Festivals of Gujarat

Navratri :-

Navratri is the most awaited, well known and oldest festival of Gujarat which attracts visitors from all across the globe. Navratri is one of the largest festivals that is celebrated all across the state. In fact, the whole of India celebrates it with extreme pomp and merriment. But if you truly want to enjoy the colors of Navratri, then visit Gujarat.

Navratri means nine nights and is celebrated for nine days before Dussehra. The Navratri at Gujarat is celebrated in honor of the Goddess Shakti to commemorate her victory over the evil spirit and for starting off the reign of peace on the earth.

Navratri at Gujarat is symbolized with colors of fun and festivity. Garba and Dandiya, the two folk dances of Gujarat have got their prominence through Navratri. People of Gujarat can be seen in their ethnic wears during Navratri. Women wear ghaghra choli while the men wear dhoti kurta. Navratri of Gujarat has an economical significance also. This festival attracts lots of tourists every year.

During the festival of Navratri at Gujarat, you can enjoy the traditional costumes, folk dance and folk music, and the traditional cuisine of Gujaratis. Moreover, Navratri brings together people from all religions who get intoxicated by the mesmerizing charm of this colorful festival. Generally, Navratri is celebrated in October when Goddess Durga is worshiped.

You will find yourself to be extremely lucky if you visit the city of Gujarat during the Navratri festival because the festive season will make your journey a memorable one.  
Holi :-

Holi in Gujarat is one of the festival that celebrates the vibrant spirit of the Gujarati people. Holi is a festival of color and happiness, and on this day it is a custom to resolve all differences with everybody, including your enemies.

The festival, Holi has its origin in the legend of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna used to take active part in Holi. During this festival, it is also customary to drink buttermilk, as it was the favorite drink of Lord Krishna.

On the eve of Holi, a beautiful bonfire is decorated with flowers and fruits. Many people also offer home cooked food or other edibles such as raw mangoes, coconut, corn, toys made up of sugar or khoya (a milk product) to the bonfire as their offerings to the Goddess Holika. It is also a ritual to put a vermilion mark on each other's forehead and hug each other on this day.

Later in the evening, the bonfire is lit and people dance and sing around it. Virgins from each of the Gujarati family create idols of Goddess Gauri (another name for Durga) out of the ashes and perform Gauri Puja.

The succeeding day, which is known as 'Dhuleti', is reserved for playing colors. Young boys and girls form small groups called 'tolis' and roam about in search of people who are still left to be smeared.

In fact, Gujarati Holi is famous for its certain characteristics. In Gujarat, it is customary to break earthen pots filled with buttermilk, which is tied high up on a rope on this day.

Hundreds of people join hands to make a human pyramid, so that they can reach the pot. But the crucial factor is that people who surround the pyramid, keep throwing water on the group forming the pyramid.

Thus, Holi in Gujarat is thrilling! It has its own charm.

Dipavali :-

With almost 3,500 festivals celebrated in different parts of Gujarat every year, it can well be termed the 'land of festivals and fairs'. Deepavali is one of the leading festivals in Gujarat.

When: October/November. The month Asvina, in Indian calender, marks the end of the harvesting season. This month ends with Deepavali.

Duration of Deepavali of Gujarat: Four days

Facts about Deepavali in Gujarat

The first day of the festival starts with the Laxmi Puja.

The second day is celebrated as the day of casting off evils.

The third day is the actual Deepavali day. On this day, every home is illuminated and decorated with light. The literal meaning of Deepavali in Sanskrit is 'a row of lamps.' A large number of crackers are also burst.

The fourth and the last day is the New year day for the Gujaratis. On this day, the Gujaratis visit temples in colorful costumes and greet each other.

Myths about Deepavali: Lord Ram made a triumphant return to his capital Ayodhya, where he was crowned, after vanquishing Ravan and rescuing Sita. The people of Gujarat decorated their homes with lamps to mark the joyous occasion. Since then, this day is celebrated as Deepavali - the festival of lights'.

Legends about Deepavali: The common theme of all the legends is the triumph of good over evil. The most popular legend about Deepavali is about a demon named Narkasura, who began to terrorize the three worlds with his awesome powers. His defeat and death at the hands of Krishna is celebrated as Deepavali.

Rathyatra :-

The Rathayatra festival in Gujarat is held during the Asadh month of the lunar calendar. Besides celebrating the journey of Lord Krishna, the Rathayatra also celebrates the day on which the Rig Veda, the oldest of the Vedas, was revealed.

