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Gujarat Tours |
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Gujarat Hotels |
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Gujarat |
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General Information
about Gujarat
Area 196,024 square kms.
Capital Gandhinagar
Language Gujarati
Districts 25
Population
55,696,629
Male 26,344,053
Female 24,252,939
Literacy 69.97%
Best time to Visit:
October to March
Information about Gujarat
Gujarat is one of the most diverse states in
India. Gujarat derives its name from the word 'Gujaratta'.
Gujaratta means the land of gurjars. The gurjars
were a sub-tribe of the Huns who ruled the area
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during the
8th and 9th centuries AD. They passed through Punjab and
settled in some parts of western India, which came to be
known as Gujarat. The state of Gujarat is an industrially
advanced state. The state of Gujarat is not a popular
tourist destination among foreign and Indian tourists, but
still holds an important place in India. Gujarat is bounded
by the Arabian Sea in the west, by Rajasthan in the north
and northeast, by Madhya Pradesh in the east and by
Maharashtra in the south and south east. The state has an
international border and has a common frontier with Pakistan
at the northwestern fringe. It is situated on the north end
of the west coast of India and covers an area of 196,024
square km. Gandhinagar, located near Ahmedabad is the state
capital of Gujarat. The people of Gujarat are also known to
be a successful business community. At present, Gujarat
comprises of 25 districts. The official and primary language
spoken is Gujarati. The state of Gujarat is known all over
the world for its holy temples, historic capitals, wildlife
sanctuaries, beaches, hill resorts, fascinating handicrafts,
mouth watering cuisine and colourful lifestyle of the people
of Gujarat. This state can also be visited during your trip
to Mumbai or Rajasthan. The best time to visit Gujarat is
from October to March.
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History of
Gujarat
The history of Gujarat dates back to 3500 years. The
Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilization can be known from
the archaeological findings at Lothal near Dhandauka
in Ahmedabad district and Razdi in Saurashtra. The
history of Gujarat flows through the dynamic kingdoms
and principal states of Saurashtra. According to the
legends, the Somnath shore temple was built by Soma,
the moon god himself to mark the creation of the
Universe. The Lord Krishna’s kingdom was also built at
Dwaraka in Gujarat. Gujarat was also present in the
exploitation of the great Buddhist emperor Ashoka and
his Rock Edicts can be seen near Junagarh. Later,
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also suffered invasions
from Mahmud of Ghazni who demolished the Somnath Temple and
carried away gold with him. Gujarat was also a battlefield
at the time of the war between the Mughals and Marathas. It
was also the earliest contact point with the West at Surat
where the British set up their first commercial outpost in
the 16th century. Daman and Diu, the two small Portuguese
enclaves survived within Gujarat for over 450 years till
1961 when these were liberated by the Indian Army. During
the British Raj, Gujarat was part of the larger Bombay
Presidency and was ruled from Mumbai, and became a separate
state in 1960 when the Indian States were divided on the
basis of language.
More...
Geography of Gujarat
Geographically, the state of Gujarat is divided into three
areas. The mainland region includes the major cities of
Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara (Baroda). The Gulf of Mumbai
divides the mainland from the flat and barren plains of the
Kathiawar Peninsula also known as Saurashtra. Before
independence, the Saurashtra region was ruled by about 200
rulers who continued to rule it as they had made peace with
the British. Later, these tiny states were merged in the
larger state of Bombay Presidency after independence and
later merged in the new state of Gujarat. The Gulf of Kutch
separates the Saurashtra from Kutch. Kutch is virtually an
island cut off from the rest of Gujarat that is wedged
between Pakistan in the east and the low-lying Rann of Kutch
in the north.
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Climate of Gujarat
The best time to visit Gujarat is in the mild winter months
from November to March. During the monsoon season, most of
the Gujaratis came back to home on leave. The monsoon period
has its own charm when the air is cool and the sky is
overcasted. The temperature in the Gujarat shows relatively
little contrast, but there are great contrasts in the
rainfall from South to North. In north, the temperature is
about 42 to 43 degree Celsius in summers while in winters it
is about 12 degree Celsius. In further south, the winter
temperature never fall very far and the summer temperatures
are moderate. The rainfall is also scattered throughout the
state. The Kutch receives minimum rainfall while Ahmedabad
receives moderate rainfall.
Economy of Gujarat
Agriculture in Gujarat forms a vital sector of the state's
economy. It provides the required food grains for the
state's population and raw materials for most of the
agro-based industries. There was a development of industries
like Chemicals, petrochemicals, fertilizers, engineering,
electronics etc. With the largest Petro-chemical complex in
the country, Gujarat is a major producer of inorganic
chemicals such as soda-ash and caustic soda as well as
chemical fertilizers. The most remarkable feature of
Gujarat's recent industrial development has been the growth
of the dairy industry, much of it is conducted on a
cooperative basis.
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People of Gujarat
The people of Gujarat or the Gujaratis are known as a
successful business community. Some of the famous
businessmen and industrialists can be seen operating
hotels and motels in California, running stores in
Australia and New Zealand and newspaper kiosks in
England. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation also
belongs to Gujarat. He worked for the independence of
India through non violence. One of the biggest
billionaires of the world, Dhirubhai Ambani was also a
Gujarati, who built his empire in three decades.
Parsis also belong to this state where they had landed
at a place called Sajjan in |
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745 AD. Many of the Parsis
still live here, but some of them have now migrated to
Bombay. The Jains are also a very important community in
Gujarat. These families own textile and chemical mills and
spend lavishly on building new temple and on charities like
schools and religious trusts.
