Ancient Richness

Situated at Moti Mahal in Shahibaug of Ahmadabad district, the construction of this museum happened between the years 1618 and 1622 by the great Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. This explains the ancient richness of this museum. This is one of the scenic museums in the state because it is one of the few museums that have a garden around it. Shah Jahan was the Governor of Gujarat during the time when museum was being constructed. With the end of Mughal Empire, the control and management of the museum was taken over by the British rulers. It became a cantonment during the central part of 19th century and during those times; it was used only by the Government for official purposes. When India attained Independence, this museum served as the residence of the Gujarat Governor, also known as Raj Bhavan in political circles. It served this purpose for a staggering 18 years from 1960 to 1978. During 1975, Gujarat Government decided to set up this as a museum on the birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhai Patel. This museum was set up during 1980 on March 7th.

Style of Architecture

Moti Mahal was one of the true reflections of the rich Mughal architecture. This building was elegance and style personified with its intricate artwork and design. The importance of this structure is evident from the fact that it was this structure and its style that encouraged the great Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan to build the Taj Mahal many years later. This fact is explained by one of the globally renowned historians, James Douglas. Moti Mahal has a massive central hall that is supported by four strong pillars on its sides. There are also four other rooms on the sides of the central hall.

This massive hall is resplendent with paintings and memories of Sardar Vallabhai Patel. All pictures of Patel, his family and friends are neatly arranged according to the historical dates. There are also catchy quotes expressed by many of his admirers that hold a place of respect in this hall. Two out of four rooms are filled with Patel’s works, paintings, cartoons etc. whereas one room is exclusively dedicated to exhibit memories of the times spent by Patel with Gandhi. The place also contains all personal belongings of Patel like his spectacles, Kurta, footwear and all the clothes that he wore during his youth.

Other Contents of the Museum

There are also two other memorials in the museum: one of Mahatma Gandhi and the other of Rabindranath Tagore. While the former houses all portraits, images, quotes and other items about Gandhi, the latter was a venue from where the great poet wrote his first horror story, ‘The Hungry Stones’. Another major exhibit at the museum is the Sardar Sarovar Project that can found on the ground floor. These contain details about the hydroelectric power plant projects constructed across the Narmada River and benefitting Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. All technical and other informative facts about the power project can be found here.