German Silver market - set up in 1924.

ECONOMY & HOUSING –

Limbu Pol

HOUSING – G+4 Building with the following surroundings:

GERMAN SILVER MARKET(1924)

Courier offices (1st floor)

LIMBU POL

Ratan Pol Main Street

Interiors

• Present: Basement & Ground floor as the selling units | Upper floors as workshop areas for casting work of gold and silver. The gold and silver casting works generate high economy.

Present Activities: Zaveri Chambers is currently a casting and manufacturing unit for the Jewels & alloy. Here, labourers who are skilled in the minute casting of Gold & silver, work for the production of jewellery. The laborers are mainly from West Bengal and Gujarat.

• 1st floor: Jewellery cutting related activities (workers live in the walled city).

Gandhi Road

Sheth ni Pol

Entrance

Building usage – • Earlier: Basement & Ground floor as the selling units | Upper floors as residences.

• G floor: Jewellery stores (owners live in Maninagar & Isanpur),

Ratan Pol Main Street

3

Founder: Keshubhai,

Servants’ quarter

Haveli premises

NAGARSHETH MARKET OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION (1986)

2

ECONOMY & HOUSING –

Surrounding Chabutra

Satbhai Ambli ni Pol Haveli

WAGHAN POL

ECONOMY –

Building uses through time – • Legal administrative building built when the textile industries started.

• Nagori Shada school (for the local children), • Zaverivad police station.

MIGRATION FROM RATAN POL

1

Migration from Ratan Pol to other areas of Ahmedabad (mainly to Paldi, Vasna & SP Stadium)

Labour Migrant laborers Raw materials (gold) Raw materials (cloth) Lockers for gold merchants

Faculty: Prof. Madhu Bharti, Dr. Sharadbala Joshi