Early in July, Hindus celebrate the Rathayatra festival. Rathayatra is derived from two words 'ratha' meaning chariot and 'yatra' implying 'journey'; therefore, as the name suggests, Rathayatra is the journey or procession of Lord Krishna in his 'Ratha'.

Furthermore, one can find two different interpretations for the Rathayatra. One school is of the opinion that Rathayatra signifies Lord Krishna's travel from Gokul or Mathura; but the second school also seems to draw reference with the chariot procession of the Buddha's tooth at Dantapuri, the old Puri.

On this day, the tutelary deities, namely Lord Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra are installed on huge chariots, and devotees from all parts of the country come together to pull the the chariot in its journey through the streets.

In Gujarat the Rathayatra festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy. In Gujarat, glorious processions are conducted by the cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhavnagar, etc. People throughout Gujarat make replicas of the gigantic Ratha to commemorate the festival.


What is significant about Rathayatra is that people from all the communities come together to pull the chariot of Lord Krishna. It is, in fact, held as a privilege to have drawn the chariot of the Almighty. This secular nature of Rathayatra owes much to the Jagannath cult.

Ramadan :-

The Ninth month of Moslem year is known as Ramadan when Mohammed is supposed to have received his first revelations. In commemoration of this, Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset during the month leading upto Mohammed’s "Night of Power" when according to tradition Gabriel first told him of his mission. It is said that on this "Night of Power" the gates of Paradise are open, the gates of Hell shut and the devils in chains.


Mohammed had known of fasting by ascetic Jews and early Christians. The Ramadan fast lasts entire month, but only during the daylight hours. "Eat and drink until so much of the dawn appears that a white thread may be distinguished from a black. Then keep the fast completely until night" says the Koran. The fast of Ramadan is the most carefully observed of all religious duties by many muslims. Not only must they refrain from food and drink between dawn and dark, but they must not commit any unworthy act. One lie can make a day’s fast meaningless. The day is supposed to be spent in prayer and meditation. Once the sunset gun has sounded, the feasting begins. And at the end of Ramadan comes Little Bairam, a festival of good will and gift giving somewhat like Christmas in spirit.

HAJ at the Mount of Mercy 'Mount Arafat' in Saudi Arabia-More than 2 Million Muslims from world gather once a year for holy Pilgrimage on the Arafat. Under scorching heat, endless flow of pilgrims stayed until sundown on the Arafat plain where the prophet Mohammed gave his last sermon 14 centuries ago. The Pilgrims stay on the plain represent man's wait for the Last Judgement. According to Islamic tradition, it is also the place where Adam and Eve 'recognised' each other after being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Pilgrim men wore two seamless pieces of white cloth symbolising 'Equality' while women were entirely covered except for their hands and faces. Muslims scaled the rocky slopes as they listened to sermons and chanted calls to prayer with the chant 'Here I am, Allah, responding to your call, here I am, Allah, there is no other God but you'


Muslims from Gujarat are offered special HAJ pilgrimage tours as many of them visit the holy place every year. The cities of Gujarat celebrate Tajia and Id festivals and many Muslim pilgrimage places are visited by muslims all over the world as they are tourist attractions.

Eid :-

Eid al-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر‎ ʻĪd al-Fiṭr, IPA: [ʕiːd al fitˤr], "festival of breaking of the fast"), also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, the Sugar Feast, the Sweet Festival and the Lesser Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid is a single day and Muslims are not permitted to fast that day. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. This is a day when Muslims around the world try to show a common goal of unity. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality. However in most countries, it is generally celebrated on the same day as Saudi Arabia.


Eid al-Fitr has a particular salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two rakats (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may only be performed in congregation (Jama’at) and has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying "Allahu Akbar" [God is Great]), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school. This Eid al-Fitr salat is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed, Fard (obligatory), Mustahabb (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob (preferable).


Muslims believe that they are commanded by God, as mentioned in the Quran, to continue their fast until the last day of Ramadan and pay the Zakat and fitra before offering the Eid prayers.

Religion in Gujarat

In order to regulate religious conversions, the Gujarat government is proposing an amendment that will group Jainism and Buddhism along with Hinduism, and thus the adoption of any faith within the group will not be considered a conversion. The bill passed by voice vote in the Gujarat assembly on September 29, 2006.

