Great Of Gujarat

Coordinates (Gandhinagar): 23°13′N 72°41′ECoordinates: 23°13′N 72°41′E

Country India Established 1 May 1960 Capital City Gandhinagar Largest city Ahmedabad Districts 33 total Government • Governor Kamla Beniwal • Chief Minister Narendra Modi (BJP) • Legislature Unicameral (182 seats) • High Court Gujarat High Court Area • Total 196,024 km 2 (75,685 sq mi) Area rank 7th Population (2011) • Total 60,383,628 • Rank 10th • Density 310/km 2 (800/sq mi) Languages • Official Gujarati • Spoken languages Gujarati, Hindi, Kutchi, Memoni, Urdu, [1] English Time zone IST (UTC+05:30) ISO 3166 code IN-GJ HDI 0.727 (medium) HDI rank 11th (2011) Literacy 80.18 % Website gujaratindia.com

Gujarat /ˌɡʊdʒəˈrɑːt/ (Gujǎrāt [ɡudʒ(ə)ɾat] ( listen)) is a state in north western India. [2][3] It has an area of 78,687 sq mi (203,800 km 2 ) with a coastline of 1,600 km, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula, and a population in excess of 60 million. The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea as well as the Pakistani province of Sindh on the west. Its capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is home to the Gujarati-speaking people of India.

The state encompasses major sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, such as Lothal and Dholavira. Lothal is believed to be one of the world’s first seaports. Gujarat’s coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch and Khambhat, served as ports and trading centers in the Maurya and Gupta empires, and during the succession of royal Saka dynasties from advent of the Western Satraps era, whose geographical territories included Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, southern Sindh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Mahatma Gandhi, who spearheaded the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule, was a Gujarati. [4] Muhammad Ali Jinnah, revered in Pakistan as Quaid-i-Azam [a] (Great Leader), Baba-i-Qaum [b] (Father of the Nation) and first Governor general of Pakistan was from a Gujarati Muslim family in Rajkot. [5] “Iron Man of India”, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, was from Nadiad, Gujarat. Vikram Sarabhai, considered “Father of the Indian Space Programme” originated from an affluent family of Jain industrialists from Ahmedabad. Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of Reliance industries was from Chorvad, Gujarat. Azim Premji, software magnate and chairman of Wipro Limited is ethnically Gujarati, [6] while pioneer industrialist Jamsetji Tata, who founded the famous Tata Group, India’s biggest and best-known multinational conglomerate, hailed from a Parsi Zoroastrian family in Navsari, and today is widely regarded as the legendary “Father of Indian Industry”. [7]

Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India. [8] Today, it is one of the most industrialized states of India, and has a per capita GDP above the national average. [9][10][11][12]

Etymology

History

Geography

Sub-divisions

Demographics

Government and administration

Economy

Language

Culture

See also: Gurjar

Modern-day Gujarat is derived from Gujjar-ratra (Shauraseni form derived from Sanskrit Gurjar-Rashtra), the Gurjar nation. [13][14][15] The origins of the Gujjars are uncertain. The Gujjar (or Gujar clan appeared in northern India about the time of the Huna invasions of northern India. The name of the tribe was Sanskritized to “Gurjara”. [16] The Gurjars/Gujjars are descended from Suryavanshi Kshatriyas (Sun Dynasty). [17] Historically, the Gurjars were sun-worshipers and their copper-plate grants and seals also bear an emblem of the Sun. [18]

Main article: History of Gujarat

Ancient history

The docks of ancient Lothal as they are today.

An ancient sophisticated water reservoir in Dholavira

A modern Zoroastrian Agiary in Western India

Historically, the state of Gujarat has been one of the main centers of the Indus Valley Civilization. It contains major ancient metropolitan cities from the Indus Valley such as Lothal, Dholavira, and Gola Dhoro. The ancient city of Lothal was where India’s first port was established. Also, Dholavira, the ancient city, is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological sites in India, belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. The most recent discovery was Gola Dhoro. All together, about 50 Indus Valley settlement ruins have been discovered in Gujarat. [19]

The ancient history of Gujarat was enriched by their commercial activities. There is a clear historical evidence of trade and commerce ties with Egypt, Bahrain and Sumer in the Persian Gulf during the time period of 1000 to 750 BC. [19][20] There was a succession of Hindu and Buddhist states such as the Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Rashtrakuta Empire, Pala Empire and Gurjara-Pratihara Empire as well as local dynasties such as the Maitrakas and then the Solankis.

Persian influence in Gujarat since Antiquity

Coming from the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea, Gujarat is the maritime gateway to India. In consequence, Persia’s links with Gujarat by sea are very ancient. [21]

The Parsis, whose name means “Persians”, are descended from Persian Zoroastrians from Iran who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims. According to the Qissa-i Sanjan tradition, [22] the Parsis initially settled at Hormuz on the Persian Gulf, but finding themselves still persecuted they set sail for Gujarat, arriving in the 8th century onward. They settled first at Diu Island in Kathiawar but soon moved to South Gujarat, where, due to historic Silk route contact between Central Asia and this part of the region, an Iranian merchant diaspora had long been established. The Parsis adopted the customs and manners of the locals and lived in peace about 800 years as a prosperous agricultural community. [21][23][24]

The 11th century history of Gujarat saw the emergence of the Muslims in the political arena of the state. The first Muslim conqueror was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni from Medieval Khorasan (in what is now south-eastern Afghanistan) whose conquest of Somnath effectively ended the rule of the Solankis. [19]

Destruction of Somnath Temple

The Somnath temple, known as “the Shrine Eternal”, having been destroyed six times and rebuilt six times.

