Ahmedabad is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad’s population of 8,253,000 (per the 2011 population census) makes it the fifth-most populous city in India, and the encompassing urban agglomeration population estimated at 6,357,693 is the seventh-most populous in India. Ahmedabad is located near the banks of the Sabarmati River, 25 km (16 mi) from the capital of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, also known as its twin city.
Ahmedabad has emerged as an important economic and industrial hub in India. It is the second-largest producer of cotton in India, due to which it was known as the ‘Manchester of India’ along with Kanpur. Ahmedabad’s stock exchange (before it was shut down in 2018) was the country’s second oldest. Cricket is a popular sport in Ahmedabad; a newly built stadium, called Narendra Modi Stadium, at Motera can accommodate 132,000 spectators, making it the largest stadium in the world. The world-class Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave is currently under construction and once complete, it will be one of the biggest sports centers (Sports City) in India. The effects of the liberalisation of the Indian economy have energised the city’s economy towards tertiary sector activities such as commerce, communication and construction. Ahmedabad’s increasing population has resulted in an increase in the construction and housing industries, resulting in the development of skyscrapers.
In 2010, Ahmedabad was ranked third in Forbes’s list of fastest growing cities of the decade. In 2012, The Times of India chose Ahmedabad as India’s best city to live in. The gross domestic product of Ahmedabad metro was estimated at $68 billion in 2020. In 2020, Ahmedabad was ranked as the third-best city in India to live by the Ease of Living Index. In July 2022, Time magazine included Ahmedabad in its list of world’s 50 greatest places of 2022.
Ahmedabad has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under the Government of India’s flagship Smart Cities Mission. In July 2017, the Historic City of Ahmedabad, or Old Ahmedabad, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage City. The city is home to the World’s First Swaminarayan Mandir, located in Kalupur area of Old Ahmedabad.
