Cave of Art and Architecture

Ahmedabad, a populous and modern city in the heart of Gujarat, attracts visitors with its diversity, prosperity and outlook. Amongst the many places of local sightseeing interest here is the famous Hussain Doshi’s Gufa or the Amdavad ni Gufa. The structure of this modern cave is striking and it’s an art gallery displays work of none other than renowned painter Maqbool Fida Hussain. The gallery is also exquisitely designed by popular architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi.

Also called Amdavad ni Gufa, it’s an exotic juxtaposition of art and architecture. This is a cave-like structure created under the ground. It attracts visitors with its multifarious interconnected domes, mosaic tiles and mystical ambience.

The cave is supported on the inside by various tree-like columns, which are irregular in shape and design. 76The cave provides infrastructural facilities and amenities for special painting exhibitions and the projection of films. It has a café and garden too— which are located above the ground and add to the charm of this wonderful destination.

This gufa covers a site area of 1000m² and sprawls across a built-up area of 280m². It is located on the green campus of the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology. The gallery or gufa is worth visiting because of the painting abstractions of Paleolithic art created by Hussain and the aesthetics of the surroundings which reminds one of the Buddhist caves of Ajanta and Ellora. The visual imagery of the cave attracts tourists from all walks of life along with a host of students, painters, art critics and researchers.

Though amorphous and contagious, the interior space of the cave is an exquisite maze of curvilinear walls, inclined domes, undulating floors and leaning columns. Domes, shells and skylight protrusions of various dimensions throw light on the partly buried space and accentuate the effect of paintings displayed here. Light illusions are integrated into the ambience of the gallery to create the perfect setting for a healthy dialogue between architecture and art forms.

Some of the notable features of the interiors of Amdavad ni Gufa are its earth mounds, china mosaic finish and fibrocement construction techniques. It is evident that the designer has drawn inspiration from simple hand tools, elaborate computer designs and the unskilled workers who helped him prepare the masterpiece.

Though contemporary in design, the architecture of this gufa draws a lot of character from natural and ancient themes. While its domes are inspired by soap bubbles and tortoise shells, the mosaic tiles present on the roof are similar to the ones found at Jain temples in Girnar. The ellipses and circles draw inspiration from the caves of Ajanta and Ellora. The columns present inside the cave are reminders of those at Stonehenge.

Located on Kasturbhai Lalbhai Campus, Hussain-Doshi ni is the perfect refuge for tourists looking for cooler interiors. The bold strokes on the walls of the gallery have created immortal masterpieces for the fans of Hussain. The most alluring being the Sheshnag (the divine serpent), which stretches across a length of 100 feet (30 m).

History

On one of his visits to Ahmedabad, Hussain had requested his friend Doshi to create and design a permanent art gallery to exhibit his works. The underground gallery was conceptualized by both of them and was designed to withstand the intolerable heat of Gujarat. The unorthodox design and architectural patterns were assisted by computer aided facilities and software support.

A peep into the gallery’s construction history reveals that a simple floor made of mortar and wire mesh was used to create its foundation. The structures fitted in the cave are self supporting in nature and capable of relieving their own stress. The construction took place in two phases. The first phase saw design and creation of the underground gallery while the next brought the structures to shape. These other structures included the café, paving, and another art gallery for exhibitions.

How to Reach

By Road

Ahmedabad is well connected with most major cities/towns and villages by road. Privately operated buses, coaches and taxies run along with the Gujarat state buses to ferry tourists from one place to another.

By Rail

The main railway station of Ahmadabad is situated in Kalupur. This city is linked to the main national railway circuit and can be accessed from a host of towns and cities across India.

By Air

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad caters to the needs and requirements of all passengers from Dubai, Singapore, USA and UK. Ahmedabad is well connected by various domestic carriers to other parts of India as well.