A Painting of the tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, in 1839–40, with Sandalwood Doors long believed to be the Somnath, which he destroyed in ca 1024, later found to be replicas of the original. [25]

The Somnath Temple (Gujarati: Sanskrit: सोमनाथमदर) located in the Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means “The Protector of (the) Moon God”. The Somnath Temple is known as “the Shrine Eternal”, having been destroyed six times by Muslim invaders. [26][27]

Mahmud of Ghazni conquered and destroyed thousands of Hindu temples during his raids including the famous Somnath Temple, which he destroyed in 1025 AD, [28] killing over 50,000 people who tried to defend it. [29] The defenders included the 90-year-old clan leader Ghogha Rana. Mahmud had the gilded lingam broken into pieces and had them made into steps for his mosque and palace. [29]

The following extract is from “Wonders of Things Created, and marvels of Things Existing” by Zakariya al-Qazwini, a 13th century Persian Arab geographer. It contains the description of Somnath temple and its destruction: [28]

Somnath: celebrated city of India, situated on the shore of the sea, and washed by its waves. Among the wonders of that place was the temple in which was placed the idol called Somnath. This idol was in the middle of the temple without anything to support it from below, or to suspend it from above. It was held in the highest honor among the Hindus, and whoever beheld it floating in the air was struck with amazement, whether he was a Musulman or an infidel. The Hindus used to go on pilgrimage to it whenever there was an eclipse of the moon, and would then assemble there to the number of more than a hundred thousand.

When the Sultan Yaminu-d Daula Mahmud Bin Subuktigin (Mahmud of Ghazni) went to wage religious war against India, he made great efforts to capture and destroy Somnath, in the hope that the Hindus would then become Muhammadans. As a result thousands of Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam. He arrived there in the middle of Zi-l k’ada, 416 A.H. (December, 1025 A.D.). “The king looked upon the idol with wonder, and gave orders for the seizing of the spoil, and dinars.” [28]

1297–1614 AD

The Mughal Emperor Akbar triumphantly enters Surat.

From 1297 to 1300, Allauddin Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, destroyed the Hindu metropolis of Anhilwara and incorporated Gujarat into the Delhi Sultanate. After Timur’s sacking of Delhi at the end of the fourteenth century weakened the Sultanate, Gujarat’s Muslim Rajput governor Zafar Khan Muzaffar (Muzaffar Shah I) asserted his independence, and his son, Sultan Ishaan Shah (ruled 1411 to 1442), restructured Ahmedabad as the capital. Cambay eclipsed Bharuch as Gujarat’s most important trade port. The Sultanate of Gujarat remained independent until 1576, when the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great conquered it and annexed it to the Mughal Empire. Mirza Humayun too had briefly occupied the province in 1536. The port of Surat (the only Indian port facing westwards) then became the prominent and principal port of India during Mughal rule, gaining international repute. The eminent city of Surat, famous for its cargo export of silk and diamonds, earned the title Bab-al-Makkah (Gateway to Makkah). Muslim pilgrims, both local and foreign, from as far as Hejaz, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia assembled, under the royal patronage of the Mughals, to come and go for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca from the ports of Surat, Veraval and Mandvi. [30]

In 1514, the Portuguese traveller Duarte Barbosa wrote about the cosmopolitan town of Rander known as City of Mosques in Surat district, which gained the fame and reputation of illustrious Islamic scholars, saints, merchants and intellectuals from all over the world:

“Ranel (Rander) is a good town of the Moors, built of very pretty houses and squares. It is a rich and agreeable place… the Moors of the town trade with Malacca, Bengal, Tawasery (Tannasserim), Pegu, Martaban, and Sumatra in all sort of spices, drugs, silks, musk, benzoin and porcelain. They possess very large and fine ships and those who wish Chinese articles will find them there very completely. The Moors of this place are white and well dressed and very rich they have pretty wives, and in the furniture of these houses have china vases of many kinds, kept in glass cupboards well arranged. Their women are not secluded like other Moors, but go about the city in the day time, attending to their business with their faces uncovered as in other parts.”

The conquest of the Kingdom of Gujarat marked a significant event of Akbar’s reign. Being the major trade gateway and departure harbour of pilgrim ships to Mecca, it gave the Mughal Empire free access to the Arabian sea and control over the rich commerce that passed through its ports. The territory and income of the empire were vastly increased.

The Sultanate of Gujarat and Persian culture

For the best part of two centuries, the independent sultanate of Gujarat was the cynosure of its neighbors on account of its wealth and prosperity, which had long made the Gujarati merchant a familiar figure in the ports of the Indian Ocean. [31] As Tome Pires, a Portuguese official at Malacca, writing of conditions during the reigns of Mahmud I and Mozaffar II, expressed it: “Cambay stretches out two arms; with her right arm she reaches toward Aden and with the other towards Malacca” (Pires, I, p. 41). His contemporary, Duarte Barbosa, describing Gujarat’s maritime trade, recorded the import of horses from the Middle East and elephants from Malabar, and lists exports which included muslins, chintzes and silks, carnelian, ginger, and other spices, aromatics, opium, indigo, and other substances for dyeing, cereals, and legumes (Barbosa, I, pp. 108–58). Persia was the destination for many of these commodities, and they were partly paid for in horses and pearls taken from Hormuz (Barbosa, I, p. 82). It was the latter item, in particular, which led Sultan Sikandar Lodi of Delhi, according to Ali-Mo ammad Khan, author of the Mer āt-e a madi, to complain that the “support of the throne of Delhi is wheat and barley but the foundation of the realm of Gujarat is coral and pearls” (apud Bayley, p. 20). Hence, the sultans of Gujarat possessed ample means to sustain lavish patronage of religion and the arts, and to build madrasas, and ānaqāhs, and to provide douceurs for the literati, mainly poets and historians, whose presence and praise enhanced the fame of the dynasty. [21]

