The 2 km heritage walk takes place in the Kalupur area. It's a Muslim-dominated area but has communal harmony throughout. And the name of the walk conveys that beautifully. It's called Mandir Se Masjid Tak.

Photos 1 & 2 are from the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir where the walk starts. Constructed in 1822, It's the first temple of the Swaminarayan sect in India. There are multiple deities here, which include Nar Narayana, a duo of sage brothers regarded as the partial incarnation of Vishnu

After this, the walk enters the Pol areas where you get to explore the history and way of life of people.

Crossing the Pol, you enter the market area which has the famous Manek Chowk. There are multiple buildings with amazing architecture that you can look at for a long time. Photo 3 shows one of them. Zoom in and you will notice that it used to be the office of the Stock Brokers Association of Ahmedabad.

The walk comes to an end at the Jama Masjid. It was built in 1424 during the reign of Ahmed Shah I from the Muzaffarid dynasty who ruled over the Gujarat sultanate. But he is better known for another fact: Ahmed Shah I was the founder of Ahmedabad.

Considered to be one of the largest mosques in India, it covers a huge area. Being away from the Delhi Sultanate, they developed their architectural style known as the Gujarat style, which comprised elements of both Islamic and traditional Hindu architecture. It's a beautiful structure and you get glimpses of that in photos 4-7.

After the walk, we went to another mosque and tomb enclosure called the Sarkhej Roza. It's away from the old city and that day, filled with local tourists. What impressed me was the design of the Jalis in the structures. Peeping through the hole, each one seemed to open up a different portal to a magical realm and I loved their symmetry. Photos 8-10 shows that.

All in all, it was a very enriching experience to better understand the rich heritage and history of Ahmedabad.