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Gujarat is the most industrialized state in India after Maharashtra. It is located in western India near the border with Pakistan and its capital is Gandhinagar.
Gujarat has a reputation for people with shrewd business acumen and considerable financial talent. But apart from this
stereotype, there have been Gujaratis with various other talents. Gujarat has given to India two of its biggest leaders in the
Indian Independence Movement, Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Gujaratis have also made their
mark in the arts and the sciences, although they are comparatively few in number when compared to the number of businessmen and
entrepreneurs.
Cities
The major cities in Gujarat are Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, and Rajkot. Ahmedabad is the largest city in the state and the sixth largest in India. Other important
cities in the south of Gujarat are Nadiad, Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Navsari, Vapi, and Valsad; in the north are Bhuj and Dwarka.
History
The boundaries for the state were established on May 1, 1960 and determined based on linguistic majority. Earlier it was part of Bombay state and was united with
Maharashtra.
Pre-Colonial History
Gujarat has always known for its coastline. Its cities served as ports and trading centres in the Mauryan and Guptan Empires.
Gujarat continue to flourish as an independent state until the muslims began arriving. The Gujarat Sultanate was founded in the
13th century and it continued to exist till the 1576, when Akbar, the mughal emperor conquered it and annexed it to the mughal
empire. It continued to be a part of the mughal empire till the 18th century until the marathas conquered it.
Colonial Gujarat
Gujarat was then divided into several princely states. The British Raj slowly united Gujarat and incorporated into its Indian
Empire.
Geography
The climate is mostly dry, and even desertic in the north-west.
The relief is low in the most part of the state.
Politics
Gujarat is traditional stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since Independence in 1947, The Congress Party ruled
the United Gujarat and Maharashtra as Bombay State. After its creation in 1960, Congress continued to maintain its rule. During
emergency and after its aftermath, the Congress lost the public support in the late 1970s. However, it continued to rule it till
1995. In the 1995 Assembly Polls, the Congress lost to the BJP and Keshubhai Patel came to power. His Government lasted only 2
years following a split in the BJP caused by Shankersinh Vaghela. It came back to power in 1998 polls and has won most of the
subsequent polls. In 2001, following the loss of 2 assembly seats in the bypolls, Keshubhai Patel resigned and handed over power
to Narendra Modi, a hard line pro-hindutva person. In 2002 when riots broke out between hindus and muslims, Modi resigned only to
be reelected by a huge margin in December 2002. Narendra Modi is since the Chief Minister. After the BJP loss in 2004 Lok Sabha
Polls, Modi is increasingly blamed for his inability to stop the Gujarat riots. In 2004 Lok Sabha Polls, The BJP was curtailed
from 21 to 14. The Congress gained from 5 to 12.
Economy
It is one of India's most prosperous states, having a per-capita GDP significantly above India's average. Major resources produced by the state include cotton, peanuts, dates, sugarcane, and petrol.
Surat, a city by the Gulf of
Khambat, is hub of global diamond trade. Much of its diamond trade is controlled
by a handful of families professing the Jain faith.
Also on the Gulf of Khambat, 50 kilometers southeast of Bhavnagar, is the Alang Ship
Recycling Yard, the world's largest.
Anand is host to Amul dairy, one of the largest milk product producers of the world. Gujarat is the largest producer of milk in
India.
Educational institutions
Gujarat is home to an Indian Institute
of Management, located in the city of Ahmedabad. The institute has been rated
as the best in Asia by Asiaweek and one of the best in the world. Its graduates work in high positions for Fortune 500 companies and other major companies throughout the world.
Demography
Its primary language is Gujarati. The majority of its
residents are Hindus, with significant percentage following Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity.
Tourism
Its main tourist sites include Palitana, Diu, Kutch, Jamnagar,
Junagadh, and Rajkot.
External links
Miscellaneous facts
The last remaining Asian lions live in a game reserve in Gujarat called Girnar.
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