Gujarat and the Mughal Empire

portrait of Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb, who was better known by his imperial title Alamgir (“world-seizer”), was born at Dahod, Gujarat, and was the sixth Mughal Emperor ruling with an iron fist over most of the Indian subcontinent. He was the third son and sixth child of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. At the time of his birth, His father, Shah Jahan, was then the Subedar (governor) of Gujarat while his (Shah Jahan’s) father, Jehangir, was the Mughal Emperor. Before he became emperor, Aurangzeb was made Subedar of Gujarat as part of his training and was stationed at Ahmedabad. Aurangzeb was a notable expansionist and was among the wealthiest of the Mughal rulers with an annual yearly tribute of £38,624,680 (in 1690). During his lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 3.2 million square kilometres and he ruled over a population estimated as being in the range of 100-150 million subjects.

Aurangzeb had great love for his place of birth. In 1704, he wrote a letter to his eldest son, Muhammad Azam Shah, asking him to be kind and considerate to the people of Dahod as it was his birthplace. Muhammad Azam was then the Subedar (governor) of Gujarat.

In his letter, Aurangzeb wrote: “My son of exalted rank, the town of Dohad, one of the dependencies of Gujarat, is the birthplace of this sinner. Please consider a regard for the inhabitants of that town as incumbent on you”. Eminent historian Manekshah Commissariat has quoted from this letter in his book, ‘A History of Gujarat: Mughal period, from 1573 to 1758’. [32]

Gujarat remained a vitally rich and important province of the Mughal Empire.

A painting from circa 1637 shows the brothers (left to right) Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh in their younger years.

Shah Jahan, Gold Mohur, Akola hoard, Surat Mint

Aurangzeb Handwritten Quran

1614–1947 AD

Princely states of Gujarat in 1924

Mahatma Gandhi picking salt at Dandi beach, South Gujarat ending the Salt satyagraha on 5 April 1930

Portugal was the first European power to arrive in Gujarat, acquiring several enclaves along the Gujarati coast, including Daman and Diu as well as Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The British East India Company established a factory in Surat in 1614, which formed their first base in India, but it was eclipsed by Bombay after the English acquired it from Portugal in 1668. The state was an early point of contact with the west, and the first British commercial outpost in India was in Gujarat. [2]

Later in the 17th century, Gujarat came under control of the Maratha Empire who dominated the politics of India. Pilaji Gaekwad, first ruler of Gaekwad dynasty, established the control over Baroda and parts of Gujarat. The British East India Company wrested control of much of Gujarat from the Marathas during the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1802-1803. Many local rulers, notably the Maratha Gaekwads of Baroda (Vadodara), made a separate peace with the British and acknowledged British sovereignty in return for retaining local self-rule. Gujarat was placed under the political authority of the Bombay Presidency, with the exception of Baroda state, which had a direct relationship with the Governor-General of India. From 1818 to 1947, most of present-day Gujarat, including Kathiawar, Kutch, and northern and eastern Gujarat were divided into hundreds of princely states, but several districts in central and southern Gujarat, namely Ahmedabad, Broach (Bharuch), Kaira (Kheda), Panchmahal, and Surat, were ruled directly by British officials.

Post independence

Bombay Presidency in 1909, northern portion

After Indian independence and the partition of India in 1947, the new Indian government grouped the former princely states of Gujarat into three larger units; Saurashtra, which included the former princely states on the Kathiawad peninsula, Kutch, and Bombay state, which included the former British districts of Bombay Presidency together with most of Baroda state and the other former princely states of eastern Gujarat. Bombay state was enlarged to include Kutch, Saurashtra, and parts of Hyderabad state and Madhya Pradesh in central India. The new state had a mostly Gujarati-speaking north and a Marathi-speaking south. Agitation by Gujarati nationalists, the Mahagujarat Movement, and Marathi nationalists, the Samyukta Maharashtra, for their own states led to the split of Bombay state on linguistic lines; on 1 May 1960, it became the new states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The 1969 Gujarat riots between the Hindus and the Muslims left 660 people dead. [33]

The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970. Nav Nirman Andolan was a socio-political movement that occurred in 1974 in Gujarat. It was students and middle-class people’s movement against economic crisis and corruption in public life. This was the first and last successful agitation after Independence of India that ousted an elected government. [34][35][36]

Morvi dam failure in 1979 resulted in death of thousands of people and large economic loss. [37]

In 2001 Gujarat faced a Magnitude 7.7 earthquake whose epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District. The quake killed around 20,000 people (including at least 18 in South eastern Pakistan), injured another 167,000 and destroyed nearly 400,000 homes. [38]

The Gujarat religious riots of 2002 left over 1,000 people dead. [39] In February 2002, Godhra Train attack lead to state-wide riots, resulting in deaths of 1044 people – 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus, and hundreds missing still unaccounted for. [40]

Main article: History of Gujarat

Ancient history

The docks of ancient Lothal as they are today.

