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General Information about Gujarat 

Geography

Gujarat borders Pakistan to the north west and the state of Rajasthan to the north and northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, Maharashtra and the 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”.^[1] Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna.^[2] The Arabian Sea makes up the state’s western coast. Its capital, Gandhinagar is a planned city and is located near Ahmedabad, the commercial center of Gujarat. Gujarat has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,077 km²).

[edit]History

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This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (October 2008)

 

Ancient Lothal as envisaged by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The name of the state is derived from Gujjar (Gujjar R?shtra), which means Gujjar nation.

[edit]1297 CE – 1850 CE

In 1297 to 1300 Allauddin Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, destroyed 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 governor Zafar Khan Muzaffar asserted his independence, and his son, Sultan Ahmed Shah (ruled 1411 to 1442), restructured Ahmedabad as the capital. Cambay eclipsed Bharuch as Gujarat’s most important trade port. The Sultanate of Gujaratremained independent until 1576, when the Mughal emperor Akbar conquered it and annexed it to the Mughal Empire. The port of Surat become the prominent and main port of India during Mughal rule. Gujarat remained a province of the Mughal empire until theMarathas sacked eastern and central Gujarat in the eighteenth century; Western Gujarat (Kathiawar and Kutch) were divided among numerous local rulers.

 

Bombay Presidency in 1909, northern portion

 

Bombay Presidency in 1909, southern portion

[edit]1614 CE – 1947 CE

Portugal was the first European power to arrive in Gujarat, acquiring several enclaves along the Gujarati coast, including Daman and Diu as well asDadra 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 British acquired it from Portugal in 1668. The Company wrested control of much of Gujarat from the Marathas during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. 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 dozens of princely states, but several districts in central and southern Gujarat, namely Ahmedabad, Broach (Bharuch), Kaira, Panch Mahals, and Surat, were ruled directly by British officials.

[edit]Indian independence movement

See also: Freedom fighters from Gujarat

 

Mahadev Desai (left) reading out a letter to Mahatma Gandhi from the viceroy at Birla House, Bombay, 7 April 1939.

Leaders like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai, K.M. Munshi, Narhari Parikh,Mahadev Desai, Mohanlal Pandya, Bhulabhai Desai and Ravi Shankar Vyas all hailed from Gujarat. As well,Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s, Pakistan’s first Governor-General, father was from an area which later became Gujarat. Gujarat was also the site of some of the most popular revolts, including the Satyagrahas in Kheda, Bardoli, Borsadand the Salt Satyagraha.

[edit]Post independence

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 Kathiawadpeninsula, 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. In 1956, 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 Marathi nationalists for their own state led to the split of Bombay state on linguistic lines; on 1 May 1960, it became the new states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The first capital of Gujarat wasAhmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970.

[edit]2001 Gujarat earthquake

Gujarat was hit by a devastating earthquake on January 26, 2001 at 08:46, which claimed almost 20,000 lives, injured another 55,000 people and destroyed over 100,000 homes. This earthquake severely affected the lives of forty million people in the region.

In February 2002, violence broke out across the state claiming around a thousand lives. An official estimate stated that 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed, 223 people were reported missing and 2,500 were injured.^[3] Independent estimates by rights groups and NGOs place the figure higher, nearer to 2000. More than one hundred and fifty thousand people were displaced. Organisations such as Human Rights Watch criticised the Indian government for failure to address the resulting humanitarian condition of people, “overwhelming majority of them Muslim,” who fled their homes for refugee camps in the aftermath of the riots.^[4] The riots followed the Godhra Train Burning incident, where 58 Hindu Kar Sevak pilgrims were burned alive on a train that caught fire, which was allegedly set by a large mob of Muslim men.^[5] ]]

[edit]2008 bomb blasts

On 26 July 2008, there were 21 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad at various places including Civil Hospital (one of major government hospital). As of 1 August 2008, the death toll from the blasts was 55. The bombs were low-intensity and equipped with precised timing circuits.^{[citation needed]} Soon after the Ahmedabad blasts, around 24 live bombs (explosive devices) were found in Surat which is currently one of the fastest growing cities of India. Most of the bombs were found in the area of Varacha, which is mainly dominated by the Hindu community.^{[citation needed]} Unlike the events following the Godhra Train Burning in 2002, the bombings were not followed by inter-community rioting.

[edit]February 2009 Hepatitis B outbreak

On 21 February 2009, Authorities were carrying out raids at medical stores in India’s western Gujarat state for bogus drugs and recycled syringes after a hepatitis B outbreak left 32 people dead, officials said Saturday.