All India Digambar Jain Mahasabha led by NK Jain opposed the move on September 20, 2006. He stated, "Any government, as per their convenience and agenda cannot afford to curb our right of a religious identity"

Bhartiya Dharma Rakshak Sena (BDRS), a small organisation said to be run by Jains, maintains that all religions in India are a part of Hinduism, "which is not a religion but a culture." In a press release, on September 22, 2006, Jasmin Shah, Piyush Jain and Abhay Shah of BDRS stated that the controversy is being promoted by forces who want to weaken Hinduism by creating minorities. They state that "Jainism is independent of Vedic religion, known as 'Hinduism'".The BDRS members claimed that there four sub-sects in Jainism, out of which one, the Digambara sect, is demanding a minority status.

On October 3, 2006 the predominant Jain sect in Gujarat, the Shwetambar Murtipujak Jain Sangh, held a meeting with state’s solicitor-general to assert that Jainism is a distinct religion and not a Hindu denomination. Shrenik Shah, Gujarat’s leading industrialist and president of the All India Shwetambar Murtipujak Jain Sangh, said that they had held a meeting with Gujarat’s solicitor-general and expressed their view to recognise Jainism as distinct religion. "We are not primarily concerned with the conversion aspect of the bill. But we have asserted our view that Jainism is a distinct religion," 

Christian :-

The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). Christians believe that Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed by God as savior of humanity, and hold that Jesus' coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian concept of the Messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept. The core Christian belief is that through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.

While there have been many theological disputes over the nature of Jesus over the earliest centuries of Christian history, Christians generally believe that Jesus is God incarnate and "true God and true man" (or both fully divine and fully human). Jesus, having become fully human, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, but did not sin. As fully God, he rose to life again. According to the Bible, "God raised him from the dead", he ascended to heaven, is "seated at the right hand of the Father" and will ultimately return[Acts 1:9–11] to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy such as the Resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment and final establishment of the Kingdom of God.

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary. Little of Jesus' childhood is recorded in the canonical Gospels, however infancy Gospels were popular in antiquity. In comparison, his adulthood, especially the week before his death, is well documented in the Gospels contained within the New Testament. The Biblical accounts of Jesus' ministry include: his baptism, miracles, preaching, teaching, and deeds.

Hindu :-

One orthodox classification of Hindu texts is to divide into Śruti ("revealed") and Smriti ("remembered") texts. These texts discuss theology, philosophy, mythology, rituals and temple building among other topics. Major scriptures include the Vedas, Upanishads, Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa, Manusmriti, Bhagavad Gītā and Āgamas.

Hinduism, with about one billion followers (950 million estimated in India), is the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.

Hinduism is the major religion of the Indian subcontinent, particularly of Nepal and India. Hinduism includes Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Śrauta among numerous other traditions. Among other practices and philosophies, Hinduism includes a wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of "daily morality" based on karma, dharma, and societal norms. Hinduism is a categorisation of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, common set of beliefs.


Muslim Islam :-

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Qur'an—which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad—and, with lesser authority than the Qur'an, the teachings and practices of Muhammad as recorded in traditional accounts, called hadith. "Muslim" is an Arabic word meaning "one who submits to God".

Muslims believe that God (referred to with the name Allāh) is eternal, transcendent, absolutely one (the doctrine of tawhid, or strict or simple monotheism), and incomparable; that he is self-sustaining, who begets not nor was begotten. Muslim beliefs regarding God are summed up in chapter 112 of the Qur'an, al-Ikhlas, "the chapter of purity". Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muslims maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time, but consider the Qur'an to be both unaltered and the final revelation from God—Final Testament.

Most Muslims accept as a Muslim anyone who has publicly pronounced the Shahadah (declaration of faith) which states, "I testify that there is no god except for the God, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." They also believe that Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets and the final prophet. Their basic religious practices are enumerated in the Five Pillars of Islam, which, in addition to Shahadah, consist of daily prayers (salat), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.