An ancient sophisticated water reservoir in Dholavira

A modern Zoroastrian Agiary in Western India

Historically, the state of Gujarat has been one of the main centers of the Indus Valley Civilization. It contains major ancient metropolitan cities from the Indus Valley such as Lothal, Dholavira, and Gola Dhoro. The ancient city of Lothal was where India’s first port was established. Also, Dholavira, the ancient city, is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological sites in India, belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. The most recent discovery was Gola Dhoro. All together, about 50 Indus Valley settlement ruins have been discovered in Gujarat. [19]

The ancient history of Gujarat was enriched by their commercial activities. There is a clear historical evidence of trade and commerce ties with Egypt, Bahrain and Sumer in the Persian Gulf during the time period of 1000 to 750 BC. [19][20] There was a succession of Hindu and Buddhist states such as the Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Rashtrakuta Empire, Pala Empire and Gurjara-Pratihara Empire as well as local dynasties such as the Maitrakas and then the Solankis.

Persian influence in Gujarat since Antiquity

Coming from the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea, Gujarat is the maritime gateway to India. In consequence, Persia’s links with Gujarat by sea are very ancient. [21]

The Parsis, whose name means “Persians”, are descended from Persian Zoroastrians from Iran who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims. According to the Qissa-i Sanjan tradition, [22] the Parsis initially settled at Hormuz on the Persian Gulf, but finding themselves still persecuted they set sail for Gujarat, arriving in the 8th century onward. They settled first at Diu Island in Kathiawar but soon moved to South Gujarat, where, due to historic Silk route contact between Central Asia and this part of the region, an Iranian merchant diaspora had long been established. The Parsis adopted the customs and manners of the locals and lived in peace about 800 years as a prosperous agricultural community. [21][23][24]

The 11th century history of Gujarat saw the emergence of the Muslims in the political arena of the state. The first Muslim conqueror was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni from Medieval Khorasan (in what is now south-eastern Afghanistan) whose conquest of Somnath effectively ended the rule of the Solankis. [19]

Destruction of Somnath Temple

The Somnath temple, known as “the Shrine Eternal”, having been destroyed six times and rebuilt six times.

A Painting of the tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, in 1839–40, with Sandalwood Doors long believed to be the Somnath, which he destroyed in ca 1024, later found to be replicas of the original. [25]

The Somnath Temple (Gujarati: Sanskrit: सोमनाथमदर) located in the Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means “The Protector of (the) Moon God”. The Somnath Temple is known as “the Shrine Eternal”, having been destroyed six times by Muslim invaders. [26][27]

Mahmud of Ghazni conquered and destroyed thousands of Hindu temples during his raids including the famous Somnath Temple, which he destroyed in 1025 AD, [28] killing over 50,000 people who tried to defend it. [29] The defenders included the 90-year-old clan leader Ghogha Rana. Mahmud had the gilded lingam broken into pieces and had them made into steps for his mosque and palace. [29]

The following extract is from “Wonders of Things Created, and marvels of Things Existing” by Zakariya al-Qazwini, a 13th century Persian Arab geographer. It contains the description of Somnath temple and its destruction: [28]

Somnath: celebrated city of India, situated on the shore of the sea, and washed by its waves. Among the wonders of that place was the temple in which was placed the idol called Somnath. This idol was in the middle of the temple without anything to support it from below, or to suspend it from above. It was held in the highest honor among the Hindus, and whoever beheld it floating in the air was struck with amazement, whether he was a Musulman or an infidel. The Hindus used to go on pilgrimage to it whenever there was an eclipse of the moon, and would then assemble there to the number of more than a hundred thousand.

When the Sultan Yaminu-d Daula Mahmud Bin Subuktigin (Mahmud of Ghazni) went to wage religious war against India, he made great efforts to capture and destroy Somnath, in the hope that the Hindus would then become Muhammadans. As a result thousands of Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam. He arrived there in the middle of Zi-l k’ada, 416 A.H. (December, 1025 A.D.). “The king looked upon the idol with wonder, and gave orders for the seizing of the spoil, and dinars.” [28]

1297–1614 AD

The Mughal Emperor Akbar triumphantly enters Surat.

From 1297 to 1300, Allauddin Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, destroyed the Hindu metropolis of Anhilwara and incorporated Gujarat into the Delhi Sultanate. After Timur’s sacking of Delhi at the end of the fourteenth century weakened the Sultanate, Gujarat’s Muslim Rajput governor Zafar Khan Muzaffar (Muzaffar Shah I) asserted his independence, and his son, Sultan Ishaan Shah (ruled 1411 to 1442), restructured Ahmedabad as the capital. Cambay eclipsed Bharuch as Gujarat’s most important trade port. The Sultanate of Gujarat remained independent until 1576, when the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great conquered it and annexed it to the Mughal Empire. Mirza Humayun too had briefly occupied the province in 1536. The port of Surat (the only Indian port facing westwards) then became the prominent and principal port of India during Mughal rule, gaining international repute. The eminent city of Surat, famous for its cargo export of silk and diamonds, earned the title Bab-al-Makkah (Gateway to Makkah). Muslim pilgrims, both local and foreign, from as far as Hejaz, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia assembled, under the royal patronage of the Mughals, to come and go for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca from the ports of Surat, Veraval and Mandvi. [30]

In 1514, the Portuguese traveller Duarte Barbosa wrote about the cosmopolitan town of Rander known as City of Mosques in Surat district, which gained the fame and reputation of illustrious Islamic scholars, saints, merchants and intellectuals from all over the world:

“Ranel (Rander) is a good town of the Moors, built of very pretty houses and squares. It is a rich and agreeable place… the Moors of the town trade with Malacca, Bengal, Tawasery (Tannasserim), Pegu, Martaban, and Sumatra in all sort of spices, drugs, silks, musk, benzoin and porcelain. They possess very large and fine ships and those who wish Chinese articles will find them there very completely. The Moors of this place are white and well dressed and very rich they have pretty wives, and in the furniture of these houses have china vases of many kinds, kept in glass cupboards well arranged. Their women are not secluded like other Moors, but go about the city in the day time, attending to their business with their faces uncovered as in other parts.”

