Moti Shahi Mahal palace, Ahmedabad built by Mogul ruler Shah Jahan - now a government museum

Moti Shahi Mahal, Ahmedabad, GJ planetgujarat.com

Above image:  Moti Shahi Mahal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The palace is now a government museum .The museum showcases artefacts and belongings of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to give glimpse in his life. The multimedia halls shed light on Sardar's life through interactive exhibits. The main attraction is 3D light, sound and laser show which shows journey of our country through Vedic period, Mughal Era, British domination to free India...........

Moti Shahi Mahal, Ahmedabad, GJ Gujarat tourism.com

The city of Ahmedabad has numerous monuments, most of them were  made with fine Indo Islamic architecture.  Besides the gates of this city, tourists never fail to visit the Moti Shahi palace built by ruler Shah Jahan. Owned by the Indian government it  is a memorial to Sardar Patel, a great freedom fighter from this state.


The Moti Shahi Mahal, a historical palace in Ahmedabad on the banks of the Sabarmati river, Gujarat built by  Mogul emperor Shahjahan between 1618 and 1622 is located in Shahibaug,  Set in the midst of a well-kept garden, it houses  the Sardar Vallabhbhai  Patel  (since 1980) National Memorial. Patel was a great and  an impeccable patriot  and soon after partition of India in 1947, he played a vital role in  getting the numerous princely states of India  to join the Indian union  


Interior Moti Mahal, Sardar Patel Museum, Ahmedabad tripnetra.com. 

Emperor Shah Jahan built the palace between 1616 to 1622  with a dual purposes:  To build a retreat for him and to alleviate  his subjects in this area that was reeling under the severe  famine. His generosity helped the poor a lot.  The  Shahibaug garden attached to the palace  with lots of shadow producing trees helped the residents in the palace a lot  during the hot summer.  A century later the water courses were not in good condition  but still the bagh was attractive with so many trees forming big canopy over them and keeping the  surrounding place cool.  For  unknown reasons, Shah Jahan, then the governor of this area shifted his residence to his Bhadra Palace.


During the colonial rule   government offices were functioning in Moti Mahal. Later in the mid 19th century, it became the official   residence of the British Resident in Ahmedabad. After independence in 1947, this place was converted into Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor of Gujarat. In   1975, decision was made to house a memorial for Sardar Patel.

Moti Mahal is a fine piece of Mogul style architecture. The literary figure  James Douglas  made a comparison between Moti Mahal and the Taj and said the former is a bud and the latter is a starter for his Taj Mahal.

Moti Shahi Mahal is constructed with red, brown and white sandstone. The palace is a unique piece of construction, The walls of the building  are covered with a white stucco work shining like a quality marble.  The  ceiling is painted in small compartments with much taste. There are 8 small  octagonal rooms, four below and many above with independent stairs to each.  They are  linked to the angular recess. The salon is spacious quite matching the lofty palace's majesty and royal look. 

https://www.ahmedabadonline.in/city-guide/moti-shahi-mahal-ahmedabad

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardar_Vallabhbhai_Patel_National_Memoria

www.mericity.com/place/Gujarat/Ahmedabad/859/Sardar_Vallabhbhai_Patel_National_Memorial