SMC to hold 2-km heritage walk on November 22
Himanshu Bhatt, TNN 19 November 2009, 10:23pm IST

Surat Municipal Corporation
Heritage Week celebration

SURAT: Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) will hold its annual heritage
walk as part of Heritage Week celebration on November 22 from British
Cemetery to Katargam, in which people from all sections are expected
to take part.

"Our aim is to create awareness about city’s rich history and educate
people on the need to preserve monuments," assistant commissioner,
SMC, CY Bhatt said.

The two-km walk will cover monuments built by rulers of different
eras, which now have become landmark in the history of Surat. The
participants will visit monuments that have influence of Mughal,
British and Armenian architecture in their three-hour walk.

"Our plan is to involve all the elected councillors and eminent
citizens. We also would have students and teachers of architecture
from Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET)," Bhatt
said.

* British Cemetery: It came into existence in mid-17th century outside
Katargam Darwaja on Surat’s north. It has 14 graves with minarets and
other 80 other graves, including that of Sir George Oksanden and
Pristopher Oksenden.

* Dutch Cemetery: Built before the British arrived, it’s considered a
piece of architectural beauty and is located at Gulam Faliya near
Katargam Darwaja. The grave of Barren Henny Adrian Von Reid, director
Hind, of Dutch East India Company, exists here.

* Armenian Cemetery: Oldest of all, the writings on the grave are in
Hebrew, written in 1028. It’s located next to Dutch Cemetry and has
300 graves.

* Mirjan Sami Roja: Sculptured in Indo-Iranian style. Mirjan Shami was
a leader of Khudavan Khan’s army of Muslim rulers in Gujarat. It was
built in 1559-60.

* Chintamani Derasar: It was built during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s
tenure. This Jain derasar has best pieces of woodwork and paintings of
the state. It’s believed to have been built in 1645. Some put its year
of construction at 1699.

* Muglisarai: It was built in 17th year of Mughal emperor Shahjahan’s
tenure in 1664. It was used as musafirkhana’ initially and as jail
during the 1857 Mutiny to keep prisoners. In 1867 it became the
official work quarters of the civic body, which it continues to be
even today.

* Andrews Library

* Sir JJ Training School: Built in 1842 , this educational institution
was an English school run by British government. The building is
located opposite Killa and was built from the charity of Seth Sorabji
Jamshedji Jijibhai in 1872. After closure of Sorabji’s school, the
state government started a primary teachers’ training college here.

* Killa: Khudavan Khan built this structure in 1540 to save the city
from attack by foreigners. It’s the oldest monument built in 16th
century. Walls are made of bricks, stones and chalk. Stones were
clasped in iron sheets and joints were filled with iron ore. The walls
are 4.06 metre wide. It had 16.25 metre high walls, but some are
destroyed and is built in one acre area. There also was a 20-feet-deep
canal in front of the fort once and it joined Hope Bridge towards the
river. The canal had folding bridge. It has a few government offices
functioning from there at present.

* SVPatel Museum

* Agam Temple

* Saraswati Mandir: It was the residence of poet Narmad at
Amliran. Born in 1833, Narmad revolutionized Gujarati poetry by his
fiery language. The house is maintained by SMC at present. Narmad left
the city in 1854 for Mumbai.