The majority of Muslims are Sunni, being over 75–90% of all Muslims.The second largest sect, Shia, makes up 10–20%. The most populous Muslim-majority country is Indonesia home to 12.7% of the world's Muslims followed by Pakistan (11.0%), Bangladesh (9.2%), and Egypt (4.9%).Sizable minorities are also found in India, China, Russia, Ethiopia, Americas, Australia and parts of Europe. With about 1.8 billion followers or 26% of earth's population, Islam is the second-largest and one of the fastest-growing religions in the world

Sarkhej Roza Ahmedabad

The Sarkhej Roza complex has been interpreted as being composed of both 'jism'(body) and 'ruh'(spirit), giving it the qualities of a human being. The intricate stone carvings and stark beauty of the complex reflect the beauty of the soul of the roza's patron-saint Ganj Baksh. The credit for roza's architecture goes to Azam and Mu'azzam; two Persian(Greater khorasan) brothers. The complex was originally spread over 72 acres, surrounded by elaborate gardens on all sidea. Over time, human settlements came around it, eating into gardens and reducing the area to 34 acres.

The arrangement of the tombs, palaces and the mosques around the large tank gives a visitor the sense of being in the presence of a formless, timeless entity. Like many monuments built during that period, the Sarkhej Roza fused both Muslim and Hindu principles of architecture. While the ringed domes, the profusion of pillars and brackets follow the Islamic genre, much of the ornamentation and motifs have Hindu designs. Most of the buildings don't have arches and depend on pierced stone trellises for stability. In its architecture, Sarkhej Roza is an example of the early Islamic architectural culture of the region, which fused Islamic stylistic influences from Persia with indigenous Hindu and Jain features to form a composite “Indo-Saracenic” architectural style.

Although Sultan Qutubuddin Ahmed Shah II completed the roza between 1451 and 1458, it was the next sultan, Mehmud Begada, who gave the complex its present grandeur. He expanded it by building the pleasure palaces, gave finishing touches to the tank and added his own tomb just across the courtyard from the saint's. The mosque, with its courtyard, creates a religious milieu; the royal connection is made through the tombs and palaces; the great tank, platforms and pavilions were used by the common man.

This tomb and mosque of a Sufi saint are known in this region as "Ganj Bakhsh". They were constructed under the reign of the 4th sultan, Muhammad Shah II (1451-58) and completed under the following sultan, Qutb al-Din Ahmad Shah II. After their completion, many mausoleums, gardens and other constructions were built in the area to honor this saint. Since then, a group of remains relating to this sait, including dargah seems to have been known as Sarkhej Monuments. As seen from the photos here, these remains were constructed on the lake side of a vast artificial lake. Approaching from the west, the mosque, the tomb of Bibi Rajbai can be found. The tomb of the Mahumud Bagara is situated in the north shore of the lake. The mausoleum of Shaikh Ahmad is situated a little distance from the lake, to the northeast of these relics.

　

Unlike the Jama Masjid in Ahmadabad and other mosques of Gjarati style, which have arch-shaped walls, the mosque at Sarkhej has a thick wall in the front with no arch-shaped entrance and a minar in the middle. It has a flat roof without a well, having 10 flat domes of 5 spans in width and 2 spans in depth. Surrounding the 10 domes, there are a total of 40 small domes on the roof. On the east front of the prayer room, facing the large courtyard, lines of slender pillars, instead of arch-shaped entrance, are observed. The pillars count 120 in total. Therefore, viewed from the east front, or from the inside of the prayer room, if one does not notice the mihrab in the west part of the prayer room, one may feel he is in a Hindu temple. This is also because the lines of the pillars are similar to those of the Hindu or Jain temples. The unique form of this mosque reminds me of the form of mosques around the time of the foundation of the Qutb Mosque in Delhi in the early Sultanate period, before arch-shaped walls were employed. In the northwest corner of the prayer room, there is a two-tiered zanana supported by the Hindu style pillars.

　

In a square to the east of this mosque, there is the mausoleum of Shaikh Ahmad Khattu. To the south of its south entrance, there is a small arbor-like building. It has a stairs-shaped basement and 9 domes, corresponding to its width and depth of 3 spans. It looks like a forerunner of the main mausoleum of the saint.

　

The main mausoleum of the dargah of Shaikh Ahmad is 13 spans in width and depth. The 5 spans in the centre of the tomb chamber support the majestic central dome, which has a high finial. The grand mausoleum consists of a dome having a radius of 5 spans, surrounded by quadruple corridors. The four sides of the building have square entrances and windows between pillars. Only the front entrance in south has wide arch-shaped openings, excluding the central part. Each entrance has a Jali Screen in the upper part. This openwork window is also seen on the other sides. It was surprising to find that each openwork has different patterns.