The conquest of the Kingdom of Gujarat marked a significant event of Akbar’s reign. Being the major trade gateway and departure harbour of pilgrim ships to Mecca, it gave the Mughal Empire free access to the Arabian sea and control over the rich commerce that passed through its ports. The territory and income of the empire were vastly increased.

The Sultanate of Gujarat and Persian culture

For the best part of two centuries, the independent sultanate of Gujarat was the cynosure of its neighbors on account of its wealth and prosperity, which had long made the Gujarati merchant a familiar figure in the ports of the Indian Ocean. [31] As Tome Pires, a Portuguese official at Malacca, writing of conditions during the reigns of Mahmud I and Mozaffar II, expressed it: “Cambay stretches out two arms; with her right arm she reaches toward Aden and with the other towards Malacca” (Pires, I, p. 41). His contemporary, Duarte Barbosa, describing Gujarat’s maritime trade, recorded the import of horses from the Middle East and elephants from Malabar, and lists exports which included muslins, chintzes and silks, carnelian, ginger, and other spices, aromatics, opium, indigo, and other substances for dyeing, cereals, and legumes (Barbosa, I, pp. 108–58). Persia was the destination for many of these commodities, and they were partly paid for in horses and pearls taken from Hormuz (Barbosa, I, p. 82). It was the latter item, in particular, which led Sultan Sikandar Lodi of Delhi, according to Ali-Mo ammad Khan, author of the Mer āt-e a madi, to complain that the “support of the throne of Delhi is wheat and barley but the foundation of the realm of Gujarat is coral and pearls” (apud Bayley, p. 20). Hence, the sultans of Gujarat possessed ample means to sustain lavish patronage of religion and the arts, and to build madrasas, and ānaqāhs, and to provide douceurs for the literati, mainly poets and historians, whose presence and praise enhanced the fame of the dynasty. [21]

Gujarat and the Mughal Empire

portrait of Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb, who was better known by his imperial title Alamgir (“world-seizer”), was born at Dahod, Gujarat, and was the sixth Mughal Emperor ruling with an iron fist over most of the Indian subcontinent. He was the third son and sixth child of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. At the time of his birth, His father, Shah Jahan, was then the Subedar (governor) of Gujarat while his (Shah Jahan’s) father, Jehangir, was the Mughal Emperor. Before he became emperor, Aurangzeb was made Subedar of Gujarat as part of his training and was stationed at Ahmedabad. Aurangzeb was a notable expansionist and was among the wealthiest of the Mughal rulers with an annual yearly tribute of £38,624,680 (in 1690). During his lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 3.2 million square kilometres and he ruled over a population estimated as being in the range of 100-150 million subjects.

Aurangzeb had great love for his place of birth. In 1704, he wrote a letter to his eldest son, Muhammad Azam Shah, asking him to be kind and considerate to the people of Dahod as it was his birthplace. Muhammad Azam was then the Subedar (governor) of Gujarat.

In his letter, Aurangzeb wrote: “My son of exalted rank, the town of Dohad, one of the dependencies of Gujarat, is the birthplace of this sinner. Please consider a regard for the inhabitants of that town as incumbent on you”. Eminent historian Manekshah Commissariat has quoted from this letter in his book, ‘A History of Gujarat: Mughal period, from 1573 to 1758’. [32]

Gujarat remained a vitally rich and important province of the Mughal Empire.

A painting from circa 1637 shows the brothers (left to right) Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh in their younger years.

Shah Jahan, Gold Mohur, Akola hoard, Surat Mint

Aurangzeb Handwritten Quran

1614–1947 AD

Princely states of Gujarat in 1924

Mahatma Gandhi picking salt at Dandi beach, South Gujarat ending the Salt satyagraha on 5 April 1930

Portugal was the first European power to arrive in Gujarat, acquiring several enclaves along the Gujarati coast, including Daman and Diu as well as Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The British East India Company established a factory in Surat in 1614, which formed their first base in India, but it was eclipsed by Bombay after the English acquired it from Portugal in 1668. The state was an early point of contact with the west, and the first British commercial outpost in India was in Gujarat. [2]

Later in the 17th century, Gujarat came under control of the Maratha Empire who dominated the politics of India. Pilaji Gaekwad, first ruler of Gaekwad dynasty, established the control over Baroda and parts of Gujarat. The British East India Company wrested control of much of Gujarat from the Marathas during the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1802-1803. Many local rulers, notably the Maratha Gaekwads of Baroda (Vadodara), made a separate peace with the British and acknowledged British sovereignty in return for retaining local self-rule. Gujarat was placed under the political authority of the Bombay Presidency, with the exception of Baroda state, which had a direct relationship with the Governor-General of India. From 1818 to 1947, most of present-day Gujarat, including Kathiawar, Kutch, and northern and eastern Gujarat were divided into hundreds of princely states, but several districts in central and southern Gujarat, namely Ahmedabad, Broach (Bharuch), Kaira (Kheda), Panchmahal, and Surat, were ruled directly by British officials.