Five medical practitioners were also arrested for violations, said Malayappan Thennarasan, the top administrator of the state’s Sabarkantha district. One of those arrested is being held for allegedly reusing injection syringes, Thennarasan said. Health authorities have recorded 111 cases of hepatitis B infection in the district over the past two weeks, he added. “Of them, 32 have died,” he said. Health officials have launched an awareness campaign in the district, Thennarasan said this week. Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease resulting from infection with the hepatitis B virus.^[6][7]

[edit]Geography

 

Geography of Gujarat. Courtesy:NASA Earth Observatory

Gujarat is the westernmost state of India. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and southwest, and Pakistan to the northwest. The state ofRajasthan is to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and Maharashtra and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south and southeast of Gujarat.

[edit]Climate and natural features

The relief is low in the most parts of the state and involves diverse climate conditions.The winters are mild, pleasant, and dry with average daytime temperatures around 83 °F(29 °C) and nights around 53 °F (12 °C) with 100 percent sunny days and clear nights. The summers are extremely hot and dry with daytime temperatures around 105 °F (41 °C) and at night no lower than 85 °F(29 °C). The time just before the monsoon the temperatures are similar to above but with high humidity which makes the air feel hotter. Relief comes when the monsoon season starts around in mid June. The day temperatures are lower to around 95 °F(35 °C) but humidity is very high and nights are around 80 °F (27 °C). Most of the rainfall occurs in this season, and the rain can cause severe floods. The sun is often occluded during the monsoon season. Though mostly dry, it is deserticin the north-west, and wet in the southern districts due to heavy monsoon season.

[edit]Beaches

Ahmedpur Mandvi Beach - Ahmedpur Mandvi Beach is situated on the coastline of the state of Gujarat and is one of the finest beaches in India. It is located in Ahemdpur Mandvi, which is the historic port town of Maharao of Kutch.

Chorwad Beach - Chorwad Beach of Gujarat is another splendid beach situated on the west coast of India. It is situated at a distance of 66 km from Junagadh. Chorwad has a high potential of attracting both domestic as well as international tourists. The beach constitutes of rocky hills and presents opportunity for thrilling boat rides.

Diu Beach - Diu beach is situated off the Saurashtra coast and is connected to the state of Gujarat via a causeway. Diu is a secluded island and does not have much population. This makes it the place ideal for a serene vacation, away from the worries of daily life.

Gopnath Beach - Gopnath Beach is situated in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. It is located on the coast of the Gulf of Kambhat, at a distance of 75 km from the city of Bhavnagar. Gopnath is a pristine beach known for its natural beauty.

Kutch Mandvi Beach — Kutch Mandvi is an important beach in Gujarat, situated at Mandvi. Mandvi is the historic port town of Maharao of Kutch, located at a distance of 75 km from Bhuj. Kutch Mandvi was once inhabited by the Maharao of Kutch and was an important seaport.

Umbergam Beach - Umargam is about 6 km from Umargam Road railway station on Mumbai-Surat rail section . This region was part of Thane district prior to creation of Gujarat in 1960.

Umargam is situated on the southern bank of Nargol creek. It was a small village about two centuries ago, serving as a transit point for exporting marine products from the fishing port Nargol on the Northern Bank of the creek.

TITHAL Beach (Valsad) tithal beach 5 km from Valsad. It is only beach of the world which has only temple which is on the shore of Beach.

Demographics

The population of the Gujarat State was 50,671,017 as per the 2001 census data. The density of population is only 258 persons per km². and compares favourably with the other states of the country.

Its official and primary language is Gujarati. About 89.1% of the population of Gujarat are Hindu.^[9] Muslims account for 9.1%, Jain 1.0% and Sikh 0.1% of the population.^[9] 99% of the Gujarati Hindus are strict vegetarians^{[citation needed]}. Amongst Hindus the deity of Krishna is famously worshipped in His form of Shrinathji throughout Gujarat. Gujarat is the birthplace of Gandhi. Gujarat is also the birthplace of the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism.

71% of Hindus in Gujarat speak Gujarati while the other 29% speak Hindi^{[citation needed]}. Almost 88% of the Muslims speak Gujarati while the rest speak Urdu. Almost all of the Jains speak Gujarati (a few speak Marwari as well). Parsi Zoroastrians also speak Gujarati as their native language.Marathi is spoken by a large number of people in Vadodara and Surat

Besides Gujarati the Kutchi language is widely spoken in the Kutch District.

Gujarat as a heavily industrialized state of India, attracts lots of outsiders from various parts of India.

Popularity: 4% [?]