| Gujarat has a long historical
and cultural tradition dating back
to the days of the Indus valley
civilization established by relics
found at Lothal. Situated in the
western part of the Indian
sub-continent, Gujarat derives its
name from the "Gurjars" who passed
through Punjab and settLed in some
parts of Western India. According to
the Hindu epics, Lord Krishna and
his elder brother Balarama,
evacuated Mathura and established
their kingdom Kushasthali, now known
as Dwarka and started what is known
as the Yadava dynasty. Dwarka
subsequently became one of the four
seats (mathas) set up by Adi
Shankaracharya. The Parsees when
they fLed from Iran in the eighth
century first landed at Sanjan on
the shores of Gujarat with the holy
flame, which still burns in Udwada
in Valsad. The Muslim influence left
its lasting imprints on the local
art and architecture and it came to
be known as the Indo-Saracenic
style.
Among the earliest Europeans in
Gujarat were the Portuguese who
settLed in Diu, a small island off
the southern coast of Saurashtra.
After that came the British who set
up warehouses in Surat in 1612.
Gujarat was a part of the
erstwhile Mumbai state during the
British Rule. However, in 1960, the
'Gujarati' population decided to
secede from that union, which
resulted in the formation of two new
states, namely Gujarat and
Maharashtra. The new State of
Gujarat came into existence on May
01, 1960.
Gujarat is the birthplace of many
leaders who played an important role
in shaping modern India. Prominent
among them are Shri Dadabhai Navroji,
the grand old man of India's
independence struggle, Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of
a united India and Mahatma Gandhi,
the father of the Nation. These men
carried the torch of national
freedom and integration infusing the
qualities of tolerance, brotherhood,
non-violence and patriotism amongst
Indians. |