Post independence

Bombay Presidency in 1909, northern portion

After Indian independence and the partition of India in 1947, the new Indian government grouped the former princely states of Gujarat into three larger units; Saurashtra, which included the former princely states on the Kathiawad peninsula, Kutch, and Bombay state, which included the former British districts of Bombay Presidency together with most of Baroda state and the other former princely states of eastern Gujarat. Bombay state was enlarged to include Kutch, Saurashtra, and parts of Hyderabad state and Madhya Pradesh in central India. The new state had a mostly Gujarati-speaking north and a Marathi-speaking south. Agitation by Gujarati nationalists, the Mahagujarat Movement, and Marathi nationalists, the Samyukta Maharashtra, for their own states led to the split of Bombay state on linguistic lines; on 1 May 1960, it became the new states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The 1969 Gujarat riots between the Hindus and the Muslims left 660 people dead. [33]

The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970. Nav Nirman Andolan was a socio-political movement that occurred in 1974 in Gujarat. It was students and middle-class people’s movement against economic crisis and corruption in public life. This was the first and last successful agitation after Independence of India that ousted an elected government. [34][35][36]

Morvi dam failure in 1979 resulted in death of thousands of people and large economic loss. [37]

In 2001 Gujarat faced a Magnitude 7.7 earthquake whose epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District. The quake killed around 20,000 people (including at least 18 in South eastern Pakistan), injured another 167,000 and destroyed nearly 400,000 homes. [38]

The Gujarat religious riots of 2002 left over 1,000 people dead. [39] In February 2002, Godhra Train attack lead to state-wide riots, resulting in deaths of 1044 people – 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus, and hundreds missing still unaccounted for. [40]

Main article: Geography of Gujarat See also: Climate of Gujarat and List of rivers of Gujarat

Satellite Imagery of Gujarat

Sardar Sarovar Project, Gujarat, partially completed (up to E.L.121.92 m)

Construction work going on the banks of Sabarmati river under the Sabarmat Front Development Project

Gujarat borders with Pakistan’s province of Sindh to the northwest, bounded by the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the state of Rajasthan to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and by Maharashtra, Union territories of Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south. Historically, the north was known as Anarta, the Kathiawad peninsula, “Saurastra”, and the south as “Lata”. [41]

Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna. [42] The Arabian Sea makes up the state’s western coast. The capital, Gandhinagar is a planned city. Gujarat has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,030 km 2 ) with the longest coast line 1600 km, dotted with 41 ports: one major, 11 intermediate and 29 minor ports.

Sabarmati is the biggest river of Gujarat followed by Tapi, although Narmada covers the longest area in the state. The Sardar Sarovar Project is built on the Narmada River. Narmada is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of around 1312 km. It is one of only three rivers in peninsular India that run from east to west – the others being the Tapi River and the Mahi River. A riverfront project has been built on Sabarmati River. The other rivers are:

1. Aji 2. Ambika 3. Auranga 4. Banas 5. Bhadar 6. Bhikda 7. Bhogavo 8. Daman Ganga 9. Dhadhar

10. Gautami 11. Ghelo 12. Hathmati 13. Kalubhar 14. Keri 15. Khari 16. Kim 17. Lilka 18. Lindio

19. Mahi 20. Mazum 21. Meshwo 22. Narmada 23. Ootavali 24. Purna 25. Rangholi 26. Sabarmati 27. Sanosari

28. Shedhi 29. Shetrunji 30. Sonpari 31. Talaji 32. Tapi 33. Vatrak 34. Vishwamitri 35. Und

Rann of Kutch

The Rann of Kutch is a seasonally marshy saline clay desert located in the Thar Desert biogeographic region in between the province of Sindh and the state of Gujarat. Situated 8 km away from village Kharaghoda located in the Surendranagar District of northwestern India and the Sindh province of Pakistan. The name “Rann” comes from the Hindi word ran (रण) meaning “salt marsh”.

Mount Kiro

Cracked earth in the Rann of Kutch

Salt worker

Sand dunes

Infrastructure

Tallest tower in Gujarat is inaugurated on 10th Jan 2013.

Tallest Building in Gujarat Gift One

Districts of Gujarat

Main article: Districts of Gujarat

Gujarat was created out of the 17 northern districts of former State of Bombay on 1 May 1960. These districts were further subdivided later on. As of 2007, there are 26 administrative districts in the state.

Main article: Gujarati people Population Growth Census Pop. %± 1951 16,263,000 —1961 20,633,000 26.9% 1971 26,697,000 29.4% 1981 34,086,000 27.7% 1991 41,310,000 21.2% 2001 50,671,000 22.7% 2011 60,383,628 19.2%

Source:Census of India [43]

The population of the Gujarat State was 60,383,628 as per the 2011 census data. The density of population is 308/km2 (797.6/sq mi), a lower density compared to other states of the country. As per the census of 2011, the state has a sex ratio of 918 girls for every 1000 boys, one of the lowest (ranked 24) among the 29 states in India.

About 89.1% of the population of Gujarat are Hindu. [44] Muslims account for 9.1%, Jains 1.0%, Sikhs 0.1%, and Christians 0.5% of the population. [44]

Amongst Hindus, the deity of Krishna is famously worshiped in His form of Shrinathji throughout Gujarat.

Gujarati people form the majority of Ahmedabadi population: Marwaris and Biharis compose large minorities. In Ahmedabad state, smaller communities are Portuguese, South Koreans, Tamils, Nepalis, Oriyas, Telugus, Assamese, Bengali, Anglo-Indians, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Tibetans, Maharashtrians, Konkanis, Malayalees, Punjabis, and Parsis. The South Korean community traditionally worked in the local tanning industry and ran restaurants. Sindhi presence is important here. [45]

Main articles: Politics of Gujarat and Government of Gujarat Further information: Chief Ministers of Gujarat State symbols [46] Anthem Jay jay garvi gujarat Calendar Saka Fruit Mango Tree Banyan (Gujarati: ‘ ‘) Bird Greater Flamingo Land animal Asiatic Lion flower Marigold

Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat State. The picture shown above is of the Legislative Assembly and seat of Gujarat government.