More...
Languages in Gujarat
The three important languages of Gujarat are Gujarati, Urdu
and Sindhi. There are eleven variants or dialects of
Gujarati. The majority of the people of Gujarat speak
Gujarati which belongs to the Indo-Aryan family. This
language is derived from Sanskrit and other ancient
languages. It was also highly influenced by Apabrahmsa,
which was widely spoken in the north west India from the
10th to 14th centuries. The maritime contact with Persia,
Arabia, Portugal and England further led to the introduction
of many words from these languages. Kachchi as a mother
tongue was spoken in Kutch. |
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Cuisine of
Gujarat
The Gujarati food is mostly vegetarian. The dishes of
Gujarat are not very spicy and sweet than those of the
neighboring states. Some of the popular dishes of
Gujarat are Kadhi, Undhyoo and Paunk. The diet of the
Gujarati's consists of the rice, chapatis, wide
variety of beans and pulses, coconut, pickles and
sweetened yoghurt. You can experience all these
constituents of the vegetarian Gujarati meal by having
a Thali at Vishala, about 5 kms. from Ahmedabad. It is
a restaurant and part of a complex is described as a
Gujarati village with a small museum, local crafts and
performing arts. Besides Vishala, there are various
other good restaurants in |
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Ahmedabad which offers the
Gujarati food, Chinese and Continental cuisine.
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Fairs & Festivals of
Gujarat
Various fairs and festivals are celebrated in every month in
Gujarat. Some of the main festivals which are celebrated in
Gujarat are the Kite Flying Festival or Makar Sankranti,
Navaratri Festival, Sarkhej Fair and Tarnetar Fair. The
Navratri festival is celebrated during September-October and
devoted to the three goddesses of the Hindu mythology. The
Kite Flying Festival is celebrated on 14th January. On this
day, the people of every age fly kites of various shapes and
sizes.
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Handicrafts of Gujarat
The handicrafts of the Gujarat are also unique like the
Gujarati cuisine. Gujarat also has a rich tradition of high
quality weaving, unique Kutch embroidery and hand-block
printing, the most common are the tie-and-dye fabrics. These
fabrics are known all over the world for their variety and
excellent colors. Apart from these fabrics, the hand-painted
cloth is also available in traditional black, red, maroon
and ochre colors and is also inexpensive. Besides these, you
can also buy various items like nut-crackers, silver, wood,
brass and other items. The Patola silk sarees are another
famous item of Gujarat that are extremely fine and quite
expensive and made by very small master craftsmen at Patan.
Surat is known for silk sarees and zari or gold thread
embroidery. Jamnagar is known for its woolen shawls,
blankets, rugs, wooden chest and furniture.
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Music and Dances
of Gujarat
In the field of music, Gujarat has made its own
contribution. Gujarat has preserved folk music in its
pure and pristine form by Charans and Gadhavis, a
community whose hereditary profession is folk music
and folk arts. Lullaby, Nupital songs, festive songs,
Rannade songs are the different types of folk songs in
Gujarat. Besides its contribution to classical and
folk music, Gujarat has produced its own folk
instruments. Gujarat has a unique distinction of
having a legendary origin of folk dance forms. There
are certain folk dances which typically represent the
community activities and their functional aspect. The
tribes in Gujarat have their own forms of the folk
dances. The most popular and known folk dances of
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Gujarat are
Garba, Garbi, Rasaka, Tippani, Padhar-Nritya, Dangi-Nritya
etc.
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Cities in Gujarat
Some of the famous cities in Gujarat are Ahmedabad,
Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Gondal, Junagadh, Lothal, Palitana,
Saputara, Somnath, Surat, Dwarka, Porbandar and Vadodara. In
Ahmedabad there are many fine examples of Muslim
architecture. Baroda was the capital of the princely state
of Gaekwad. The first British factory was established in
Surat in 1612. Junagadh is known for its fort and temples
and also a suitable base for visiting the Gir national park.
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Pilgrimage in Gujarat
There are various places of pilgrimage in Gujarat like
Somnath, Dwaraka, Junagadh, Palitana, Modhera. The Mount
Girnar in Junagadh and Shatrunjaya Hill in Palitana are the
two famous pilgrimage places of the Jain community. While,
the Somnath temple in Somnath, Dwarakadhish temple in
Dwaraka, Sun Temple in Modhera and Akshardham temple in
Gandhinagar are the other famous pilgrimage of the Hindus. Ahmedabad is also visited by many tourists for its mosques
and temples.
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Wildlife Sanctuaries in Gujarat
Gujarat is a paradise for bird-watchers and wildlife
enthusiasts. Deciduous forests, desert plains, grasslands,
wetlands and coastal and marine locations have made Gujarat
one of the most pleasant place for bird watching and
wildlife viewing. There are about four national parks
and twenty one wildlife sanctuaries in Gujarat. Some of the
wildlife sanctuaries and national parks are the Marine
National Park, Gir National Park, Indian Wild Ass Wildlife
sanctuary, Velavadar National Park. Nalsarovar, Khijadia
Bird Sanctuary and the Porbandar Bird sanctuary are the
other bird sanctuaries in Gujarat.
More...
How to reach Gujarat
Gujarat is very well connected with all parts of India.
Indian Airlines and other private airlines link Ahmedabad
daily with many cities of India like Mumbai and Delhi.
Ahmedabad is also located on the main rail network. The
roads in Gujarat are in excellent condition and travel by
car can be fun. |
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