Manek Burj, also spelled Manek Buraj () is the foundation bastion of

Bhadra Fort Bhadra Fort is situated in the walled city area of Ahmedabad, India. It was built by Ahmad Shah I in 1411. With its well carved royal palaces, mosques, gates and open spaces, it was renovated in 2014 by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and ...

in the old city of Ahmedabad,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

, India. The Burj is associated with legendary saint Maneknath.

Etymology

Manek Burj is named after the legendary 15th century Hindu saint, Maneknath, who intervened to help

Ahmed Shah I Ahmad Shah I, born Ahmad Khan, was a ruler of the Muzaffarid dynasty, who reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate from 1411 until his death in 1442. He was the grandson of Sultan Muzaffar Shah who has been variously described as a Tank Rajput or a ...

build

in 1411.

History

Manek Burj was the original bastion of Ahmedabad. It was built around the foundation stone of the city, laid by Ahmed Shah I on 26 February 1411. The bastion is high on the outside. It once contained a roofed

stepwell Stepwells (also known as vavs or baori) are wells or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from 7th to 19th century. So ...

with a circumference of , the Manek Kuva. The well was filled and sealed in 1866 after the Sabarmati river changed its course, causing the Manek Kuva to run dry. A water channel near the bastion once brought water to the royal baths. In 1869, Ellis Bridge, the city's first bridge across the Sabarmati river, was constructed near the bastion. In May 1989, the

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation The Amdavad Municipal Corporation, or the AMC, established in July 1950 under