Gujarat is governed by a Legislative Assembly of 182 members. Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected on the basis of adult suffrage from one of 182 constituencies, of which 13 are reserved for scheduled castes and 26 for scheduled tribes. The term of office for a member of the Legislative Assembly is five years. The Legislative Assembly elects a speaker who presides over the meetings of the legislature. A governor is appointed by the President of India, and is to address the state legislature after every general election and the commencement of each year’s first session of the Legislative Assembly. The leader of the majority party or coalition in the legislature (Chief Minister) or his or her designee acts as the Leader of the Legislative Assembly. The administration of the state is led by the Chief Minister.

After gaining independence in 1947, the Indian National Congress party (INC) ruled the Bombay State (which included present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra). Congress continued to govern Gujarat after the state’s creation in 1960.

During and after India’s State of Emergency of 1975–1977, public support for the Congress Party eroded, but it continued to hold government until 1995. In the 1995 Assembly elections, the Congress lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party and Keshubhai Patel came to power. His government lasted only two years. The fall of that government was provoked by a split in the BJP led by Shankersinh Vaghela, who has won most of the subsequent polls. In 2001, following the loss of two assembly seats in by-elections, Keshubhai Patel resigned and yielded power to Narendra Modi. Political instability followed the 2002 Gujarat riots in which rioters raided the homes of thousands of Muslims, killing over 1000 people. [47] The BJP retained a majority in the 2002 election, and Narendra Modi has since served as Chief Minister of the state. . [48] On 1 June 2007, Narendra Modi became the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat. [49][50] On 23 December 2007, the BJP won the state elections in Gujarat and Narendra Modi became the chief minister for the third time in a row and has completed 10 years of governance on 7 October 2011. On 20 December 2012, the BJP retained power in the state by winning the state assembly elections for the fifth time in a row and Narendra Modi again returned to power by achieving a hat-trick.

The Government of Gujarat has banned alcohol since 1960. [51] Gujarat government bagged the Best State Award for ‘Citizen Security’ by IBN7 Diamond States on 24 December 2012. [52]

Main article: Economy of Gujarat

Jamnagar Refinery owned by Reliance Industries in Jamnagar is the largest refinery in the world.

Gujarat has the largest business corporations in India. During the British Raj, Gujarati businesses served to play a major role to enrich the economy of Karachiand Mumbai. Major agricultural produce of the state includes cotton, groundnuts(peanuts), dates, sugar cane, milk and milk products. Industrial products include cementand petrol. [53] According to the report on economic freedomby the Cato Institute, Gujarat is the second most free state in India, the first being Tamil Nadu [54] Reliance Industriesoperates the oil refinery at Jamnagar, which is the world’s largest grass-roots refineries. The world’s largest shipbreaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at Alang. India’s only Liquid Chemical Port Terminal at Dahej, developed by Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Co Ltd. Gujarat has two of the three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the country (Dahej and Hazira). Two more LNG terminals are proposed, at Pipavavand Mundra. Gujarat is the only state in India to have a statewide gas grid of 2,200 km. About 87.9% of the total roads in the state are asphalt surfaced. Its 98.86% village connectivity with all‐weather roads is one of the highest in India. Nearly 100% of Gujarat’s 18,000 villages have electricity connection for 24-hr power through the Jyotigram Yojana. Gujarat ranks first nationwidein gas-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 8% and second nationwide in nuclear electricity generation with national market share of over 1%. Gujarat has largest OFC network of more than 50,000 km. The state owned Wide Area Network is the largest IP-based ICT network in Asia Pacific Region and second largest in the world, connecting 26 districts and 225 talukas through 12,000 nodes. More than 900,000 internet users and all villages are connected with broadband internet. The state registered 12.8% agricultural growth in the last five years against the national average of 2%. [55] Gujarat records highest decadal agricultural growth rate of 10.97%. Over 20% of the S&P CNX 500conglomerates have corporate offices in Gujarat. [56] As per RBI report, in year 2006–07, 26% out of total bank finance in India was in Gujarat. In a July 2011 report, The Economistnoted that Gujarat’s infrastructure competes with Guangdong- the economic engine of China. With double-digit growth rates, Gujarat continues to outpace growth in other Indian states. Beyond better road networks, The Economistarticle claims the state government of Gujarat has kept red tape to a minimum, does not ask for bribes, and does not interfere with entrepreneurial corporations. The state, the article claims, has less onerous labour laws, reliable electricity, and effective bureaucracy. This has led to a booming entrepreneurial economy in Gujarat. [57]

Industrial growth

Surat City is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Shown here is the Tata Nano, the world’s least expensive car. [58] Sanand, Gujarat is home to Tata Nano.

