Gujarat has a strong historical background info

  

Gujarat History

Gujarat has an ancient history and origins to be proud of.  It was earlier known as Gujarat (Gurjara Rashtra), which means Gurjar nation.  The Gurjars were on the old clan, who lived in the region during the Mahabharata period.  Another opinion about the Gujjars is that they belonged to Central Asia and came to India during the first century.  Citizens of the Indus Valley and Harappan Civilization were also settled in Gujarat.  This was confirmed by the excavations of Lothal and Dholavira.

Gujarat's strong historical background is also due to the fact that it was ruled by many powerful kings like Mauryas, Scythians, Guptas, Solankis and Mughals.  These rulers contributed significantly to the culture of the state by building many monuments and popularizing other traditional practices.  Later the state was inhabited by other groups like Gurjars and Parsis.  These groups remained under the influence of the Mughals and the Marathas till the middle of the 18th century.

Around 1818 AD, the British brought India under colonial rule and ruled till 1947 AD.  The British built the first headquarters of the East India Company in Surat.  Later it was shifted to Bombay, now known as Mumbai.  Gujarat was also the birth place of many freedom fighters who selflessly served the country.  Prominent leaders were Shri Dadabhai Naoroji - the great old man of the freedom struggle, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - the architect of a united India and Mahatma Gandhi - the father of the nation.

These great souls led the national struggle for independence and helped in the making of modern India.  He propagated qualities like tolerance, brotherhood, non-violence and patriotism among Indians.  Some other leaders who participated in the freedom struggle were KM Munshi, Narhari Parikh, Mahadev Desai and Ravi Shankar Vyas.  After independence, Gujarat was part of the former Mumbai state.

In the year 1960, the people of Gujarat decided to form a new state for themselves.  This led to the partition and the formation of two new states, Gujarat and Maharashtra.  Gujarat was declared an independent state of the Indian Union on 1 May 1960.  The first capital of the newly found state of Gujarat was Ahmedabad.  But, in the year 1970 it was shifted to Gandhinagar.  Today, Gujarat has turned into one of the sought-after tourist destinations of India.