　To the south of the main mausoleum of the saint, possessing a terrace and stairs to the lake, there is the tomb of Bibi Rajbai (to the west of the lake), and tomb of the 7th sultan Mahmud Begarah. Bibi Rajbai is the empress of the 8th sultan Muzaffar Shah II. She is also known as Bai Sultani. Her tomb consists of a central 12-pillared dome, surrounded by small domes. The upper part of the lake side has projecting windows of the Hindu style.

　The tomb of her step father, sultan Mahmud Begarah, consists of a central 12 pillared room, having three tomb stones, surrounded by triple corridors. The upper part of the west side, which faces the lake, is partly decorated by Jali screens.

　

The main entrance to the Sarkheji building complex was built to the east. Its upper part has arch-shaped windows decorated by elaborate openwork sculptures, showing the features of decorations of the Gjarati architectural style.
(Matsuo Ara)

The arrangement of the tombs, palaces and the mosques around the large tank gives a visitor the sense of being in the presence of a formless, timeless entity. Like many monuments built during that period, the Sarkhej Roza fused both Muslim and Hindu principles of architecture. While the ringed domes, the profusion of pillars and brackets follow the Islamic genre, much of the ornamentation and motifs have Hindu designs. Most of the buildings don't have arches and depend on pierced stone trellises for stability. In its architecture, Sarkhej Roza is an example of the early Islamic architectural culture of the region, which fused Islamic stylistic influences from Persia with indigenous Hindu and Jain features to form a composite “Indo-Saracenic” architectural style.Although Sultan Qutubuddin Ahmed Shah II completed the roza between 1451 and 1458, it was the next sultan, Mehmud Begada, who gave the complex its present grandeur. He expanded it by building the pleasure palaces, gave finishing touches to the tank and added his own tomb just across the courtyard from the saint's. The mosque, with its courtyard, creates a religious milieu; the royal connection is made through the tombs and palaces; the great tank, platforms and pavilions were used by the common man.

Kankaria

Kankaria Lake is one of the biggest lakes in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. A lakefront was developed around it which has many public attractions like zoo, toy train, kids city, tethered balloon ride, water rides and water park, food stalls and entertainment facilities. Kankaria Carnival is a week long festival being held here in last week of December. Many cultural, art and social activities are organised during carnival. It is located in the southern part of the city, in Maninagar area.

History :-

Kankaria Lake was built by Sultan Kutubuddin in 15th century. The work was completed in 1451 CE and was known as "Qutub Hojj" or "Hauj-e-Kutub" .It was used for bathing by the kings. It had a water purification system but it has been lost with the time. At one point of the circular lake, there opens a walkway which later merges into a garden called Nagina Wadi (which means beautiful garden in Urdu) that is located in the centre of the lake. With an approximate circumference of 1.4 miles (2.3 km), it represents the regale history of Ahmedabad. It is a 34-sided polygon having steps which leading down to water level.

Attractions :-

Kankaria Zoo :-

Kamla Nehru Zoological Park was established by Rueben David in 1951 CE spread over 21 acres. It was rated the best zoo in Asia in 1974.They are 450 mammals, 2,000 birds, 140 reptiles in a 31 acre zoo. It is a treasure of wild animals like tigers, lions, python, anaconda, snakes, elephant, albinos (white), like the rhesus monkey and peacock, spotted deer, white blackbuck, chinkara, elephants, emu, jungle babbler, bush-quail and common palm civet. Kankaria Zoo has also records in breeding of rare species in Zoo like pythons, crocodiles, bearcats and wild asses. Reuben David was awarded Padma Shri in 1974 for it.

Kids City :-

Kids City is a miniature world designed for kids. It is spread in 4240 sq.metre area having 18 activity centres including banks, fire station, science lab, radio station, police station, court room and prison, dental as well as medical hospital, theatre, BRTS, heritage gallery, town governance, IT centre, News room, ice-cream factory, etc. AMC had applied for copyrights and patents on the individual games in the premises, the unique point system, Virmo (Virtual Money) and the design of the different venues in games.

Toy Trains :-

A train named Atal Express (Named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birthday 25 December 2008) was imported from London, the train circles the lake on a 4.5 km track at a speed of 10 km/h. The train has the capacity to carry 150 passengers, including 36 adults. The train is manufactured by Severn Lamb.During the first 11 months of introducing the train, it attracted nearly a million visitors.After the success of this train, another train was also started which named Swarnim Jayanti Express.