Inside view of Crystal Mall, Rajkot

Gujarat’s major cities include Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh . In 2010, Forbes list of the world’s fastest growing cities included Ahmedabad at number 3 after Chengdu and Chongqing from China. Junagadh lacks major industries or plants. However main earning sectors for Junagadh are mineral-based cement industry, agriculture-based industry and power sector. Presence of huge reserves of Limestone makes the cement industry a thriving industrial sector. Major crops produced in the district are wheat, oil seeds, cotton, mango, banana, onion and brinjal. Total production of oilseeds in Junagadh in 2006-07 was 4,64,400 MT[19] which was the highest in the state. Junagadh is the largest producer of Groundnut and Garlic in the State contributing 26% and 34% to total production respectively. Junagadh has Asia’s largest Ground nut research laboratory. Mango and onions are produced in large quantities in the district. Some of the large scale industry present in Junagadh are Agro Marine Exports, Creative Castings Ltd., Gujarat Dairy Development Corporation, Austin Engineering. With an investment of INR 4,000 crore (USD 975.6million), JSW Power Co. propose to set up coal based power plant at Simar in Junagadh.[20]. With the new Government policy of biotechnology, Junagadh has been identified as one of the agriculture biotechnology zone. This will boost setting up of agro-biotech industries in the district. Junagadh boasts of some of the best tourist destinations in the state so tourism is considered to be a progressing sector. The State Government has sanctioned the project for development of Circuit Tourism project at Junagadh. [9] Major resources produced by the state include cotton, groundnuts, dates, sugarcane, and petrochemical products. The state is rich in calcite, gypsum, manganese, lignite, bauxite, limestone, agate, feldspar, and quartz sand, and successful mining of these minerals is done in their specified areas. Gujarat produces about 98% of India’s required amount of soda ash, and gives the country about 78% of its national requirement of salt. It is one of India’s most prosperous states, having a per-capita GDP significantly above India’s average. Kalol, Khambhat, and Ankleshwar are today known for their oil and natural gas production. Dhuvaran has a thermal power station, which uses coal, oil, and gas. Also, on the Gulf of Khambhat, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Bhavnagar, is the Alang Ship Recycling Yard (the world’s largest). General Motors manufactures its cars at Halol near Vadodara, Tata manufactures Nano from Sanand near Ahmedabad, and AMW trucks are made near Bhuj. Surat, a city by the Gulf of Khambhat, is a hub of the global diamond trade. In 2003, 92% of the world’s diamonds were cut and polished in Surat. [59]

Gujarat passed an act for the SIRs and set up the first such hub—Petroleum Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) spread across 453,000 square hectares—in Bharuch 2009. SIRs are special regions spread over a minimum 50,000 hectares where industries can buy lands directly from local owners. They are not offered concessions like tax benefits as in SEZs. However, the main benefit of SIRs is that they provide quality infrastructure and development even before units become operational. In every SIR, 55% of the area is to be set aside for residential townships and other non-processing units. [60]

During the period of 1960–90, Gujarat established itself as a leader in various industrial sectors, including textiles, engineering, chemicals, petrochemicals, drugs and pharmaceuticals, dairy, cement and ceramics, and gems and jewellery, amongst others. A post-liberalization period saw Gujarat’s State Domestic Product (SDP) rising at an average growth rate of 14% per annum in real terms (from 1994–2002). Gujarat achieved as much as 35% of augmentation in its power generation capacity during the periods 1995–96 and 2000–01. The producers (IPPs) have contributed significantly in this addition. Gujarat is one of the first few states in India to have encouraged private-sector investment, some of which are already in operation. In addition, the liquid cargo (chemicals) handling port at Dahej is also set up in joint sector and made operational. At an investor’s summit entitled “Vibrant Gujarat”, arranged between 10 January and 13 January 2007, at Science City, Ahmedabad, the state government signed 104 Memoranda of Understanding for Special Economic Zones worth a total of 2.5 lakh crore. [61] However, most of the investment was from domestic industry. [62] In the fourth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit held at Science City, Ahmedabad, in January 2009, there were 600 foreign delegates. In all, 8668 MOUs worth 12.5 lakh cr were signed, estimated to create 25 lakh new job opportunities in the state. [63] In 2011, Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit MOUs worth 21 trillion (US$ 463 billion) were signed.

Gujarat is the only state with surplus electricity. Recently, the Gujarat Government has upgraded its installed capacity of 13,258 megawatts (MW) by adding another 3,488 MW. According to the official sources, against demand of 40,793 million units during the nine months since April 2010, Gujarat produced 43,848 million units. Gujarat sold surplus power to 12 states: Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. [64]

Gujarat invests in development of solar energy in the state and has had India’s largest solar power plant as of January 2012. [65] It has allotted 716 MW of solar power capacity to 34 national and international solar project developers in 2009, against the planned 500 MW capacity under its solar power policy. [66]

This is expected to bring in investments of INR 12000 crore and generate employment for 5,000 people. By 2014, Gujarat plans on producing 1000MW of energy by solar power. [67] When taking all renewable energy sources into account, Gujarat has the highest share of renewable energy sources in India, about 14% (12,489 MW ) [68]

As per a recent survey report of the Chandigarh Labour Bureau, Gujarat has the lowest unemployment rate of 1% against the national average of 3.8%. [69]

It also has the biggest industrial area for ceramic business in Morbi, Himatanagar, which produces around 80% of the country’s gross ceramic production and around 80% of compact fluorescent lamp (CFL).

Legatum Institute’s Global Prosperity Index 2012 has recognised Gujarat as the highest-scoring among all states of India on matters of social capital. The state ranks 15th alongside Germany in a list of 142 nations worldwide, and actually ranks higher than several developed nations. [70]

“India ranks 138th globally in the Social Capital sub-index, however, disaggregation of the data at the sub-national level reveals large differences within the country. Within India, the states of Gujarat and Uttarakhand have the highest social capital scores and would rank 15th and 18th, globally, in this sub-index, next to Germany and Belgium, respectively. In the state of Gujarat, 77% of respondents can rely on friends and family for help and 51% have donated money to a charity.”

The London-based Legatum Institute is an independent non-partisan public policy organisation that covers the global assessment of 96% of the world’s population and 99% of the global GDP. [71] The study benchmarks the participating countries in eight categories: economy, education, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, health, personal freedom, safety and security and social capital.