Introducation of Gujarat

Gujarat also spelled Gujrat and sometimes (incorrectly) Gujarath) contained many of the former Princely states of India, and is the most industrialized state in India after Maharashtra. Its capital is Gandhinagar, a planned city close to Ahmedabad, the former state capital and the commercial center of Gujarat.

The state of Gujarat was created on May 1, 1960, out of the northern, predominantly Gujarati-speaking portion of Bombay state. The southern, predominantly Marathi-speaking portion of Bombay state became Maharashtra.

After India’s independence in 1947, 217 princely states of Kathiawar and Saurashtra, including the former kingdom of Junagadh, were grouped together to form the province of Saurashtra. The capital of Saurashtra was Rajkot. On November 1, 1956, Saurashtra was merged into Bombay state.

Gujarat has become one of the fastest-growing states in the country; Gujarat had an average per capita income of Rs. 15,800, compared to Rs. 6400, the average for all Indian states.

Gujarat has given India three of its most prominent leaders in the independence movement: Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Morarji Desai. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, first Governor General of Pakistan, spoke Gujarati as his mother tongue and his father hailed from what became the Indian state of Gujarat. Gujaratis have also been leaders in the arts and the sciences; Vikram Sarabhai, a Gujarati, was the father of India’s space program. They are, however, mostly noted for their entrepreneurial spirit.

The west coast state of Gujarat is not one of India’s busiest destinations. Although it is quite easy to slot Gujarat in between Bombay and the cities of Rajasthan few people pause to explore this interesting state. Yet Gujarat has a long and varied history and a great number of interesting places to visit. If you want to go right beyond history into the realm of legend then the Temple of Somnath was actually there to witness the creation of the universe! And along the south coast are the sites where many of the great events in Lord Krishna’s life took place.