The capital city of Gujarat and one of the historic cities in India, Ahmadabad stores in its lap a lot of structures and monuments which evoke a feel of Indian antiquity. While visiting these tourist destinations in Ahmadabad, one cannot but be amused and flabbergasted at the structures which go by the name of ‘Shaking Minarets’ or ‘Jhulta Minara’. Not only are these quite unusual, but their architecture is also reflective of the brilliant craftsmanship of Gujarat artisans. It is a playful structure and also abounds with quivering mystery.

Mystery of the Vibrations

Jhulta Minara has left a lot of expert architectural people intrigued and awestruck. When one of these minarets is shaken, there are vibrations in the other minaret also, while at the same time, there is no vibration in the adjacent surface. It is interesting to know that the vibrations in these two minarets are not interconnected by any physical structure, but still these can be felt by anyone. In spite of a lot of analysis, it was not possible to find the reasons for such vibrations. Some British engineers tried to get the reason and dismantled the Jhulta Minara, but failed to find a possible reason. These were then put back but not exactly in the way as previous. In the present day, there are no demonstrations being done to show these vibrations and the knowledge is only through word of mouth or other written documents. In 19th century, this mystery was first observed by the English Sanskrit Scholar, Monsieur M Williams.

Location

Found in the city of Ahmadabad, the shaking minarets or Jhulta Minara is a must-visit place for many tourists. These pillars are a part of Siddhi Bashir Mosque which is highly regarded for its architectural style. But, Jhulta Minara takes away the major attention of the tourists. This is located directly opposite to the Ahmadabad railway station and hence is easily accessible to tourists who can look at it from a distance. After a certain tragic incidence in the past, the access to Jhulta Minara has been shut down.

History

Siddhi Bashir Mosque was believed to have been constructed by a slave Siddhi Bashir of Sultan Ahmed Shah along with these minarets in 1461. Another version exists about the construction of this mosque which attributes its making to a noble in the court of Muhammed Begada, another Sultan of Gujarat. Some believe that these minarets were built to withstand earthquakes.

Shaking minarets in Ahmadabad

Jhulta Minara is one pair of shaking minarets found in the railway station area. It was built by a slave of Sultan Ahmed Shah. These are about 3 storeys tall which have carved balconies and can be climbed up to the top but not possible presently. These pillars near the Sarangpur Darwaza are said to be quite beautiful and strong, but the other pair near the station is presently not in a good state as they were dismantled during the British era. But, it cannot be denied that these structures are quite popular as well as instil inquisitiveness in the minds of the visitors, although their anecdotes are quite interesting.