Gujarat Tourism

Beautiful places in Gujarat :-

Tourism in Gujarat is promoted by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited. It is one of the most popular state in the country for tourists with annual footfall of 19.81 million tourists in 2010-11. Gujarat offers scenic beauty from Great Rann of Kutch to the hills of Saputara. Gujarat is the sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions in the world. During the Sultanate reign, Hindu craftsmanship mix with Islamic architecture, giving rise to the Indo-Saracenic style. Many structures in the state are built in this fashion. It is also the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the great iconic figures during India's Independence movement. Amitabh Bachchan is currently the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism. ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki' campaign by megastar Amitabh Bachchan has enhanced tourism in Gujarat by 14 per cent, twice that of national growth rate.

Museums in Gujarat :-

Gujarat has a variety of museums on different genres. These museums are run by the state's Department of Museums located at the principal state museum, Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery. The Kirti Mandir, Porbandar, Sabarmati Ashram, and Kaba Gandhi No Delo are museums related to Mahatma Gandhi. The former being the his place of birth and the latter being two of the places where he lived in his lifetime. All of them are now transformed into museums. Kaba Gandhi No Delo in Rajkot exhibits some of a rare collection of photographs relating to the life of Mahatma Gandhi.[118] Sabarmati Ashram is the place where Gandhi initiated Dandi March. On 12 March 1930 he vowed that he would not return to the Ashram until India won independence.

Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery and Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum are located in Vadodara. Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery is where state's Department of Museums is located. While the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum is housed within Lakshmi Vilas Palace. It's the palace where Maharaja lived, and now has been turned into a museum. Located in Ahmedabad the Calico Museum of Textiles is managed by the Sarabhai Foundation and is one of the most popular tourist spots in Ahmedabad.

The Lakhota Museum at Jamnagar is a palace transformed into museum, was residence of the Jadeja Rajputs. The collection of the museum includes artifacts spanning from 9th to 18th century, pottery from medieval villages nearby and the skeleton of a whale.

 

Other famous museums in state include Kutch Museum in Bhuj being the oldest museum in Gujarat founded in 1877, Watson Museum of human history and culture in Rajkot, Gujarat Science City and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad.

Gujarat Economy

Industries in Gujarat :-

There were 20,050 (provisional) registered working factories and about 2,56,388 small scale industrial units on March 31, 2001. Establishments engaged in the manufacture of cotton textiles provide employment to a major portion of the industrial workers followed by the manufacture of non-metallic mineral products. These two industries together provide employment to 31.49% of the industrial workers. 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 establishments engaged in manufacturing of machinery and machinery tools and parts except electrical machinery, manufacturing of wool, silk and synthetic fiber textiles and basic metal and alloys industries cover 30.50% of the total industrial workers. Other manufacturing products are rubber, plastic, petroleum and coal products, transport equipments and parts, food products etc.

A large number of small scale industries are pertaining to metallic work, chemical industries, machinery except electricity and transport, cotton industry and non metallic mineral work etc. The most remarkable feature of Gujarat's recent industrial development has been the growth of the dairy industry, much of it conducted on a cooperative basis. There are now 15 milk processing plants with a production capacity of 3.2 million litres per day, which is the first in India. The membership of the dairying cooperatives exceeds 1 million. Of these the Kaira District Coperative Milk Producers Union (Anand) is the best known. To support milk production there are over 10 factories processing 1500-2000 tonnes of cattle feed per day. There is production of oil and natural gas in Ankleswar, Cambay and Kalol and a oil refinery at Koyali. Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) have developed around 257 mega industrial estates at Jhagadia, Vagra, Savli, Dahej, Anklaseshwar etc. Jamnagar, Porbandar, Jafrabad, Bhavnagar are centers of industry and trade.

Geography of Gujarat

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.

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.

History of Gujarat

Gujarat gets its name from "Gujjar Rashtra", the land of the Gujjars, a migrant tribe who came to India in the wake of the invading Huns in the 5th century. The history of Gujarat dates back to 2000 BC. It is also believed that Lord Krishna left Mathura to settle on the west coast of Saurashtra at Dwarka.    

   

The state saw various kingdoms like Mauryas, Guptas, Pratiharas etc, but it was under the regime of Chalukyas (Solanki) Gujarat witnesses progress and prosperity. Inspite of the plundering of Mahmud of Ghazni, the Chalukyan kings were able to maintain general prosperity and well being of the state. After this glorious respite, Gujarat faced troubled times under the Muslims, Marathas and the British rules

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, Gujaratalso 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.
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