From dirt to asphalt: Tracing the history of Oliphant Road, Ahmedabad's first pucca street

India's urban landscapes are replete with magnificent structures, adorned with antique designs and outmoded bricks, as well as time-honoured bridges and streets that bear testimony to the country's rich history.

While certain structures have been carefully conserved as heritage sites, and serve as living history museums, others have been lost amidst the ever-expanding concrete jungles. Such is the fate of Swami Vivekanand Road, once known as Oliphant Road in Ahmedabad, which has been relegated to obscurity and forgotten despite its historical significance as the city's first pucca road.

In 1858, the Ahmedabad municipality was established, and the streets under its jurisdiction were given anglicized names. Regrettably, the majority of these names and their associated histories have been lost due to subsequent road renaming.

Similarly, the Oliphant Road, spanning a width of 40 feet, was built at a cost of £13,700 (₹18,37,000) and stretched from the Manek Gate in the Southwest to the Astodia gate in the southeast. Standing tall among the 27.5 miles of roads located within the municipal limits of the city by 1884, the Oliphant Road was exceptional. Adding to its glory, it was equipped with footpaths and drains, making it the first paved road in Ahmedabad.

The Swami Vivekananda Road, formerly known as Oliphant Road, stretches from the Swami Vivekananda Bridge and connects the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation headquarters up to Astodia gate via the CNI Church.

The Ellis Bridge, initially named after the then commissioner Sir Herbert Ellis, was later renamed the Swami Vivekananda Bridge, and consequently, the adjoining road came to be known as the Swami Vivekananda Road.