History The earliest occupants in the late stone age (dated to be about 4th or 5th millennium from the present) used the sand dunes of Sola, Vatwa, Odhav, Jodhpur, Thaltej, Shreyas for their habitation. Later a small village called Ashapalli or Ashawal became a large town, by about the end of 10th century AD, established in Astodia and Raipur areas of the city. King Karandev - 1, the Solanki Ruler, had waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashapall or Ashaval. After his victory Karandev set up a military camp, Karnavati, to the South of Ashaval in 11th Century AD. This Hindu kingdom of Karnavati retained its importance till early 15th century when Gujarat fell to the Muslim Sultanate. In 1411 AD, Sultan Ahmad Shah laid the foundation of Ahmedabad-"The city of Ahmed" at 1.20PM on Thursday the second day of jilkad A.H. (26th Jan 1411 A.D.) As regards the location of the three towns of Ashaval, Karnavati and Ahmedabad, Ferguson comments: Modern investigation has not yet proceeded sufficiently far to enable it to be stated with certainty how far Karnavati was contiguous to or identical with Ashawal and Shreenaggur, both of which names occur in early records as those of a great city hereabouts, but there can be no doubt that the new town of Ahmad Shah, to which he gave the name Ahmedabad, and its suburbs, embraced them all. Ahmedabad was built in an open and spacious plain in the immediate vicinity of Ashaval to the east of Sabarmati. It then comprised a smaller now known as the Bhadra Fort or the citadel of Bhadra. The city was enclosed by a fortwall six miles in the circumference containing 12 gates, 189 bastions and over 6000 battlements in 1487 by Mohammed Begdo, the grandson of Ahmadshah, to protect it from outside invaders. It was planned according to the ancient Indo-Aryan tradition of a royal capital with main roads, thoroughfares and subsidiary roads. The city enjoyed the position of royal capital for a period of about 162 years. It was ruled by various rulers of Ahmadshah dynasty, the most prominent being Mahmud Begra, until 1573 AD when Akbar took over Gujarat in 1573 AD. The expanding city was walled during Mughal rule. Marathas ruled over Ahmedabad from 1758 to 1817 AD before the British rule upto independence. It was in 1818 when the British took over the administration of Ahmedabad, that the birthing period appeared. The British rule brought the benefits of peaceful and orderly administration. Cantonment was established in 1824. A Municipal Committee was formed in 1834 and regular Municipal administration introduced in 1858. The railway link between Ahmedabad and Bombay was established during the year 1864. After a lapse of another century, destiny chose Ahmedabad to play an outstanding role in the country's struggle for freedom under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi who stated in the city of his return from South Africa in 1915 and established his famous Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati. Gujarat became a separate state in 1960 with Ahmedabad as its capital upto 1970 when the capital was shifted to Gandhinagar. Today Ahmedabad is a unique city, even for India, for it blends harmoniously an ancient heritage with a vibrant present. A model city in terms of its ideals and aspirations, what is remarkable about Ahmedabad is its harmony between art and industry, between a reverence to the past and a vision for the future.